February 25, 2014

Yummy-Go-Round

Description: A candy dispenser
Main Pitch: "Now everyone's favorite treat is right at their fingertips"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: 2nd one (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Telebrands
Producer: Kerrmercials
Website: www.GetYummyGoRound.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

Another odd choice for Telebrands. On its face, this is a fun novelty item instead of a problem-solver, which is what makes it a strange choice for DRTV. However, there is a problem presented in this commercial, and it's worthy of further consideration.

For the sake of this analysis, let's call the problem 'kid messes' and consider a broad category I'll call 'kid mess prevention.' What past items fit that category, and how have they done? Several items spring to mind.

The first one is Merchant Media/Allstar's Touch N Brush (see No. 5), which prevented toothpaste messes. That item was a solid hit. The second one is Edison Nation's Gyro Bowl, which prevented bowl spills and was also a hit. The third and final one is the various juice/milk/soda dispensers that have been tried on DRTV. I'm thinking of Magic Tap (tested thrice) in particular. Those items ultimately flopped.

My guess is that this item is more like Magic Tap than Touch N Brush or Gyro Bowl. It lacks the extreme uniqueness of Touch N Brush or the extreme 'wow factor' of Gyro Bowl. It's different, but it's not one of a kind. It's fun, but it's not super exciting. Like Magic Tap, it's more utilitarian than anything else.

If anyone can think of other case studies in this "category," please feel free to email me or use the comments section below.