Weekly Round-Up

1. 5 Second Button. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "The sewing alternative that will get your button in place with a clean, classy look in seconds." Comments: This type of product has been a staple in catalogs for years, so it's surprising that it 'fast failed.' I would have predicted differently. [ss]
 
2. Best Ball. Pitch: "A high-tech reinvention of exercise balls." Comments: Besides the high price (2 pay of $19.9), this one is unlikely to succeed because it's a "better than" product trying to improve on something that's good enough for most people. [ss]
 
3. Cozy Doze. Pitch: "It's a pal, a pillow and a blanket all in one." Comments: Make it stop! Make it stop! [ss]
 
4. H20 Bright. Pitch: "Turn a dark shower into a bright shower of light." Comments: A solution in search a problem. [ss]
 
5. Manchester Everlast Candle. Marketer: Tristar. Pitch: "The first battery-operated candle with an actual moving, flickering flame." Comments: I like this item. But if Telebrands' super-cool Perfect Harmony Candle didn't roll out, I'm not surprised this one was a 'fast fail.' Spot is here. [ss]
 
6. PenCorder. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "Digital pen discretely records 25 hours of audio." Comments: This is Flash Cord, take two. They even used a lot of the same scenes. It's unlikely this new design will do much for the CPO, though. A little too "spy tech" for the mass market. [ss]
 
7. Sculptabuns. Pitch: "A new way to lift, tone and shape your butt." Comments: Fitness is a crap shoot these days (get it?) and butt shapers specifically (e.g. Butt Shaper, Thigh Shaper, Booty Slide ) haven't fared well. Spot is here. [ss]
 
8. Shoebite Saver. Pitch: "Memory foam shoe insert for protecting your heels from blisters & pain." Comments: Seems like a common solution to an uncommon problem. Hey, that's good! New catch-phrase? [ss]
 
9. Snuggie Up. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "Celebrating five incredible years ... with a whole new collection of fun designs." Comments: No comment necessary as this one continues to defy all rules. A friend recently complained: "But it's a backward bathrobe!" (HT: SY), so I'm sure the new matching belt won't win him over. [ss]
 
10. Stack 'N Snack. Pitch: "Instantly transform any plate, platter or bowl into an eye-popping serving station." Comments: Here's an example of why product checklists are important. Unique? Check. Mass market? Check. Problem solver? Um ... Spot is here. [ss]
 
11. Step & Go. Pitch: "Puts your body in the proper squatting posture for better, healthier elimination." Comments: I could have made this into a competition with Squatty Potty (working title: "Dueling Doody Steps") but this one came out (heh-heh) too long after the first one. Neither is likely to succeed for two reasons. Number one, this can't be a common problem. Number two (tee-hee), my "s**t solutions don't sell" hypothesis (first mentioned here) has yet to be falsified. Joking aside, this is a classic 'must educate before you can sell' proposition, which never works in two minutes. [ss]
 
12. Yolk Magic. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to separate yolks from egg whites." Comments: This has actually been tried before (see #3 in this Weekly Round-Up). Not sure why anyone would try to improve upon the perfectly functional egg separator -- let alone try it twice. Spot is here. [ss]