May 27, 2011

Review: Nail Perfect

Description: A manicure station
Main Pitch: "Salon-perfect nails every time"
Main Offer: $9.99 for a complete set with polish chair
Bonus: 2nd set with polish chair
Marketer: Smart Inventions
Website: www.BuyNailPerfect.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

I don't pretend to know what women will find appealing when it comes to items that don't solve a clear problem, like this one. It's one reason why I rely heavily on basic market research and preach its merits to my clients. So my only thought here is that if this does appeal to women, it will appeal to younger women -- and that's a problem.

Tweens? Can't get them to buy DR. Ask any toy company that has tried. Teens? There has only been one successful campaign on DRTV in recent years: Allstar's Bumpits. College age women, young moms ... I've only seen pockets of response, rarely enough to make a DRTV campaign workable. (By all means, post a comment if you can cite examples to contrary.)

Bottom line: This business is all about odds, and having a successful campaign when young women are your target is not playing those odds smartly.