(E-mail readers click here to see the spot.)
Description: A knockoff of Snuggie, but this one's for two people
Main Pitch: "Lets you cuddle in comfort and freedom with the one you love"
Main Offer: $19.95 for one in deep ocean blue, radiant red or precious pink
Bonus: None
Marketer: National Express
Website: www.BuyKuttles.com
S7 Score: 2 out of 7 (?)
This commercial reminded me of a classic exchange from the movie There's Something About Mary:
Hitchhiker: You heard of this thing, the 8-Minute Abs?
Ted: Yeah, sure, 8-Minute Abs. Yeah, the exercise video.
Hitchhiker: Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: 7... Minute... Abs.
Ted: Right. Yes. OK, all right. I see where you're going.
Hitchhiker: Think about it. You walk into a video store, you see 8-Minute Abs sittin' there, there's 7-Minute Abs right beside it. Which one are you gonna pick, man?
You heard of this two-sleeve blanket thing? This is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: A blanket with three sleeves. Which one are you gonna pick, man?
Joking aside, this one came close to failing every single one of the S7 criteria. Needed? Not unless you find the inability to hold hands outside of a blanket to be a real problem. Is this meant for parents to give their teenagers? "No regular blankets when Johnny is over! You have to wear this, so I can see your hands at all times!"
Correctly targeted? I don't think you can slice a market any narrower than "people who want to wear a Snuggie at the same time and in the same place as someone else."
Different? Only if you live in an area with no TV and no major retail outlets. Scratch that. I think Snuggie is even selling well in tractor catalogs.
Uncrowded category? See tractor catalog comment above.
I could go on, by why bother? This is a very disappointing effort from a company that is known for good products with solid DRTV fundamentals. I can't imagine what they were thinking. This item is a retail line extension for Snuggie -- at best.
