Weekly Round-Up

1. Body Collar. Pitch: "Turns your tug of war into a walk in the park." Comments: This project reminds me of Media Enterprises' Instant Trainer, which didn't roll out. Leashes and harnesses have a terrible track record on DRTV. The only bright spot was Telebrand's Comfy Control, which made the Jordan Whitney annual in 2011 but not the IMS annual for that year. [ss]
 
2. Snap-Hooks. Pitch: "Like having an extra hand right when you need it most." Comments: Amateur hour. Although there are some interesting elements (e.g. the Baggler demo), this item is too common to have made it past the evaluation phase. [ss]
 
3. Stack Magic. Pitch: "Your new secret to keep clothes folded, stacked and super neat." Comments: This concept was tried in 2007 under the name Wardrobe Wonders. One fail isn't enough to abandon an idea in my book, but the knowledge that this sort of hyper-organization tool would only appeal to a small percentage of the population is. [ss]

What is Advertising? I Know They Don't Know

Here's a simple question: What is advertising? Can you sum it up in just a few words? (Hint: It has little to do with what you saw during the breaks of the most recent Super Bowl.)

More than 100 years ago, an ad man named Albert Lasker found he didn't have a good answer to this question. When he later discovered the answer, it was so powerful that it helped him revolutionize his industry.

To learn more, check out my latest post for the ERA blog.

SciMark Report from February Response

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

For this month's issue, I wrote about the first triple duel of the year: Ontel's Simply Straight vs. Tristar's 6 Second Straight vs. Emson's Hot 'N Straight.

Coming Soon

In the upcoming March issue, I'll be changing it up. Instead of writing about duels, I'll be writing about three marketers doing their own thing. Reviews include:

• IdeaVillage's Flexi-Frisbee
 
• Telebrands' Fresh Pops
 
• Tristar's Perfect Posture Bra

CorVex

Description: A ceramic pan
Main Pitch: "Fuses the best quality of cookware into a one-pan, chef-quality solution"
Main Offer: $29.95 for one in red or black
Bonus: Lid with steam valve, 5-year warranty (free)
Starring: Anne Burrell
Marketer: Emson
Watch the spot

Emson has the hottest pan on DRTV right now (the Gotham Steel pan featuring Chef Daniel Green), so it's odd timing for them to try another pan, especially one with weaker benefits. My hypothesis that's 'there's only room for one' applies even if you are following your own leading product. Worse yet, the airwaves are lousy with pans right now, which further reduces the odds of this one breaking through.

Bottom line: I would have saved this for an Ouroboros strategy down the road.

S7 Analysis: As mentioned, the main S7 fail here is that the category is currently super-crowded. But even if it weren't, I'd still wonder if this pan were different enough from the pans that have already been done. The "cast ceramic" idea (a play on cast iron) has some potential, but it's somewhat lost in a 'Swiss Army' pitch.

InstaHook

Description: Removable hanging hooks
Main Pitch: "Just peel and stick -- it's that quick"
Main Offer: $14.95 for six regular and six giant hooks
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Emson
Producer: Kerrmercials
Watch the spot

This is the fourth time this item has been tried. Allstar tried it as Jerry Hook (see No. 3 in this Weekly Round-Up), IdeaVillage tried it as Nano Hooks and an unknown marketer tried it as Gripeez in early 2014. In DR, the third time is seldom the charm, but I've noted a few cases when it was. I have no evidence, though, than the fourth time is ever the charm.

S7 Analysis: The obvious fail here, based on past history, must be the needed criterion. If you watch the opening of this spot, it feels like a set of contrived problems because it probably is.