Weekly Round-Up

1. Finishing Touch Freedom. Marketer: IdeaVillage. Pitch: "Revolutionary new way to remove hair" features a "360-degree rotating head." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' Watch the spot on YouTube, and you'll think you're watching one of those brand commercials that comes on before you can watch the actual video. It's a Gillette-quality spot for a Venus-quality product. No wonder it didn't work on DRTV! [ss]
 
2. Brushbie. Pitch: "Sanitize, reshape and dry your expensive makeup brushes." Comments: I can't be sure, but this strikes me as a contrived problem. Perhaps that's why the spot takes almost 30 seconds to explain it. [ss]
 
3. Bye Bye Blisters. Pitch: "Protects your heels from rubbing, slipping and nasty blisters." Comments: This is too close to the worst category in DRTV -- insoles -- to be successful. Also: A similar product called Shoebite Saver (No. 8 in this Weekly Round-Up) didn't go anywhere. [ss]
 
4. Clever Crates. Pitch: "The smart new way to carry and store everything." Comments: For those who have always wanted to take the grocery basket home, this is their moment. Joking aside, the product isn't that bad, but the pitch is all over the place. It's hard to turn "everything" into a compelling reason to buy. [ss]
 
5. (Peggie's) Eyeglass Charms. Pitch: "Transforms your child's glasses into a cool fashion accessory they'll love to wear." Comments: A segment of a segment of a segment. Add the unpredictable fashion element, and it would be hard to pick a worse item for DRTV. Prediction: CPO with a comma. (HT: Heather R.) [ss]
 
6. Fruiti Freeze. Pitch: "100% natural frozen treats in seconds." Marketer: Telebrands. Comments: This one was $40, so the 'fast fail' doesn't surprise me. [ss]
 
7. Hot Shots. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "The latest craze in restaurant desserts now has a place at your table." Comments: Another apparent 'fast fail.' [ss]
 
8. Magic Mirror. Producer: Sullivan Productions. Pitch: "Makes steam disappear like magic." Comments: Neat product, good commercial -- but the problem solved is low on the scale. [ss]
 
9. Pet Bowl Go-Round. Pitch: "Innovative food bowl lets your dog run and play without getting tangled up." Comments: A weak problem for a segment of a segment. [ss]
 
10. Snappy Cami. Pitch: "Looks like a camisole and easily snaps to your bra." Comments: Ontel's Cami Secret peaked in 2011 (No. 4 on the JW Annual that year) and was still going strong in 2012. It's too soon to bring the concept back -- not that this 'amateur hour' project had a real chance. [ss]
 
11. Storytime Pets. Marketer: Emson. Pitch: "Fun new animals that read to you." Comments: Plush toy No. 4,768. [ss]
 
12. Win Cleaner. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "The one-click PC cleaner." Comments: This is a new partner and new creative for an item I reviewed before (see No. 12 in this Weekly Round-Up). [ss]