June 03, 2014

Astro Tape

Description: Magnetic tape
Main Pitch: "Strong adhesive backing on one side and a powerful magnet on the other"
Main Offer: $10 for one roll
Bonus: 2nd roll (just pay a separate fee)
Starring: Ruthie Jesseman
Marketer: Telebrands
Website: www.GetAstroTape.com
Prediction: Unlikely to succeed

As regular readers of this blog know, one of my least-favorite DRTV phrases is "space age." This commercial takes the idea behind that phrase and turns it into a concept for an entire commercial ..!

Once again, folks: The "space age" is over. It went out with Tang and freeze-dried ice cream. No one can name a single astronaut these days without going back a generation. (Hint: George Clooney and Sandra Bullock don't count.) Heck, we don't even have a Space Shuttle anymore!

Putting aside the poor choice of positioning here, this item is a well-known catalog seller that has even graced the cover a few times. I myself have considered it for DRTV. The problem: Once you get past a few, fairly weak usage ideas (nails and screws, vacuum), you end up with a string of strange applications with zero mass appeal (e.g. the image above).