Weekly Round-Up

HydraQuarium Commercial

1. Gym In A Shoe. Marketer: Body By Jake. Pitch: "Turn your walk into a total body transformation." Comments: This is a terrible product idea. It's also disappointing given that it comes from the company that brought us Tower 200, an innovative and credible fitness product that defined a new short-form category (MMA-inspired men's fitness). But there is nothing innovative or credible about this product. [ss]
 
2. HydraQuarium. Marketer: Lenfest/Media Corp. Producer: Paddock Productions. Pitch: "The aquarium that cleans itself." Comments: Written by yours truly. [ss]
 
3. Luma Stylus. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "The sleek LED touch-screen tool that works like a finger but handles like a pen." Comments: I am too close to this one to comment. [ss]
 
4. Micro Boom. Marketer: InvenTel. Pitch: "The little bluetooth speaker with big sound." Comments: A me-too project that is very late to follow IdeaVillage's Music Bullet and Boom Cube. [ss]
 
5. Snuggle Wings. Pitch: "Keep them safe and snugly swaddled." Comments: Fails just about every criteria for DRTV -- and it also doesn't help that it looks like a straight jacket for babies! [ss]
 
6. Toasty Tights. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "Plush, fleece lined tights keep you warm and fashionable." Comments: A fast fail (site is down). [ss]  

Brushy Bone

Description: A toothbrush for dogs
Main Pitch: "The dog bone chew toy that lets your dog brush his own teeth"
Main Offer: $10 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Allstar
Producer: Blue Moon Studios
Website: www.BrushyBone.com
Prediction: Likely to succeed

This project meets all of my S7 criteria. The only questionable one is whether the category is uncrowded. Many other solutions certainly exist for cleaning a dog's teeth, but this one is unique, reusable and inexpensive. I like it a lot.

Salon Bronze Reach

Description: A sunless tanner
Main Pitch: "The airbrush tanning system that gives you a safe, gorgeous tan any time you want"
Main Offer: $14.99 for one can with 4 face towels
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay S&H)
Marketer: IdeaVillage
Producer: Blue Moon Studios
Website: www.SalonBronzeReach.com
Prediction: Likely to succeed

The original Salon Bronze was moderately sucessful, coming in at No. 30 on the JW Annual for 2005. What I like about this new-and-improved version is that it is an even better solution than its predecessor. That "sun gun" design (see below) always struck me as more of a gimmick than a practical idea. But this design is the opposite, more function than form -- and that's a good thing.

The only challenge here is that the category has gotten even more crowded than it was in 2005, so I can't give the project a perfect S7 score. However, the high marks it gets for being truly different could offset that disadvantage.

Besides, one good thing about big, crowded categories: You know consumers are interested.

SciMark Report from January Response

My first SciMark Report of the year (print edition) is now available on the Response Website.

In it, I use hits from last year to illustrate and reiterate the SciMark Seven.

Perfect Fit Headphones

Description: Memory foam headphones
Main Pitch: "They custom fit to your ears for total comfort that won't fall out"
Main Offer: $19.95 for one pair with carrying case
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay S&H)
Marketer: Ontel
Producer: Blue Moon Studios
Website: www.PerfectFitBOGO.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

This project has a lot going for it. The product is well conceived, and the pitch is solid. I especially liked the comparison to memory-foam mattresses and the noise-cancelling secondary benefit.

My one concern -- enough to push me off the fence onto the 'unlikely to succeed' side -- is the category. It's way too crowded with options, and there's no chance people are going to believe an unknown brand delivers better sound quality than all of the well-known brands making superiority claims.