April 25, 2013

Weekly Round-Up


Zoom TV's Key Cam

  1. Key Cam. Starring: Tim Goewey. Marketer: Zoom TV Products. Pitch: "The high-quality video camera on a key chain." Comments: Too niche and too expensive (it's $29). Not really a DRTV item. (FYI, skydivers only trust a helmet-mounted GoPro.) [ss]
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  3. Bubble Up Lid. Marketer: IdeaVillage. Pitch: The antidote for boiled-over pots. Comments: A 'fast fail.'
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  5. Jiffy Scoops. Pitch: "The spoon that warms up to the perfect ice cream scooping temperature." Comments: An over-engineered solution in search of a problem. I think mom's technique of running the scoop under hot water is probably good enough for most people. [ss]
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  7. Killer Calves. Pitch: "Turn untrained calves into sculpted, diamond-cut muscles." Comments: Only hard-core muscleheads and athletes care about sculpting specific muscles like calves and forearms. [ss]
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  9. Perfect Egg Sandwich. Starring: Marc Gill. Marketer: Allstar. Producer: The Schwartz Group. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to make picture-perfect egg sandwiches every time." Comments: Another 'fast fail.' I suppose every "Perfect" item can't be a hit, but I do love those McGriddles.
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  11. Pocket Pets. Pitch: "The fun new way to put your stuff away." Comments: Direct-response plush experiment #952. [ss]
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  13. Scratchdini. Pitch: "Protect your paint job while removing ugly scratches in seconds." Comments: This is another version of Simoniz Fix It!, which was also tried by another marketer under the name Scratch Magic. I haven't seen anything to indicate the concept is a winning one. [ss]
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  15. Shmoozees. Pitch: "The ear resistable fashionable icon." Comments: Direct-response plush experiment #953. The glow-in-the-dark feature is cool, and familiar. [ss]
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  17. Sleggins. Pitch: "Fashion slimming leggings that make you appear at least two sizes smaller instantly." Comments: Might have legs (HT: Peter Bieler), but shapewear strikes me as another 1 in 50 category. There are a lot of options out there. [ss]
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  19. Snap 'N Pump. Starring: Saul Judah. Pitch: "Simple, handheld vacuum that works with any freezer bag." Comments: This concept has been tried a few times. If it didn't work under the Reynolds brand at the height of the FoodSaver craze (see my 2008 Handi-Vac post), I can't see it working now. [ss]