As for my track record, there aren't enough new items to warrant an update. Instead, I will provide a complete 2011 accounting when the True Top 50 for the entire year is ready (sometime next month, I hope).
That said, I should admit that I was wrong about three items in particular:
- Music Bullet (No. 19). I was right about Sonic Jammers and right about this version winning the duel, but I was definitely wrong when I wrote, "There are just too many competing products at retail for this one to have a real shot." Turns out this item is taking over at retail. Oops!
- Grout Bully (No. 30). I didn't make an official prediction, but based on my past experience with similar products I wrote, "I've been down this road twice before. It's a dead end." I guess not. Not only is the campaign spending on TV, it is also on the cover of Taylor Gifts.
- Insta Slim (No. 43). "I won't be wrong about this one," I promised. "Second to market with a 'me-too solution' -- especially when up against IdeaVillage -- is a losing strategy." What I couldn't foresee was that IdeaVillage would exit the market, leaving a void to be filled by this product.
Those three misses make me look pretty bad, so let me try to take your mind off that by mentioning I have two campaigns in the Top 20! That's right: MyZone Headphones (No. 4) and Magic Mesh (No. 11) could be called "mine," since I brought the product for the former campaign and wrote the commercial for the latter campaign. Of course, I can't take all the credit -- or even most of it. In both cases, I definitely owe a big debt to the producers who created the commercials: Blue Moon and Producers Direct, respectively. Thanks guys!
Moving on, I am naming Telebrands my True Top Marketer for the fall of 2011. The company had an impressive nine hits in the Top 50. Allstar is a close second with eight hits, and IdeaVillage takes third with five hits. Ontel also deserves an honorable mention for having the most new items on the Top 50 at two. They are Slushy Magic (No. 22) and Salon Express (No. 41), which is from Spark Innovators.
Finally, Hutton-Miller is my True Top Producer, re-taking the top spot with six hits in the Top 50. Last quarter's top producer, The Schwartz Group, is a close second -- and Blue Moon Studios is an even closer third. Actually, both producers had five hits in the Top 50, but The Schwart'z Group newest hit (Bake Pop) was No. 9 while Blue Moon's newest hit (Salon Express) was No. 41.
Congratulations to all!