Weekly Round-Up

1. Jiffy Fries. Marketer: Edison Nation. Pitch: "The fast, fresh, easy way to make perfect fries every day." Comments: My first instinct was to compare this to Perfect Fries and predict "unlikely to succeed." But this is more than a fry cutter: It's also a fry cooker. Even the way it cuts seems more likely to succeed now that Chop Magic is in rollout. It's another microwave product -- normally a negative -- but I've been wrong about potatoes in the microwave before. Official prediction: On the fence. Excellent creative, incidentally, which can only help. [ss]
 
2. Breathe Active. Starring: Brian Fasulo. Pitch: Expands "your air intake up to 70% ... while significantly decreasing snoring." Comments: This is a 'better than' Breathe Right and more of a retail item than a DRTV item. [ss]
 
3. CeramaBrush. Marketer: Eagle Eye. Producer: Monte-Brooks. Pitch: "Ceramic straightening brush straightens hair twice as fast for twice the shine." Comments: The category history for hair brushes isn't great, but there has been the occasional rollout. [ss]
 
4. ComfiShape. Pitch: "Ultra comfortable shaping leggings with attached skirt." Comments: This item is more fashion choice than problem solver, so I'm not surprised it was a 'fast fail.' [ss]
 
5. Simoniz Eyeglass Polish. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to clean, polish and condition eyeglasses." Comments: This one has powerful competition. [ss]
 
6. Gripeez. Pitch: "Reusable gripping pad lets you hang any object anywhere in just seconds." Comments: Credibility is the problem here as the failure of two similar items (Jerry Hook, Nano Hooks) demonstrated. I also think it's less useful than those other products were. [ss]
 
7. Hydro Heel. Producer: Classitech. Pitch: "Get rid of rough, dry, cracked heels in minutes." Comments: This has been tried on DRTV before (see No. 2 in this Weekly Round-Up) without success. [ss]
 
8. Juice Wizard. Pitch: "Separates peel and fiber for instant pure, fresh juice." Comments: Juicers have done extremely well in long form at high prices, so a value-priced juicer has a decent shot. On the other hand, taking something that's typically powered and making it manual hasn't been a successful strategy. I'm thinking about manual food processors such as the Kitchen King Pro, for example. [ss]
 
9. Kleva Edge. Starring: James Cheney. Pitch: "Opens all cans quickly and easily without the mess and without the stress." Comments: If a truly 'kleva' product such as the One Touch Can Opener can't make a comeback, I don't think this Safety Can revival from Down Under has a chance. Solid pitch work, though. [ss]
 
10. Rocky Mountain Knife. Starring: Thom Buck. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "All the strength and tools to help you survive." Comments: The 80s called ... They want their knife back! (HT: Radio Shack) The short name/URL for this is "Rocky Knife," which is ironic given that this is a classic Rambo knife from 30 years ago. I had one and loved it. Hey, Stallone is making movies again, so you never know! [ss]
 
11. Seat Tweener. Pitch: "Prevents dropped items (in your car) from becoming lost items." Comments: I submit that any time you find yourself saying or writing "it's a frustrating annoyance," you should stop and reconsider the project. Painful problems generate the impulse to buy. Anything less and your odds go way down. Not to mention: This has already been tried -- twice. See Kleva Catch (No. 8 in this Weekly Round-Up) and Drop Stop (in that post's comments). [ss]
 
12. Sleep 8. Pitch: "Eliminates 100% of light and blocks out ambient noise." Comments: This will only appeal to a segment of a segment, which makes the odds of success very low. [ss]
 
13. Snuggle Case Pets. Pitch: "The soft, on the go smartphone case for kids." Comments: Cute idea that meets a need, but there are a lot of solutions to the problem already on the market. [ss]
 
14. Super Back. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "In shower, rinse away back hair removal system." Comments: There's a lot of gross factor in this commercial, but that isn't always a bad thing (see Ped Egg). More to the point, hirsute males are a segment of a segment. [ss]

Night View Visor

Description: A visor accesory
Main Pitch: "Turn fuzzy and dull into clear and bright ... especially at night"
Main Offer: $10 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Top Dog
Producer: Hutton-Miller
Website: www.NightViewVisor.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

This project isn't quite "third to market with a me-too solution," and it isn't quite a triple duel, either. But it is a close cousin of both and a poor choice as a result.

The other relevant campaigns here, both of which appear to be rolling out, are Easy View HD and HD Vision Visor. This isn't technically a "me-too" because it reverses the pitch of the latter, focusing on night and then day, and the former only focuses on day. (Actually, the original HD Vision Visor commercial was day then night. It has now been changed to lead with night.) This also isn't a "triple duel" because it's coming out six months after Easy View HD and nearly two months after HD Vision Visor, both of which will be formidable given such big head-starts.

Some other points of interest: This is a line and brand extension of Night View glasses (see No. 9), which interestingly is a first-to-market hit that was followed (also six months later) by a me-too competitor (HD Vision Night Vision Wraparounds). The second-to-market company in that case is also the second-to-market company in this case (IdeaVillage). Confused yet? Well, such is the state of DR these days!

Finally, a note on the creative: The testimonials technique used in this commercial neatly solves the problem I identified with the HD Vision Visor creative. No setup is required in this spot because the car isn't moving. Of course, that attention to detail shouldn't be a surprise given the commercial was created by a True Top Producer that also happens to do the best testimonials in the business.

Yummy-Go-Round

Description: A candy dispenser
Main Pitch: "Now everyone's favorite treat is right at their fingertips"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: Kerrmercials
Website: www.GetYummyGoRound.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

Another odd choice for Telebrands. On its face, this is a fun novelty item instead of a problem-solver, which is what makes it a strange choice for DRTV. However, there is a problem presented in this commercial, and it's worthy of further consideration.

For the sake of this analysis, let's call the problem 'kid messes' and consider a broad category I'll call 'kid mess prevention.' What past items fit that category, and how have they done? Several items spring to mind.

The first one is Merchant Media/Allstar's Touch N Brush (see No. 5), which prevented toothpaste messes. That item was a solid hit. The second one is Edison Nation's Gyro Bowl, which prevented bowl spills and was also a hit. The third and final one is the various juice/milk/soda dispensers that have been tried on DRTV. I'm thinking of Magic Tap (tested thrice) in particular. Those items ultimately flopped.

My guess is that this item is more like Magic Tap than Touch N Brush or Gyro Bowl. It lacks the extreme uniqueness of Touch N Brush or the extreme 'wow factor' of Gyro Bowl. It's different, but it's not one of a kind. It's fun, but it's not super exciting. Like Magic Tap, it's more utilitarian than anything else.

If anyone can think of other case studies in this "category," please feel free to email me or use the comments section below.

Dueling Car Organizers

Hook 'N Hang

Description: A hanging car organizer
Main Pitch: "Simply hook on to your seat, then hang any item"
Main Offer: $14.95 for two, Car Entertainer
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Tristar
Website: www.HookNHang.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

Headrest Helper

Main Pitch: "Transforms your car headrest into a handy storage hanger"
Main Offer: $10 for two
Bonus: GripGo (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Lenfest
Producer: Opfer
Website: www.HeadrestHelper.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

I just shared my thoughts about the Lenfest product in this Weekly Round-Up (see No. 3). The 'spilled stuff' pitch hasn't worked in the past, and I am not a big fan of organization items.

Comparing the two, I think Lenfest clearly has the better product and offer, including a proven bonus item. Of course, if this ever became a retail duel, Tristar would have an edge. But thinking about the players that would be involved, it would never come to that. (Nice to be able to write that these days!)

And yes, Tristar is recycling that name. The original Hook 'N Hang was a closet organizer tested in late 2008.

Weekly Round-Up

1. Push & Prep. Marketer: Spark Innovators. Pitch: "Miracle cutting tool lets you chop, slice, dice, mince in seconds." Comments: This is a glorified apple slicer. The problem: Once you get past apples -- and maybe potatoes -- the uses seem like a stretch. It becomes a lesser Chop Magic. [ss]
 
2. Dual Scope. Marketer: Allstar. Pitch: "Telescope and microscope in one pocket-sized device." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' That's one for the "outlier" column (a reference to Zoomies). [ss]
 
3. No Wack Tack. Starring: Karl Champley. Pitch: "Easily hang it all on the wall, and nothing will fall." Comments: Another 'fast fail.' (Link goes to spot.) This is another tricky category. There have been successes (Hercules Hooks, Insta Hang), but also many failures, and there doesn't seem to be a clear reason why. [ss]
 
4. Thigh Perfect. Marketer: National Express. Pitch: "Makes it easy to get the thighs you crave." Comments: Another pricey fitness gadget. Not too many successes to point to these days, but people keep trying ... Wait! What's with that rap track? Did the Garden Thug guys do this spot? [ss]