- Glowerz. Pitch: "Just walk, dance or jump" and they "glow, glow, glow" Marketer: Harvest. Comments: Stompeez meets Bright Light Pillow. I kinda like the idea. With better creative, a much better jingle and good retail distribution, it could be a holiday hit. [ss]
- Green Gun. Pitch: "The professional lawn-care secret that transforms your ugly, yellowed lawn into a neighborhood showcase." Comments: Another fusion of concepts, this one combines the gun-and-canister technology from Salon Bronze with the chemicals in Get It Green. Once again, I like the idea -- but the sound effects and visuals will make it hard to convince people this isn't some sort of spray paint. [ss]
- Mighty Lids. Marketer: Telebrands. Producer: Sullivan Productions. Pitch: "Store leftovers quickly with an airtight suction that always holds." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' Strange that this team would test an item so similar in concept to Press Dome, Stretchy Magic and several other projects they have tried in the past. Spot is here. [ss]
- Zone Zapper. Producer: Sullivan Productions. Pitch: "Solar-powered [bug zapper] ... creates a personal, portable, bug-free zone." Comments: Another apparent 'fast fail.' I like the concept but doubt the efficacy. Spot is here (half of it, anyway). [ss]
And now, because I'm sure you would get tired of reading the phrase "amateur hour" five times, I've broken out the rest of this week's items into a new mini-feature I'm calling ...
The Rookie Round-Up
- Leather Nu. Pitch: "The amazing new leather restoration and repair kit that can save you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars." Comments: Here's a good rule of thumb for DR novices: If a major DRTV player has already tried it (using the industry's top pitchman no less!) and it didn't roll out, you probably aren't going to crack the code. [ss]
- Safety View. Pitch: "Simply and securely see who is outside your door." Comments: Another great rule of thumb: If most people can answer "no" to your opening question, you should probably save your money. Let's try it: "Do you feel nervous when the doorbell rings?" ... I didn't think so. I was also amused by the scene of the woman casually drilling a large hole in her front door as if it were no big deal! [ss]
- Sidekick. Pitch: "The dome-light cover that lights up the back seat without blinding the driver." Comments: One of the best (worst?) example of a solution in search of a problem that I've seen yet. Spot is here. [ss]
- Super Switch. Pitch: "Lets you turn any lamp on or off from up to 60 feet away." Comments: Attempting to revive past hits (aka Old Gold) is a smart strategy ... but only for experienced DRTV players. Novices have no business playing the game, as this commercial (for a variation of Handy Switch) makes clear. [ss]
- Wizor. Pitch: "Cut the retail tags from new merchandise in one simple motion." Comments: Not as good (bad?) an example of a 'searching solution' as Sidekick (see above), but a close second! Spot is here. [ss]
