Weekly Round-Up

1. Beauty Spin. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "The customizable spinning organizer for quick, easy access to your beauty essentials." Comments: Makeup organizers have a poor track record. Recent flops include Allstar's Instant Vanity (No. 7 in this Weekly Round-Up) and Glam Caddy, a very similar product from February of 2012. The challenge: Only a minority of women are interested enough in organization to buy such a product, and some of those women will have already purchased other organizers that are already on the market. [ss]
 
2. Flipperoos. Pitch: "The inside-out, upside-down flippable, changeable, wonderful friend." Comments: Unless this is Jay at Play, a company that has managed to have a hit in this category every year since Pillow Pets, I don't see how there could possibly be room in the market for another plush toy. [ss]
 
3. InstaDim. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "Easy to use, simple to remove dimming sheets to keep all your electronics lights at the perfect level." Comments: The problem with this one is going to be perceived value. It seems like it should be a 99-cent checkout item. [ss]
 
4. Luma Smile. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "The at-home tooth polisher that gives you the 'fresh from the dentist' feeling." Comments: The success of Finishing Touch Smile (No. 51 on the 2012 JW Annual) surprised me and gave me a clue as to how big tooth whitening is as a category. Insofar as this item taps into that market, it has a solid shot at success. [ss]
 
5. Pocket Patch. Pitch: "Turn any pocket into a powerful cell phone radiation shield." Marketer: Will It Launch. Comments: Marketers continue to attempt to defy the aphorism that "prevention doesn't sell." This project also has the 'selling the invisible' problem and relies on fear-based selling of the kind I recently discussed in my Ebola 911 review. [ss]
 
6. Poo Pal. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "Go from strained to stress-free, comfortable elimination simply by elevating your feet." Comments: This is the third attempt to market a 'stool for making stool.' Squatty Potty (No. 11 in this Weekly Round-Up) and Step & Go (No. 11 in this Weekly Round-Up) were the other two. (Note: The Website for this product is no longer live.) [ss]
 
7. Smart Strainer. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "The space-making kitchen marvel that's five tools in one." Comments: Spark is on a roll with four of the projects in this round-up -- 50%! Pretty soon, I'll have to dedicate a round-up just to them like I do with Telebrands. In any case, and speaking of Telebrands, this project is reminiscent of Flat Fold Colander, a 2007 hit (No. 52 on the JW Annual). I liked the Popeet aspect of the product, but the "five tools in one" needlessly pushed this into Swiss Army territory, which hurts the clarity of the pitch. I know because in 2010 I worked on an unsuccessful project (Splattie) with a similar -- and similarly complex -- pitch. [ss]
 
8. Smart Topper. Pitch: "Turns almost any plate into an airtight storage container." Comments: This concept has been pitched before -- in the best way possible, the worst way possible and many ways in between. The fact that it never succeeded should have made it clear it's a Siren product. [ss]