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- Boxer Ball. Pitch: "The latest home boxing workout that combines powerful muscle toning with intense aerobic training." Comments: Short-form fitness is a 1 in 50 category, and this product looks difficult to master -- as anyone who has tried to hit a speed bag well knows. [ss]
- Burger Blaster. Pitch: "Prepare juicy, delicious burgers in your microwave in just five minutes." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' Just because people seem to believe you can bake potatoes in the microwave, that doesn't mean they'll believe you can make anything but rubbery hockey pucks out of hamburger meat. [ss]
- Headrest Helper. Marketer: Lenfest. Producer: Opfer. Pitch: "Transforms your car headrest into a handy storage hanger." Comments: I've had personal experience with projects that attempted to solve similar problems (e.g. Bundle Buddy). The pitch doesn't seem to resonate. Great bonus item, though. Someone should do it as a lead product. [ss]
- LinQ. Pitch: "Positions your phone safely, securely and comfortably in the palm of your hand." Comments: Amateur hour. Note to the writer of this spot: "Evolutionary" is as bad as "revolutionary" -- maybe worse. From what exactly is this product supposed to have evolved? Note to everyone else: I am about to add "cell phone accessories" to my list of bad categories. Despite many attempts, there hasn't been a single success to date. [ss]
- Lit-R Lev-R. Pitch: "Effortless opening and pouring of 2-liter bottles for anyone of any age." Comments: Same marketer, same amateurish result. Also: A solution in search of a problem. [ss]
- Muffin Top Magic. Pitch: "The fast, easy and fun way to make the best part of any muffin." Comments: Looking at the name, I thought this may have been a knockoff of Trendy Top (bah-DUM-bum). Anyway, baking has proved to be a tough category with low odds of success, and it only seems to work well for common baked goods (e.g. brownies). [ss]
- Pop Me Open. Marketer: Tristar. Pitch: "The amazing new way to instantly open any jar." Comments: A 'fast fail.' (Link goes to spot.) Telebrands tried a similar item in November of last year. [ss]
- Rumidifier. Marketer: Media Corp. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to humidify your home." Comments: Another 'fast fail.' Strikes me as a better engineered but less attractive Aqua Stone. The vent pitch is different and compelling, but my thoughts about needing to see "visible fog" are the same. [ss]
- Shnoozles. Pitch: "The time-tested, ritual-based system that supports sound, healthy sleep for your child and a stress-free environment for you." Comments: This project was clearly conceived and directed by people with a lot of expertise in sleep therapy -- and no expertise in DRTV. The commercial itself "supports sound, healthy sleep"! [ss]
