Kitty Shack

Description: A 2-in-1 cat mat
Main Pitch: "Keeps kitty warm and snuggly and your furniture fur free"
Main Offer: $14.95 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Allstar/Lenfest
Producer: Concepts
Watch the spot

This is a new twist on the heated pet bed concept, which Lenfest and several others (including yours truly) have tried before without success. This variation adds a "cave" feature that has also been tried except for dogs. Telebrands did it in 2012 and called it Pet Cave. Emson followed with a similar item in the form of a Croc-style shoe (true story), which was called Bunga Bed. Neither one made the charts. That makes the history here not very promising.

S7 Analysis: Any project targeting a specific pet, in this case cats, is technically in danger of failing an S7 analysis because of the 'segment of a segment' problem. However, there seem to be enough crazy cat people out there to sustain a campaign, as Lenfest recently demonstrated with the success of its Cat's Meow toy. The 'needed' criteria is also tricky in these situations, but this may actually be the first example of an item cats would tell you they need if cats could talk.

Cyclone Bank

Description: A bank for kids
Main Pitch: "The new, fun way to get kids excited about saving money"
Main Offer: $14.99 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Watch the spot

As far as I know, Telebrands has the only hit in this category: Easy Money in 1996. That there hasn't been another hit since then is probably telling.

S7 Analysis: N/A. Looking at my list of criteria for kids' products, I think this has some magic but limited play value.

Weekly Round-Up

1. Handy Plug. Marketer: Telebrands. Producer: Paddock Productions. Pitch: "The new extension outlet that puts the power you need within easy reach." Comments: Written by yours truly. [ss]
 
2. Butter Express. Pitch: "The fast, easy and safe way to cut your butter every day." Comments: This is a third attempt to get this project off the ground. The last attempt was Allstar's EZ Butter. I get the impression this is one of those 'close but not quite' projects that drive us crazy from time to time. I've used the Siren, the Phoenix and even the Ouroborus to analogize the peculiarities of DR, so I should probably come up with a mythological metaphor for this sort of thing. How about a 'Sisyphus project'? [ss]
 
3. DashCam Pro. Marketer: InvenTel. Pitch: "The personal security camera for your car." Comments: Dash cams are very popular in foreign lands (e.g. Russia) and there may be a solid market here. But is it the mass market? And will people spend $30 on impulse for what is essentially a prevention scenario? I don't think so. [ss]
 
4. Draft Buster. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to seal out the cold." Comments: This site is no longer live, so I am just posting for posterity. [ss]
 
5. Lamp Champ. Pitch: "Turns any standard lamp into a USB charging station." Comments: There have been a few attempts, all unsuccessful, to sell a USB charging solution on TV. Examples include Allstar's Handy Charge and Tristar's Xtra Socket. While it's not time to give up on the concept just yet, I think this impractical solution is unlikely to be the first one to break through. [ss]
 
6. Repelify. Starring: Art Edmonds. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "The new way to fortify fabrics to repel stains fast." Comments: Another Website that is no longer live -- and no wonder. This is at least the sixth time this pitch has been tried. (The other attempts were: Wet Block HD, Just Repel It!, Block Out, Nanodyze and Blox.) Beware the Siren! [ss]
 
7. Schmoozies. Pitch: "Indoor neckwear" for dogs "that's flexible, tag-able and fashionable." Comments: An apparent 'fast fail.' My guess is that this is a solution in search of a problem ... with a prevention element as well. [ss]
 
8. Sleeptastic. Marketer: Ontel. Pitch: "Eliminates 100% of light and blocks out ambient noise." Comments: This is Miracle Mask under a new name and with a revised creative. [ss]

In the News

My lovely and talented wife, Asieya Pine, was just named president of Lockard & Wechsler Direct. It's an inspiring success story: Asieya started as a twenty-something executive assistant back when Lockard & Wechsler was just a small boutique agency. Fifteen years later, she has risen to the top position after helping grow the agency into an industry leader.

Speaking of twenty-somethings, Lockard & Wechsler was also recently profiled in The Journal News as a great place for Millennials (and everyone else) to work. Coincidence?

March Madness, DRTV Madness & How to Make $1 Billion

My latest piece for the ERA blog is now live. Last month, I was asked to find a way to connect March Madness and DRTV. This article is the result. Click here to read it now.

Shameless Self-Promotion Update: I am now four for four. My last report for the ERA blog ("The Rise of 'Feeders' in Direct Response Television") was No. 1 yet again, leading the top five blog posts for March.