May 27, 2011

Review: Spider Mat

Description: A sticky dashboard mat
Main Pitch: "Conforms and sticks to any surface"
Main Offer: $14.99 for two
Bonus: Two more (just pay processing)
Starring: Anthony Sullivan
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: Sullivan Productions
Website: www.SpiderMat.com
Prediction: On the Fence

Past history indicates this product shouldn't work on DRTV. The late, great Billy Mays did the Max Grip Dash Tray (No. 2) in 2009, and it didn't roll out. But who knows how close it was or why it ultimately didn't succeed? Maybe there were problems other than response that Telebrands has now solved. If so, I think this one has a decent shot. The spot is well done, the product solves a problem and there are some cool demos. Kudos to the Sullivan team for their creativity. I like the "centrifugal force" demo a lot (but not the British pronunciation of the word).

The only other thing that bothers me here is the positioning of the product. I like that the marketing team tried to make this more interesting than just a piece of black silicone, but to me the Spiderman theme makes the product for young males. Since DRTV buyers are still predominantly older and female, that might be a liability.