Weekly Round-Up

1. Ray Away Visor. Starring: Brian Hyder. Marketer: Tristar. Pitch: "Tame the sun’s blinding rays." Comments: Too soon after Norman's Easy View and its follower, HD Vision Visor. Both were 2014 True Top Spenders. There are points of difference, but I don't think they're significant enough. [ss]
 
2. Elite Copper. Marketer: Global TV. Pitch: "Scientifically engineered to soothe pain and get you back in the game." Comments: Fourth to market with a me-too solution. Same problem as above, really. The magnets aren't a big enough point of difference, and they make the project even riskier from a claims perspective. [ss]
 
3. Turbo Blast. Pitch: "Industrial strength, outdoor spray cleaner that removes mold, mildew and stains." Comments: Cleaning has proved to be a tough category even when you have a unique twist and a full-scale DRTV campaign behind the product. When I made cleaning No. 4 on my list of bad categories this January, I added a footnote caveat because of three promising new projects. As it turns out, the caveat wasn't necessary: The category still deserves its place on the list. (Smart marketers take note.) [ss]