November 05, 2015

Pumpkin Paradise!

Description: A recipe book
Main Pitch: "Favorite pumpkin recipes you can make at home in minutes"
Main Offer: $10 for one
Bonus: 2nd book (just pay a separate fee)
Starring: Cathy Mitchell
Marketer: Telebrands
Watch the spot

Telebrands has figured out how to market books successfully, and they have a winning recipe (smile) with cookbooks presented by Cathy Mitchell. However, I don't see how a hyper-seasonal book geared toward a particular taste can work.

I happen to love pumpkin, especially pumpkin pie, but I'm only one of two people at Thanksgiving who's interested. (More for me!) Not that my family focus group means anything. It's possible pumpkins are fought over in other homes, or that pumpkin is trending, but the combination of risks makes this one look unlikely to succeed.

S7 Analysis: It would be hard to argue that any cookbook is truly needed, and the concerns expressed above call into question whether this particular book is targeted to a big enough buying group. Otherwise, the category and commercial meet the S7 criteria.