May 07, 2015

Red Shift XT

Description: Sunglasses
Main Pitch: "Tame the haze and glare, so you can clearly see what's there"
Main Offer: $10 for one pair
Bonus: 2nd pair (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Top Dog
Producer: Hutton-Miller
Watch the spot

Sunglasses have a long history of direct-response success, going back to Joe Sugarman's BluBlockers and Telebrands' Ambervision sunglasses, which celebrated 25 years in 2013. IdeaVillage brought the concept back in 2002 and again in 2008, launching a line (HD Vision) that continues selling to this day.

All of the successful sunglasses to date have had yellow (blue-blocking) lenses -- including Top Dog's Night View glasses (a 2014 True Top Spender). IdeaVillage tried to get away from yellow with HD Vision Cristal sunglasses (rose-colored lenses) and HD Vision Computer Eyes (purple lenses), but both were flops. Now comes these red-lens sunglasses. We'll see if that color can buck the trend.

I should also mention the frames: They strike me as more guy-oriented whereas past hits have favored unisex frames for the most part. That may also be a factor here. Speaking of which ...

S7 Analysis: I wonder toward whom this product is targeted? The preponderance of military people and guns in the commercial create the impression that these are primarily shooting glasses (which, incidentally, tend to have light-yellow lenses). However, that focus significantly narrows the market.