January 06, 2014

Perk It!

Description: A glass coffee percolator
Main Pitch: "The way coffee used to taste"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: Bag of coffee, ceramic mug (free)
Starring: Rick Harrison (from Pawn Stars)
Marketer: IdeaVillage
Producer: Blue Moon Studios
Website: www.GetPerkIt.com
Prediction: On the fence

I have two strong opinions after watching this commercial: The first is that this product is one of the worst choices for DRTV I have ever seen. The second is that despite my first comment, something about this creative just works.

My feelings about Rick Harrison's first commercial for IdeaVillage, MicroTouch One, were similarly conflicted. I started off deeply skeptical and wound up thinking the project might just have a shot. Perhaps the credit lies with Blue Moon ... or some secret selling technique from the pawn-shop underground. Whatever the case, it works in a way that defies the "creative doesn't matter" belief system.

And yet, I have to wonder again if any of this will carry over to retail. On the shelf, this will look like exactly what it is: Your father's old coffee pot in a world of shiny, futuristic Keurig machines. Unlike the "One," it doesn't even have a credible value proposition to fall back on.