November 05, 2012

Texas Fry Basket

Description: A deep-fry basket
Main Pitch: "A quick and easy way to enjoy fair favorites"
Main Offer: $10 for one with 50 fry sticks & recipe guide
(defribrilator not included)
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Website: www.TexasFryBasket.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

VIEWER WARNING: Certain high-risk individuals may need to take a statin before watching this commercial.

This is the Chef Basket with a narrower -- and much less healthy -- focus. I doubt it will work for two reasons. One, Chef Basket did more and is only two years old. Two, I think people want to cook and eat healthy. Going to a fair and having fried food forced upon you (at gunpoint, I swear!) is one thing. Buying a deep-fry product and preparing it at home yourself is another.

That said, and yet again, I like how Telebrands rolls. DRTV theory says "narrow is better" and Swiss Army products don't work. Chef Basket is an exception to the rule, but maybe a more narrowly focused version can also be proof of the rule. If so, Telebrands will find out.

There is also a larger trend/counter-trend rule, which says that for every American who wants their burger joint to have a good salad choice, there's another American who wants their burger joint to have the biggest, greasiest, most tasty burger possible. Telebrands will discover if this rule applies to DR as well.