SPECIAL UPDATE: Cashing In On Obama Fever

It's been two weeks since the election of Barack Obama, and people are still super-excited. If anyone knows how to turn that excitement into cash, it's the DRTV industry! In this special update, I review two new DRTV commercials for commemorative Obama merchandise.

1. OBAMA INAUGURAL DOLLAR ($9.95) is a collectible dollar coin featuring a color portrait of Barack Obama. The portrait is painted on a U.S. Presidential Dollar and layered in 24 karat gold. The pitch: "Now you can own a piece of American history." The offer includes a certificate of authenticity from "The New England Mint." The bonus is a Kennedy Half Dollar painted with a different Obama portrait and also layered in gold (just pay S&H). This is a Tristar product. www.OfficialObamaCoin.com
Comments: This is a classic DRTV approach to a collectible coin, and it accomplishes everything a good coin commercial should. It captures the essence of the person/event being honored. It builds value by highlighting the quality of the coin and its limited availability. And it reinforces that value perception with an important-sounding issuer (New England Mint) and certificate of authenticity. However, it does these things in the most basic way possible. In other words, while this will no doubt be a successful campaign (albeit short-lived), it could have been stronger if more attention were paid to the details.

2. OBAMA VICTORY PLATE ($19.99) is a collectible porcelain plate featuring a color portrait of Barack Obama. The pitch: "Own a piece of history." The plate is accented with 22 karat gold trim and features the inscription, "Change has come" (also in 22 karat gold). The offer includes a display stand and certificate of authenticity from "The American Historic Society." The bonus is a dollar coin featuring a color portrait of President-Elect Obama. This is a Telebrands product. www.VictoryPlate.com
Comments: This will be an interesting study in what matters more: a product or its commercial. That's because this campaign is competing with the Inaugural Dollar campaign using an inferior product but a superior commercial. I call the product "inferior" only because the market for a collectible coin is much bigger than the market for a collectible plate, in my opinion. (The plate itself sounds like it's beautifully made.) After all, plates take up space, only appeal to a certain taste and require a nice place to display them (e.g. a curio). Coins can be stored anywhere, and they are typically squirreled away in the hope that they will increase in value someday. (Minor point: The coin is also $10 cheaper than the plate.)

Creatively, however, this DRTV commercial accomplishes everything the Inaugural Dollar commercial failed to accomplish. It gets all the details exactly right, down to an inscription that records the popular and electoral vote counts for this historic election. It also announces an obvious fact the other commercial completely missed. Why is this election so historic? Because President Obama will be the first African-American Commander in Chief in history! Hard to believe, but that fact does not appear anywhere in the other commercial. A final thing I liked: They increased the urgency to buy by declaring "the die will be destroyed forever" after a set number of days, and then limiting the purchase quantity to two plates per caller. All in all, nicely done. But will the plate beat the coin? I doubt it. Yes, the plate has the coin as its bonus, but that's the problem with trying to do two things in one commercial -- only one can get the attention it deserves. 

Source: “New Spots for Week Ending 11/14/08,” IMS

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.

New This Week: WOW Containers, Miracle Dry Foam, Aeropedic and more

After a few lean weeks around election time, the stream of new items continues. These days, in fact, it seems the DRTV players are testing any new item they can get their hands on. This makes sense. Ours is perhaps the only industry that thrives on economic disaster. That's because our products are at the value end ($19.99 or less), which is exactly where consumers flee when times get tough. Additionally, we buy leftover media at bargain prices. In a down economy, advertising is the first expense to go. In other words, there are lots of leftovers these days!

1. WOW CONTAINERS ($14.99) are interchangeable food storage containers. All the containers are also lids, so you can use each piece as a bottom or a top. The pitch: "You can mix and match, so there's always room to store more." They also nest for easy storage. The offer is for 20 containers of varying sizes. The bonus is a second set free (just pay S&H). This is a Tristar product. www.WowContainers.com
Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This is a great product for DRTV. It meets almost all of my criteria. The only reason I didn't give it a perfect score: There's been a glut of innovative food storage containers in recent years. I've seen containers with locking lids to preserve freshness and prevents spills. I've seen containers infused with a special substance that keeps fruits and vegetables fresh. I've even seen containers that store flat and pop open when you need them. And that's just to name a few. Still, this product solves different problems than those products and is practical enough to sell well. As for the commercial, it gets the demos right but misses a few of the tried-and-true techniques. However, the demos are compelling and probably enough to carry the day.  

2. MIRACLE DRY FOAM (£9.99) is a carpet cleaning solution. The main claim: "Dirt and stains are dissolved and lifted out to dry as crystals," so you can "simply vacuum the crystals away." The offer is for one bottle of the foaming shampoo and includes a special applicator. This is a JML Direct product. www.MiracleDryFoam.com

Product (D7) Score: 5 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: OK**
Comments: I was only able to view the British version of this commercial and Web site, but a U.S. version is running here in the States. I'll assume the commercials are similar. If so, the commercial is lacking. The demos look like work and aren't very impressive. In fact, the most amazing demo is how much foam the product produces, but that's just a gimmick that could be replicated with detergent. As for the product, it has quite a few strengths -- enough to get a 5 out of 7 rating. But I doubt it will be successful here because it isn't different enough, and the category is so crowded with name brands.

3. FRIIS COFFEE SAVOR ($24.95) is a canister for keeping coffee fresh. The pitch: It "blocks out light and air to seal in flavor" while the "Freshness Valve vents away trapped CO2 gas created during the roasting process." This is a Friis brand product. www.FriisCoffee.com

Product (D7) Score: 5 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: OK**
Comments: This is a quality product that coffee aficionados will appreciate. But it's horribly wrong for DRTV. I suspect Friis is simply using the commercial to support its brand at DR rates. Because if they are hoping for a payout, they aren't going to get one. First, the product doesn't solve a common problem. People get by fine with their sub-optimal coffee. Many even drink instant coffee, a practice that would surely horrify the executives at Friis. Second, the price of the product is $5 too high for DRTV, and there is no bonus. Both problems are fatal. As for the commercial, it's a quality production done by someone who has no idea what DRTV is all about. But again, I doubt Friis is looking for anything other than brand advertising on the cheap.

4. AEROPEDIC (Free Trial) is an adjustable mattress topper. It consists of two inches of memory foam on top of an air-filled chamber that can be made firmer or softer using a control. The pitch: "Now you can get a great night's sleep and wake up refreshed at a fraction of the cost" of "high-end memory foam or adjustable beds." The offer is for a free 14-day trial after which they bill four payments of $49.95 (for a twin size). This is a Dynamic Response Group product. www.Aeropedic.com

Product (D7) Score: 4 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This is an odd approach to a free-trial offer because they actually reveal how much the product will ultimately cost -- and it ain't cheap! With shipping, the twin size is more than $200. And the queen size is close to $350. Those prices undermine the premise of the product. You're supposed to buy this because you can't afford a fancy adjustable bed or memory foam mattress. But most people can't afford this mattress topper, either. It certainly isn't an impulse purchase. As for the commercial, it communicates well but is ultimately lacking because of the nature of the product. After all, it's hard to make sleeping seem exciting, and how do you demo a mattress product in a visually compelling way? Actually, Tempur-Pedic figured it out. Their wine glass demo is so good, it has become part of the popular culture. You can check it out here. Or see if you can catch Jim Carrey doing it in this trailer for his new movie.

5. BUMPITS ($19.99) are hair-volumizing inserts. The pitch: They "give you instant volume" and make you feel "like you just stepped out of a professional salon." The offer is for two inserts. The bonus is two mini inserts plus a third "Hollywood" insert (just pay S&H). www.Bumpits.com

Product (D7) Score: 3 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: OK**
Comments: Hair products have a mixed history on DRTV. I've seen many more failures than successes. One reason is that style is involved, and it's difficult to create a product that appeals to everyone's tastes. A case in point: This product gives you "high hair." While that might be a popular style in my home state of New Jersey, I'm not sure it's as popular in the rest of the country. Hair products also tend to appeal to a younger demographic, and we know that DRTV buyers tend to skew older. This product also has several other weaknesses. It doesn't really solve a problem (again, unless you come from NJ). It's also expensive as hair clips go. And it has a credibility problem because the hair styles they show are obviously done by a professional. As for the commercial, it does a good job of showcasing the different looks you can get with the product, but misses most of the other DRTV fundamentals.

Sources: “New Spots for Week Ending 11/14/08,” IMS (1-4); "Vol. XVIII, No. 4-B for 11/14/08,” Jordan Whitney (5)

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.

AJ on The View

AJ Khubani went on The View again to demonstrate some recent DRTV hits. Watch it by clicking here.

Included in the segment were:

• Pedi Paws (Telebrands)
• Smooth Away (IdeaVillage)
• Zorbeez (AdSouth)
• Snuggie (Allstar)
• Iron Gym (Ontel)
• Green Bags (Allstar)

New This Week: Strap Perfect ... and that's all!

A quick update this week because there is only one item worth writing about!

STRAP PERFECT ($19.99) is a clip for concealing bra straps. The pitch: "Just place, slide and your bra straps instantly hide." The secondary claim: It redistributes weight and guides shoulders back so women will "look at least one cup size bigger." The offer is for three clear clips. Then they triple the offer and add three nude clips and three black clips. The bonus is a box of 48 strips of Invisible Style clothing tape. This is a Media Enterprises product pitched by Taylor Baldwin. www.StrapPerfect.com

Product (D7) Score: 6 out of 7*
Commercial Rating: Good**
Comments: This is a simple yet clever product backed by a solid commercial that covers most of the DRTV fundamentals. The product's only weakness: It's ultimately a piece of plastic, which gives it a low value perception. However, the triple offer helps overcome that weakness. As for the commercial, my only criticism is that the opening could have been stronger. Sarcasm is lost on most people. It's always better to be direct.

Source: "Vol. XVIII, No. 3-B for 11/7/08,” Jordan Whitney

* See my July 24, 2007 post for a complete explanation of the D7 product score.
** See my October 22, 2007 post for a complete explanation of my commercial rating system.

Election Day News

Big news today! No, I am not talking about the election of Barack Hussein Obama. I'm talking about the birth of Zavier Thomas Pine, the newest addition to my family.

Little Zavier joined the world at 7:56 pm on Tueday. He weighed in at exactly 8 lbs and measured 19.5 inches. He joins his sister, Aliya, who will soon be 18 months old.

Mother and child are doing well. Thanks for all your emails and phone calls.