Description: A cat scratcher/laser toy
Main Pitch: "Now kitty can trim her own claws while she plays"
Main Offer: $19.95 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Allstar
Producer: Concepts TV
Website: www.KittyFile.com
Prediction: On the fence
Marketers continue to try bringing back old hits less than 7-10 years later. In this case the old hit is Emery Cat, which was No. 9 and No. 24 on the JW and IMS annuals, respectively, in 2010.
So far, though, the strategy hasn't produced a hit. Telebrands has been the most active this year, trying and failing to resurrect both Pedi Paws (a 2008 hit) and Shoes Under (a 2009 hit) . Of course, both Telebrands and Allstar have had success reviving items that conform to the traditional '7-10' rule -- sometimes in direct conflict with each other (see Perfect Pancake vs. Flip Jack).
As always, I appreciate it when I get an opportunity to learn for free. We'll see if this project is able to throw the old rule of thumb into question. I do like the new laser toy feature.
By the way, if you can think of an 'Old Gold' item that came back and made the annual charts again in under seven years, shoot me an email or post a comment. I'll give you a hat tip (and, as a result, bragging rights) the next time I write about this topic.
[The commercial for this project is also available here.]
