1. PUSH BUTTON FILE
Description: A power nail file
Main Pitch: "Files nails quickly and easily for a perfect finish"
Main Offer: $10 for one with two styling heads
Bonus: Second one with two styling heads free (just pay separate S&H)
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: Concepts TV
Website: www.PushButtonFile.com
S7 Score: 5 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Needed, Different (?)
Comments: "Old is gold" as they say, and Telebrands is the one to bring this concept back since they were behind the original TV hit, 2001's Salon Shaper. However, the Pedi Pistol didn't make it, and similar items have also been tried without success.
2. CLIK HOOKS
Description: Adhesive hooks with an optional snap-in bar
Main Pitch: "Keep your cupboards clean and your countertops clear"
Main Offer: $19.95 for 10 hooks, 10 bars and eight S-hooks
Bonus: Double the offer FREE (just pay separate P&H)
Marketer: Allstar Marketing
Website: www.GetClikHooks.com
S7 Score: 4 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Needed, Different, Uncrowded (?)
Comments: The only hit item I can think of like this was Ontel's Snap Hooks, which made the Top 20 in 2000. Today, adhesive hooks are fairly common. For example, 3M has a line. This product tries to be more with the addition of the bar, but there are much better-looking solutions, and they are widely available at retail.
3. JYZE PRO
Description: An exercise device for a woman's arms
Main Pitch: "A fun and effective way to melt away the fat on your arm problem areas"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one workout set with yellow resistance band (3-16 lbs) and orange resistance band (8-30 pounds)
Bonus: Quick-start workout DVD and user's guide
Website: www.GetJyzePro.com
S7 Score: 4 out of 7
Missing Qualities: Needed, Targeted, Engaging (?)
Comments: The WHAT Pro?! Getting past the name, I'm not sure an exercise device just for women's arms is needed. Women's fitness is also a tough category for short-form DRTV. With a few notable exceptions (e.g. Bender Ball), the category has traditionally worked best in long form. As for the commercial, this opening has been done many times, and I think it is always done wrong. Women don't want to be insulted, and talking about their "jingle jangle" is insulting.
4. TROJAN VIBRATING MINI
Description: A small vibrator
Main Pitch: "The high-quality personal massager from Trojan"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: A Trojan condom, storage pouch and 2 button cell batteries
Marketer: Church & Dwight
Producer: Blue Moon Studios
Website: www.TrojanMini.com
Comments: This one's outside the norm for DRTV, so I didn't bother to give it an S7 rating. However, this is a newly popular DRTV category worth noting. Notice I didn't write "a new DRTV category." I was checking the archives recently and noticed Telebrands at No. 23 on the 1999 Jordan Whitney annual with Vibra Touch. These "personal massagers" have also been a staple in catalogs for decades. But Blue Moon has put a great new twist on the creative, and the Trojan name gives the product a trustworthiness it wouldn't otherwise have.
Prepared by Lynda J. Moore.
