December 13, 2012

Weekly Round-Up


The Obama Victory Dollar

  1. Abdometer. Pitch: "Takes ineffective ab exercises and makes them easy, fun and effective." Comments: I think this one's a bit too nerdy to be the next hot ab item. [ss]
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  3. Bagwell. Pitch: "Holds food storage bags open for you." Comments: This was already tried (see Better Bagger). [ss]
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  5. EZ Tweeze. Pitch: "Removes unwanted facial hair straight from the root." Comments: Both a spring hair remover (Twist Away) and an at-home threading device (item #13 in this report) have been tried without success. [ss]
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  7. Flipsters. Pitch: "Foldable footwear you take with you to put on any time, anywhere." Comments: At one time, it seemed every DR marketer was chasing foldable shoes like these. They all failed. Because of the seasonality, foldable flip-flops make even less sense. [ss]
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  9. Founding Fathers Coin Collection. Starring: Governor Mike Huckabee. Marketer: The Franklin Mint. Pitch: "An artistic masterpiece commemorating their [the Founding Fathers] courage and spirit." Comments: An attractive product under a strong brand -- and Gov. Huckabee was an excellent choice for spokesman. [ss]
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  11. Licsicle. Pitch: "Give your pet something tastier to lick." Comments: Odd item. Doesn't solve a problem, so this is a pure gamble on pet owners liking the concept. [ss]
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  13. Q Stick. Pitch: "Facial hair remover at your fingertips." Comments: Speaking of Twist Away and things that have been tried before ... [ss]
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  15. RevAbs. Starring: Brett Hoebel. Marketer: Beach Body. Pitch: "Learn my secret to getting a six-pack in 90 days." Comments: Seems run-of-the-mill to me, but Beach Body knows a lot more about fitness DR than I do. [ss]
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  17. Victory Dollar. Pitch: "Honor the re-election of President Barack Obama." Comments: Hard to guess the rationale for this one. The Obama hype died years ago, and the half of America that voted for the other guy would only buy this as a hedge against hyper-inflation. [ss]