Description: Poison control for pets
Main Pitch: "Absorbs life-threatening toxins ... buys you the precious time you need to get your pet to the vet"
Main Offer: $19.95 for one dose
Bonus: Free dose of Stable-Lyze (restores digestive balance)
Marketer: Bomac Vets Plus
Website: www.BuyNutriLyze.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed
This commercial employs a great technique I call "emotional blackmail." (I'm pretty sure I stole that from someone, but I can't remember who it was.) If you have a pet you love, this spot will make you feel guilty if you don't buy the product. Unfortunately, the problems with the product will overrride that feeling of guilt.
The first problem is it's a prevention item and, for the second day in a row, I get to remind everyone that prevention doesn't sell. It's just human nature: We don't take action until the need is immediate. This is especially true with rare problems like the one highlighted in this spot. True, pets may eat things that aren't good for them regularly, but things that put their life in jeopardy? That's either a rare problem or Fido isn't going to be around for very long.
The second problem with the product is it's an unknown, un-branded substance. Pets are loved liked children. Many people get a dog instead of having a baby, and then treat that dog like their baby. This is important to understand because asking a pet owner to give a dog an unfamiliar medicine is like asking a parent to give his or her baby an unfamiliar medicine. All the same doubts and concerns apply, and a trusted brand is probably what's needed to overcome them.
