April 11, 2015

Weekly Round-Up

  1. Handy Plug. Marketer: Telebrands. Producer: Paddock Productions. Pitch: "The new extension outlet that puts the power you need within easy reach." Comments: Written by yours truly. [ss]
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  3. Butter Express. Pitch: "The fast, easy and safe way to cut your butter every day." Comments: This is a third attempt to get this project off the ground. The last attempt was Allstar's EZ Butter. I get the impression this is one of those 'close but not quite' projects that drive us crazy from time to time. I've used the Siren, the Phoenix and even the Ouroborus to analogize the peculiarities of DR, so I should probably come up with a mythological metaphor for this sort of thing. How about a 'Sisyphus project'? [ss]
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  5. DashCam Pro. Marketer: InvenTel. Pitch: "The personal security camera for your car." Comments: Dash cams are very popular in foreign lands (e.g. Russia) and there may be a solid market here. But is it the mass market? And will people spend $30 on impulse for what is essentially a prevention scenario? I don't think so. [ss]
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  7. Draft Buster. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to seal out the cold." Comments: This site is no longer live, so I am just posting for posterity. [ss]
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  9. Lamp Champ. Pitch: "Turns any standard lamp into a USB charging station." Comments: There have been a few attempts, all unsuccessful, to sell a USB charging solution on TV. Examples include Allstar's Handy Charge and Tristar's Xtra Socket. While it's not time to give up on the concept just yet, I think this impractical solution is unlikely to be the first one to break through. [ss]
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  11. Repelify. Starring: Art Edmonds. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "The new way to fortify fabrics to repel stains fast." Comments: Another Website that is no longer live -- and no wonder. This is at least the sixth time this pitch has been tried. (The other attempts were: Wet Block HD, Just Repel It!, Block Out, Nanodyze and Blox.) Beware the Siren! [ss]
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  13. Schmoozies. Pitch: "Indoor neckwear" for dogs "that's flexible, tag-able and fashionable." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' My guess is that this is a solution in search of a problem ... with a prevention element as well. [ss]
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  15. Sleeptastic. Marketer: Ontel. Pitch: "Eliminates 100% of light and blocks out ambient noise." Comments: This is Miracle Mask under a new name and with a revised creative. [ss]