Weekly Round-Up

For the record, here are four items I didn't review for the usual reasons:

1. Cushie. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "Give that old, tired chair some protection, cushion, and flair." Comments: As with EZ Covers, I would have been on the fence about this one. Actually, EZ Covers has a much better shot at working because there are multiple table chairs in every home. [ss]
    
2. EZ Eyes. Marketer: Allstar. Producer: Producers Direct. Pitch: "The new large print keyboard that makes typing easy on your eyes -- and more accurate, too." Comments: Written by yours truly. [ss]
    
3. Fresh Liner. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "The refrigerator liner that keeps your produce fresh." Comments: Failed attempt No. 83. Unless you are Debbie Meyer, it's time to give up on this concept! [ss]
    
4. Raptor Mount. Starring: Art Edmonds. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Producer: NexTV. Pitch: A TV mounting solution that "takes only minutes to install and costs a fraction of the price" of other brackets. Comments: Cool product. High credibility bar. [ss]
    

Review: Gray Away

Description: A root touch-up spray
Main Pitch: "Temporarily covers your gray roots in seconds"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one can in multiple shades
Bonus: 2nd can free
Producer: Concepts TV
Website: www.GrayAway.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

It's a serious challenge to market a hair-coloring product without a recognizable brand. Past history (e.g. Touch Up & Go) isn't encouraging. As global beauty consultant Colin Hession put it: "Because of the high risk of failure, hair color is one of the categories with the highest consumer resistance to trying private label or new brands."

The retail situation is even more challenging. This category defines "crowded."

Review: Pet Cave

Description: A pet bed
Main Pitch: "The comfiest, coziest pet bed ever"
Main Offer: $19.99 & up
Bonus: 2nd one and a Crazy Critter (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Website: www.GetPetCave.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

There have been quite a few pet beds tried on DRTV. A few examples are: Telebrands' Comfy Cot and the PetZZZpad in 2010, Tristar's Dogpedic in 2009 and Dolce Vita Therabed in 2007. None of those rolled out, and I can't think of one that did.

SciMark Report from February Response

My SciMark Report for February is now available on the Response Website.

Reviews include coverage of no less than THREE sticky rollers:

1. Vince Offer's Schticky [a],
 
2. Telebrands' Sticky Buddy [a], and
 
3. SAS Group's Roll-A-Magic [a].

Review: Wonder Ware

Description: Food storage containers
Main Pitch: "No worries, no spills, no mess, no ruined food"
Main Offer: $14.99 for a 3-piece set
Bonus: Second set of three (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Website: www.GetWonderWare.com
Prediction: Likely to succeed

At first glance, this seemed like just another food storage container. But when I paid attention, I realized the positioning is different than what we've seen before. The key pitch here isn't locking in freshness (yawn). It's the convenience of being able to take this thing out of the refrigerator and put it right into the microwave, all while the lid remains on. That's a great promise. Add to that the carry handle and the locking tabs (solid secondary features), and I think there might be enough here to get people off the couch.

My only quibble is with the creative. It takes a while to get to what I think is the key selling point here (microwaveability), and it doesn't address a nagging concern we all have when we microwave plastic: That chemicals are leeching into our food. On the other hand, I thought there were some great demos in this spot. I especially liked rolling spaghetti down the stairs, and using the product as a soccer ball. Clever!