Description: A windshield cover
Main Pitch: "Protects your windshield from frost, snow and ice"
Main Offer: $19.99 in one of five colors with carry case
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Tristar
Watch the spot
I am not aware of any winter-focused hit in DRTV history. (Feel free to email me or use the comments section to correct me if I'm wrong.) This creative tries to address that problem by suggesting the product is also useful in hot weather, but when I think of sun shades (e.g. this one), I come up empty as well.
Most of all, my concern about this project can be described using one of my catch-phrases: 'Preparedness is the opposite of impulsiveness.' DR buyers are impulse buyers, which decreases the likelihood they will buy a product for a rainy -- uh, snowy -- day. Consumers in general don't seem to think ahead when it comes to this potential problem. Just like umbrellas during rainstorms, snow scrapers always seem to sell out during snowstorms.
S7 Analysis: Seasonality is not one of the S7 criteria, but it should definitely be a consideration because of its impact on retail planning. Perhaps the targeted criterion covers the general idea because the "big enough buying group" exists only during certain months of the year -- and then often only in certain geographic regions (e.g. places where it snows). Otherwise, this product stacks up well against the criteria as it is certainly needed during the winter months. As for the commercial, I continue to find Tristar's pitchman to be quite engaging and likable.
