April 23, 2015

Jeff Gordon Wall Clock

Description: (Self explanatory)
Main Pitch: "Celebrate the thrill and excitement of Jeff's incredible career"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: None
Marketer: Telebrands (2014's True Top Marketer)
Watch the spot

It's about time someone recognized the huge potential of the NASCAR market for DRTV. I'm serious -- and not for the reason you may think. I know people love to repeat that old cliché about our core customer living in a trailer park, but anyone who has studied the demographics knows that isn't true. Just look at the number of up-market campaigns rolling out these days ... and the rarity of projects like this, come to think of it.

In any case, I think there is something to be said for thinking about what your typical Wal-Mart customer might be into and then trying something outside of the comfort zone for the affluent, East Coast executives who run this business. This item fits the bill, and Telebrands is the right marketer, having had success with clocks (1998's Singing Bird Clock) and commemorative collectibles (2008's Obama Plate, 2011's Royal Ring) in the past.

Actually, Emson has had more success with clocks. One of them was even a NASCAR clock: 2001's Dale Earnhardt Clock (No. 89 on the JW Annual that year). The other was 1999-2000's Lionel Train Clock (Nos. 12 and 15, respectively). So I guess I should have written: "It's about time someone, other than Emson, recognized the potential of the NASCAR market for DRTV."

S7 Analysis: Clocks, coins and other collectibles obviously fail the SciMark Seven because they don't solve a problem. Collectors are also in the minority, so it's hard to guess if the target market will be big enough to sustain a campaign -- although the huge number of NASCAR fans makes me think that won't be an issue here.