One Touch Can Opener: Old Gold?

New Name: Tornado Can Opener
Current Marketer: Harvest
Original Hit Year: 2006 (No. 13 on the JW Annual)
Original Marketer: Cricket
Website: www.TornadoCanOpener.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

This DRTV hit was originally marketed as the One Touch Can Opener (a much better name). I think it's probably too soon to bring it back, especially since the original product is still available at major retailers (e.g. Target).

The reason it usually takes a 'Phoenix' a decade to rise again is that the marketplace needs time to forget about the item so that it can seem unique and exciting once again.

Citrus Express: Old Gold?

Current/Original Marketer: Emson
Original Hit Year: 1998 (No. 1 on the JW Annual)
Website: www.BuyCitrusExpress.com
Prediction: On the fence

What I like about this product is that there is nothing else that does what it claims to do.

What I don't like about this product is that it really only has two uses. Narrow pitches can be good, but this one may be too narrow.

As for what made it such a big hit last time, all I can do is theorize ... and remind you that it was the 'Golden Age of DR.' A lot of things worked well back then that wouldn't work at all today. (I'm sure media being about one-fifth the price had something to do with it.)

Weekly Round-Up

Brooklyn, Kansas City and now London

1. London Railroad Lantern. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "A beautiful recreation of the original conductor's lantern." Comments: It seems I was wrong about which city they'd try next. I failed to take into account other countries! [ss]
 
2. Eyeglass Watcher. Pitch: "The easy way to keep a watchful eye on your glasses." Comments: I have the same thoughts as the last time this concept was tried (see iSpex, which is #4 in this round-up). [ss]
 
3. Flabs 2 Abs. Pitch: "Guaranteed to produce better weight-loss results than [every big name diet plan]." Comments: Not bad for amateurs, but those comparison claims are going to get them in trouble. [ss]
 
4. PainEZium. Producer: Hutton-Miller. Pitch: "Just spray it on and the neck, back and arthritis pain is gone." Comments: I can't think of the last pain-relief product that was successful on DRTV (unless we count the one that caused the headache pain it cured). Besides being the epitome of a crowded category, it is jealousy protected and heavily policed. [ss]
 
5. Saf-T-Bait. Starring: The ubiquitous Marc Gill. Pitch: "Keeps your bait safe while you cast." Comments: It appears Mr. Gill will pitch anything. The late, great Billy Mays went through this phase as well, going so far as to pitch health insurance. As for my thoughts on the item, see below. [ss]
 
6. S20 Laundry. Starring: Akos Jankura. Pitch: "No measuring, no mixing, no heavy containers." Comments: All attempts at competing in this category are likely to fail for reasons I have already explained several times before (see here, for instance). [ss]
 
7. Skippy Fish. Pitch: "Stop fishing and start catching." Comments: Fishing continues to be on my list of bad DR categories. It has also become like the golf category with as many fish-catching gadgets being tested these days as swing-improvement gadgets. [ss]

Rocket Tops: Old Gold?

Current/Original Marketer: IdeaVillage
Original Hit Year: 1999
Website: www.GetRocketTops.com
Prediction: Likely to succeed

As I have mentioned before, I consider myself unqualified to predict whether a kids' item will be successful on DRTV. I don't have enough experience in the category, and the criteria are clearly different than for other DRTV items. That said, two things make me comfortable enough to take a shot and predict success for this campaign.

First, this was one of IdeaVillage's first hit items, selling well when the company was still in its infancy and not nearly the powerhouse it is today. Second, although I'm no expert, I am aware of several criteria specific to toys -- and this product seems to meet those criteria. Specifically, it has a lot of "wow factor" and it also has great "play value."

Finishing Touch 360

Description: A hair remover
Main Pitch: "Painlessly removes unwanted hair in seconds with no nicks, no cuts and no irritation"
Main Offer: $14.99 for three
Bonus: Lighted 5X mirror (just pay S&H)
Starring: Jennifer Nicole Lee
Marketer: IdeaVillage
Website: www.FinishingTouch360.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

I just don't see women giving up their Venus for this. There is no reason to believe it's better than today's razors. In fact, there are reasons to believe it could be worse. For instance, it looks less maneuverable and trickier to use in narrow areas.

About the only thing the product has going for it is the value, but that's lost in a math problem. You get "a full year of hair removal," says Ms. Lee. But to get there, you need to comprehend that each unit has four blades (three hidden while one is in use), each blade lasts for one month and you get three units with your order.
(One month x 4 x 3 = 12 months/1 year.)

Oh, and those units come in three different colors, none of which is remotely masculine by the way -- as this image from the Website demonstrates: