Description: A vibrating ThighMaster
Main Pitch: "Just put it between your knees and squeeze for sexy hips and thighs"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: Bronzing gel (just pay separate P&H)
Starring: Suzanne Somers
Marketer: Product Trend
Watch it on iSpot.tv
I suspected Ms. Somers had a flare for the sexual innuendo when I first saw her Three-Way Poncho commercial. It was her delivery of the line, "three-way poncho, that is," after the VO repeatedly encouraged viewers to "get a three way." This commercial confirmed my suspicions. But in this case, the innuendo is unavoidable given the product goes between a woman's knees ... and vibrates.
Of course, the ThighMaster was always sexually suggestive. Many would argue this is the main reason it became such a mega-hit back in the day, and the success of Neckline Slimmer in 2009 and Shake Weight in 2010 (for similar reasons) supports that hypothesis.
S7 Analysis: Even when delivering sexually suggestive lines, Ms. Somers always comes across as classy and credible. That makes her commercials highly engaging, which is a subtle aspect of pitch work that doesn't get much attention but probably should. As for the product, it's the ultimate in Old Gold, so it clearly meets all of the criteria. The marketers have even found a way to one-up the original while keeping the product focused on a single area of the body -- another secret to the original product's success that was missed in a previous attempt to bring this concept back (see Flex Shaper).
