Weekly Round-Up

1. Power Oxide 7. Starring: Brian Fasulo. Marketer: Harvest. Producer: Bluewater. Pitch: "Combines the power of seven essential cleaners into one powerful solution." Comments: Good commercial, but as I explained in my review of My Cleaning Secret, the path to success in this category seems to be avoiding territory already occupied by the mega-brands. This pitch leads with tile and glass, two heavily occupied territories. The 'Swiss Army' pitch (7 in 1) won't help, either. [ss]
 
2. Jacket Pack it Pets. Marketer: Jay at Play. Producer: Hutton-Miller. Pitch: "It's a jacket. It's a pet." Comments: In my most recent Response column, I made plush toys my No. 2 worst category for DRTV. Case closed, right? Not so fast: The footnote disclaimer on that entry states: "with the notable exception of Jay At Play." This is their only business, so they know how to make it work. Besides, if Janimals is working, then this product (which is essentially a jacket version) should work as well. [ss]
 
3. Magic Mist. Marketer: Will It Launch? Pitch: "All natural 4-in-1 laundry solution that releases wrinkles like magic." Comments: No, it won't launch. As I wrote in my 2012 review of the last attempt at something like this (Quik Press), P&G's Downy Wrinkle Releaser "became hard to find for good reason." Not to repeat myself, but the 'Swiss Army' pitch (4 in 1) won't help, either. [ss]
 
4. My Secret Bra. Starring: Taylor Baldwin. Marketer: Ontel. Producer: Hutton-Miller. Pitch: "Supports you like a bra should, but lets you wear all those clothes that look so good." Comments: This is a second attempt at a project originally called Strapless Secret, which I reviewed back in March of 2014. Besides the new name, it seems the addition of Taylor is the only change. [ss]
 
5. Mr. Tomato. Pitch: "Grows delicious cherry tomato plants right inside of your water bottle." Comments: This was already tried once under the name Tomato Garden Caps. As that project was a 'fast fail,' it's not hard to predict the future of this project. [ss]
 
6. Pillow Huggers. Pitch: "Turns into the world's most adorable pillow case." Comments: This one isn't from Jay at Play, so ... bomb. I can guess what argument got it the green light: Pillow Pets was a huge hit, so pillow case pets are a sure thing! [ss]