- ChefDini. Pitch: "The fastest way to chop, mince, slice and dice." Marketer: Telebrands. Starring: Chef Alan. Comments: As I wrote in my last round-up: "In DR, the third time isn't the charm." This exact item has been tried twice before: Once by Ontel (see No. 3) and once by the late, great Billy Mays (see No. 2). I know this is a successful pitch-market item, and I guess you never know with timing, but I don't like the odds here. [a]
- Curve Shaper. Pitch: "Twist the pounds away in just minutes per day." Marketer: SAS Group. Starring: Forbes Riley. Comments: I'm "on the fence" about this one. It seems like just another fitness product to me -- nothing spectacular -- but I suppose it could catch on. [a]
- Dream Look. Pitch: "The [eye] lift you've always wanted, instantly." Starring: Debi Marie. Marketer: SAS Group. Producer: Hutton-Miller. Comments: I think the problem focus here (just eyelids) is too narrow for this to be successful. [a]
- Every Cut. Pitch: "Get six incredible cutting tools in one." Comments: This is almost literally a "Swiss Army knife" product, and my thoughts on such products are well known to readers of this blog. Also, Open It! tried a similar pitch and failed. [a]
- Incredible Indoor Banana Tree. Pitch: "Grow your own delicious bananas at home for just pennies." Marketer: Lipenwald. Comments: This is cool, but my guess is it's an over-promise. Dozens of plump bananas from an indoor plant? Doesn't seem likely. [a]
- My Lavender Garden. Pitch: "Create an ever-blooming hedge of exquisite fragrance and beauty." Comments: Not my area of expertise, but it seems like this one's a stretch. [a]
- Potty Express. Pitch: "Take your child potty anytime and anywhere." Marketer: Smart Life Enterprises. Comments: Wrong demographic for DRTV. Also creates a problem and is kinda gross. Prediction: Bomb. [a]
- Sift & Toss. Pitch: "The new kitty litter liner that's simply amazing." Producer: Concepts TV. Comments: Great product. Solid commercial. But I predict it won't work because there are two strikes against it. One is recent history. Quicksand, a big hit from the "Golden Age" of DRTV, was recently re-tested and failed. The other is consumer resistance to buying anything off TV that requires replenishment (i.e. disposable bags). This creative also suffers from what I call a "kitchen sink" offer. That is, the offer has so many parts and bonuses (everything and the kitchen sink), that it's confusing -- and confusion is a sales killer. [a]
- Slim Away. Pitch: "The adjustable slimming garment that trims inches off your waist." Marketer: Telebrands. Comments: I think this one's "unlikely to succeed" because Slim Tanx didn't do well and this is a much less sexy version of that concept. Only Kymaro seems to have gotten DR shapewear right. [a]
- Smooth Sleepers. Pitch: "Cosmetic sleep strips help prevent & reduce wrinkles." Marketer: IdeaVillage. Comments: This pitch didn't work for pillowcases (see No. 8) on DRTV, so I don't see why it would work for this. I think the problem is one of credibility. Sleep causes wrinkles? Also, wrinkle reduction is a super-crowded category dominated by big brands. But it is unique. [a]
March 27, 2011
Weekly Round-Up
Still in "catch-up mode," so here are 10 quick reviews: