Weekly Round-Up

1. Finishing Touch Freedom. Marketer: IdeaVillage. Pitch: "Revolutionary new way to remove hair" features a "360-degree rotating head." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' Watch the spot on YouTube, and you'll think you're watching one of those brand commercials that comes on before you can watch the actual video. It's a Gillette-quality spot for a Venus-quality product. No wonder it didn't work on DRTV! [ss]
 
2. Brushbie. Pitch: "Sanitize, reshape and dry your expensive makeup brushes." Comments: I can't be sure, but this strikes me as a contrived problem. Perhaps that's why the spot takes almost 30 seconds to explain it. [ss]
 
3. Bye Bye Blisters. Pitch: "Protects your heels from rubbing, slipping and nasty blisters." Comments: This is too close to the worst category in DRTV -- insoles -- to be successful. Also: A similar product called Shoebite Saver (No. 8 in this Weekly Round-Up) didn't go anywhere. [ss]
 
4. Clever Crates. Pitch: "The smart new way to carry and store everything." Comments: For those who have always wanted to take the grocery basket home, this is their moment. Joking aside, the product isn't that bad, but the pitch is all over the place. It's hard to turn "everything" into a compelling reason to buy. [ss]
 
5. (Peggie's) Eyeglass Charms. Pitch: "Transforms your child's glasses into a cool fashion accessory they'll love to wear." Comments: A segment of a segment of a segment. Add the unpredictable fashion element, and it would be hard to pick a worse item for DRTV. Prediction: CPO with a comma. (HT: Heather R.) [ss]
 
6. Fruiti Freeze. Pitch: "100% natural frozen treats in seconds." Marketer: Telebrands. Comments: This one was $40, so the 'fast fail' doesn't surprise me. [ss]
 
7. Hot Shots. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "The latest craze in restaurant desserts now has a place at your table." Comments: Another apparent 'fast fail.' [ss]
 
8. Magic Mirror. Producer: Sullivan Productions. Pitch: "Makes steam disappear like magic." Comments: Neat product, good commercial -- but the problem solved is low on the scale. [ss]
 
9. Pet Bowl Go-Round. Pitch: "Innovative food bowl lets your dog run and play without getting tangled up." Comments: A weak problem for a segment of a segment. [ss]
 
10. Snappy Cami. Pitch: "Looks like a camisole and easily snaps to your bra." Comments: Ontel's Cami Secret peaked in 2011 (No. 4 on the JW Annual that year) and was still going strong in 2012. It's too soon to bring the concept back -- not that this 'amateur hour' project had a real chance. [ss]
 
11. Storytime Pets. Marketer: Emson. Pitch: "Fun new animals that read to you." Comments: Plush toy No. 4,768. [ss]
 
12. Win Cleaner. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "The one-click PC cleaner." Comments: This is a new partner and new creative for an item I reviewed before (see No. 12 in this Weekly Round-Up). [ss]

SciMark Report from May Response

Lenfest's Catch Caddy

My latest SciMark Report in print is now available on the Response Website.

The items covered include dueling wood cleaners Amish Secret [ss] and Dutch Glow [ss], Allstar/Lenfest's Catch Caddy [ss] and IdeaVillage's Fun Feet [ss].

Coming Soon

In the upcoming June issue, I write about the following:

• A near triple duel involving Telebrands' Socket Dock
• Ontel's Easy Eggwich
• Another Telebrands' item: The Nerd Atomic Clock

Check out that upcoming issue to see what I have to say about these projects.

EZ Butter

Description: A butter cutter/dispenser
Main Pitch: "The fast, easy and safe way to cut your butter every day"
Main Offer: $10 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Allstar
Producer: Bluewater
Website: www.BuyEZButter.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

In 2001 and 2002, Ontel made it onto the charts with a product similar to this one called Butter Butler (still here on Amazon). It was No. 81 on the 2001 JW Annual and No. 92 on the 2002 JW Annual. To me, those rankings don't qualify it as 'Old Gold,' but that history is certainly a positive sign for this project.

The problem: I can't for the life of me figure out why that product had any success, and I have similar trouble with this item. Before the invention of spreadable butter, this sort of product would have made a lot more sense. But in this century, with all the forms and types of butter we have at our disposal, there just doesn't seem to be a valid need here.

Aspects of this product are certainly fun (the click) and noteworthy (perfect portions, no crumbs in the butter), but it typically takes a strong problem/solution to get a DR campaign off the ground. That's notably absent here.

Spin Balls

Description: Light-up spinning toy
Main Pitch: "Combines LED lights with the ancient art of Poi"
Main Offer: $19.99 for a set with instructional DVD
Bonus: Spin Tails, carrying pack (free)
Marketer: Ontel
Website: www.BuySpinBalls.com
Prediction: On the fence

My first thought when watching this commercial was: What the heck is "Poi"? Turns out it's a type of performance art that originated in New Zealand, which raised another question for me: Why the heck would anyone care? This is a case of a DR marketer and/or producer over-thinking things a bit.

Go back and check out Fushigi. You'll notice they never once refer to the venerable art of "contact juggling" in the commercial even though that's what Fushigi was really all about. Instead, they simply talk about magic balls that defy gravity. That's how you do it -- and that's how this commercial does it after that minor, initial misstep. In fact, in some ways I think the demonstrations in this spot are better, cooler and look easier to do than the demonstrations in Fushigi. If that means anything, this one could be a hit.

On the other hand, Allstar's Myachi had some of the same things going for it (including a solid sales history at toy stores), and it went nowhere. My conclusion is that predicting success in this category is like predicting what the next Christmas toy craze will be.

Towel Mints

Description: A compact towel
Main Pitch: "Looks like a mint but add water and ... [it] expands into a fully functional towel"
Main Offer: $10 for 50 plus a carrying case
Bonus: Double the order to 100 (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Website: www.TowelMints.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

This product passes the "wow" test with flying colors. That is, it certainly has that "magic" demo we always want in our commercials. But once you get past the magic trick, wet wipes are a much better and more practical solution to the problems shown.