Weekly Round-Up

1. Gelepads. Pitch: "Puts a layer of support between you and your armrest to take pressure off the hard parts of your body." Comments: The three product criteria covered by the SciMark Seven are needed, different and targeted. This one fails all three. It's low on the problem scale, doesn't stand out as unique and the primary target is people who sit in an office chair all day, which is not our core market of Baby Boomers and seniors. In other words, this is not a DRTV item. [ss]
 
2. Kleanbowl. Pitch: Biodegradable insert "eliminates the germs and bacteria found in your pet's regular bowl." Comments: After the DRTV Product Summit in Pittsburgh a few years ago, I blogged about an inventor item I had seen called Dirty Dog Paw Spritz, an antibacterial spray for a dog's paws. "This is a classic example of the 'segment of a segment' problem that plagues so many inventors," I wrote. "As if the germaphobe market wasn't narrow enough, now there's a product for germaphobes with dogs." Well, now there are two such products. [ss]
 
3. Stain Stompers. Brand: Woolite. Pitch: "Stomp out stains the easy way." Comments: I can see people in need trying this, but I can't seem them buying it off TV. Preparedness is the opposite of impulsiveness. [ss]