DRTV Pop Quiz (3)

Time is running out to sign up for my "What Every DRTV Professional Should Know" seminar at the 2015 ERA D2C Convention, which takes place Monday, October 5 between 1 and 4 pm. You know you want to go, so I'll wait while you visit the page for the event ...

All signed up? Great. Still not convinced you should attend? I get it. Either way, take my third and final quiz below to see where you stand:

1. According to hit lists from the last several years, what is the No. 1 category for DRTV products?
 
2. Name two appropriate uses for a 'split screen.'
 
3. What famous advertising concept, introduced in a seminal 1981 book by the same name, describes how to differentiate a product in the mind?

Take a moment to ponder -- or perhaps to sign up for my seminar after all :-) -- and then take a look below to see how you did.

Here are the answers:

• The No. 1 category for DRTV products, by far, is kitchen/cooking. See the end note (1) below for a list of every hit I jotted down during a recent examination of the last five years. I'll go over the other top categories, and the bad categories as well, during the seminar.
 
• Two appropriate uses for a 'split screen' are comparing (e.g. a side-by-side demonstration) and contrasting (e.g. before and after). During the seminar, we'll explore more than 10 techniques for making DRTV commercials that sell.
 
• The advertising concept that describes how to differentiate a product in the mind is "positioning." It was introduced in 1981 by Al Ries and Jack Trout in a book titled, "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind." Mr. Ries has two cameos in my presentations for the seminar (his concepts, that is).

For those keeping score at home, this was actually my fourth quiz. The first appeared on the ERA blog in July. The others are here and here.

See you in Vegas!

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(1) Here's that list of kitchen/cooking hits (in alphabetical order): AeroKnife, Bacon Wave, Bake Pop, Chef Basket, Chop Magic, Dump Cakes, Edge of Glory, Eggies, Miracle Grill Mat/Yoshi Grill & Bake Mat, Orgreenic, Pasta Boat, Perfect Pancake/Flip Jack, Perfect Bacon Bowl, Perfect Brownie, Perfect Meatloaf, Perfect Tortilla, Pop Chef, Potato Express, Samurai Pro, Slap Chop, Slice-O-Matic, Stone Dine, Stone Wave, Stufz, Yoshi Blade, Yoshi Blue.

Watering Willy

Something Freudian might be going on

Description: A lawn-watering device
Main Pitch: "A fun character that waters your lawn for you"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one of five characters
Bonus: 2nd one, Pocket Hose Dura Rib (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Watch the spot

This is the second phallic Telebrands product in as many weeks (here's the first). Has finding new products gotten so hard (ahem) that DR marketers must go to these lengths (tee hee)? Even the bonus is suggestive! I mean, I'm pretty sure "Dura Rib" is a brand of condom.

OK, so the product is bizarre, but the commercial lets us know the marketer is aware of this and the jokes end up being genuinely funny. Kudos to whoever wrote this. Although the item is unlikely to sell, the spot could go viral ... and there's always Spencer Gifts.

S7 Analysis: This one is all kinds of different, but that's about it.

High Spy Drone

Description: A quad copter with onboard camera
Main Pitch: "Get ... to places you'd never reach with your camera
Main Offer: 2 pay of $19.99 for one with charger, 2GB mini SD card, etc.
Bonus: 2nd one with all accessories (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: Bluewater
Watch the spot

This one is a total flyer (smile). I supposes there's a DR case to be made using the success of Spin Master's Air Hogs line -- they even have a quad copter -- but this pitch isn't anything like that. Rather, it more tries to draft off the adult hobbyist trend with a category-killer price. But just like that poor man's GoPro Telebrands tried (wait, is that the same alligator?), this project faces a major credibility challenge.

S7 Analysis: As with the previous product, I also wonder about the targeting here. Something tells me very few older folks are into drones. The same could be said of women, another key DRTV buying group.

Solar Flats

Description: Solar-powered landscape lights
Main Pitch: "Turn your boring backyard into an exceptional landscape"
Main Offer: $10 for two
Bonus: Two more (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Watch the spot

This might have been an Old Gold feature as it is close in concept to a 2006 Emson hit called Bell + Howell Solar Floodlights (still available here). The twist here is the lights "sit flush with the ground, so they're always out of your way." Enough time has passed for this Phoenix to rise again, so this project might have a shot. Of course, people will really have to buy into the flat-light benefit for competition not to be an immediate problem.

Another negative I should mention: The absolutely dismal track record of lights lately. Back in 2006, lights were all the rage. That's the same year Telebrands' Stick Up Bulb rolled out and Ontel was having its run with an updated Tap Light called Stick 'N Click. Today, lights top my list of categories to avoid. That said, there is some indication that landscape lighting might be an exception, so I'll take a wait-and-see position on this one.

S7 Analysis: I thought the original Bell + Howell product violated the needed criterion, so I have the same issue with this project. Other than that, it stacks up pretty well.

Purrfect Pop

Description: A cat toy
Main Pitch: "Makes catnip-infused bubbles for hours of fun"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one with bubble solution
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: Concepts TV (of course)
Watch the spot

If this concept didn't work for dogs, I don't see why it would work for cats.

S7 Analysis: Toys for pets are like toys for kids in that the S7 criteria don't apply. And neither do the few criteria for kid items I have collected (e.g. 'pester power,' play value). That makes this a project only Telebrands could love: You have to just take the shot.