July 02, 2014

Montel's Encyclopedia of Home Remedies

Description: A book of home remedies
Main Pitch: "Over 1,000 time-tested, all-natural remedies that really work"
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: Simple Pet Remedies (just pay a separate fee)
Starring: Montel Williams
Marketer: Telebrands
Website: www.BuyHomeRemedies.com
Prediction: N/A

[UPDATE: I completely forgot about Montel's work for Tommie Copper when I wrote the comments below.]

This is the sixth book by Telebrands I have noted (see my Dump Cakes review for the titles of the other five). Two things are significant about this particular project, both of them related to Montel.

One, it's the first time Telebrands has used a celebrity instead of a pitchman (e.g. Chef Tony, Cathy Mitchell, Marc Gill). Two, it's the first time I've seen Montel pitching a DR item outside of "Living Well with Montel," his long-form show for Tristar. As Telebrands and Tristar are long-standing rivals, it makes me wonder if the days of "Living Well" are numbered ...

As for the product itself, I have a vague inkling that a book like this did well in the direct-mail and/or catalog business years ago, but other than that (as I've admitted before) I have no idea what might work in this category or why. Telebrands seems to have cracked the code for what I believed was a bad DRTV category.