Weekly Round-Up

1. Dream Books. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "Amazing interactive books that come to life before your eyes." Comments: I've written about augmented reality before, and the application here is ideal for DRTV. If the market is ready and tablet use is high enough among the target demo, this one should do well. [ss]
 
2. BouDé. Pitch: "Freshness within reach." Comments: Flushable wipes are a commodity item these days. The hanging dispenser feature isn't enough to make them into a DRTV item. [ss]
 
3. Bright Eyes Pets. Pitch: Their "eyes light up with love." Comments: Cute product, good creative, bad timing. The plush toys craze is long over. [ss]
 
4. Cold Flash. Pitch: "Clinically proven, all-natural, hormone-free hot flash relief that works on contact." Comments: As I wrote in my review of the Genie Cool Bra, menopause sufferers are a classic segment of a segment. Add in the credibility/safety issues of a topical cream from an unknown brand, and this one becomes highly unlikely to succeed. [ss]
 
5. EZ Notes. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "The easy way to remember everything." Comments: Like flushable wipes (see above), postable notes are a commodity item. The "no glue, no tape" benefit isn't enough to make them into a DRTV item. [ss]
 
6. Fish 2 Go. Marketer: Global. Pitch: "Be ready to fish anywhere, any time." Comments: As I've mentioned before, recent research shows only about 7% of people fish on a regular basis. That and the $50 price tag puts this one at a significant disadvantage. [ss]
 
7. Fur Away. Pitch: "Quickly and gently lifts pet hair off any surface in no time." Comments: This one solves a problem and looks unique, but that uniqueness also makes it look less easy to use than other solutions. [ss]
 
8. HydroBlast Pro. Marketer: Global. Producer: Monte-Brooks. Pitch: "Revolutionary water flosser" makes you "feel like you just left the dentist." Comments: I'm not sure why this re-tested, but it gives me a chance to 'post for posterity' since I missed it the first time. It originally tested in December of last year. In February, it became a duel when Dr. Hart's Power Floss also tested. Today, Power Floss has been on the charts for 21 weeks and I cannot find HydroBlast, so the outcome of the duel seems apparent. [ss]
 
9. Mega Brite. Pitch: "The clean solution to a messy problem." Comments: This is a less-unique version of Spark Innovator's Ring X, giving it zero shot in a category dominated by big brands. [ss]
 
10. True Diamond Nail Armor. Pitch: "Real diamond-infused nail treatment." Comments: While the diamond claim is unique, the pitch is not. Ontel's Pink Armor had essentially the same pitch and was on the JW Annual for 2012 and 2013. [ss]