Weekly Round-Up

1. Shark Gloves. Marketer: Lenfest. Producer: The Schwartz Group. Pitch: "Steel fiber gloves keep your hands safe." Comments: I love the creative thinking that went into the opening of this spot. What a great way to grab people's attention! The product is much less exciting, though. The only utility gloves that ever really worked on DRTV were the Ove Glove, a success Ontel and Marc Gill are now trying to replicate with Hot Hands. Gloves for handling hot things make sense to me as they meet an everyday need. The same can't be said about gloves for handling sharp things. Beyond knives, which most people have figured out how to use safely, there aren't many dangerous sharp things people need to handle regularly. [ss]
 
2. Chair Shaper. Marketer: Telebrands. Producer: Kerrmercials. Pitch: "Improve strength and flexibility from a comfortable seated position." Comments: This is similar in concept to Emson's Chair Gym, which I first noted in 2012, sans chair. The site is down, so it's either a 'fast fail' or a secret hit. The item seems pretty niche to me, so I'm guessing it's the former. [ss]
 
3. REtape. Pitch: "The removable, re-sealable tape for your every need." Comments: I can't imagine anything with less of a reason to exist. This is what you get when you stop your thought process at market size. [ss]
 
4. Water Snake. Marketer: Telebrands. Producer: Kerrmercials. Pitch: "The super-quick way to wick water away." Comments: Useful product, good spot, dead site. The trouble is that this is one of those things you're unlikely to buy in advance of needing it. Preparedness is the opposite of impulsiveness. [ss]