September 10, 2015

Magna Optix

Description: Sunglasses with magnetic, quick-change lenses
Main Pitch: "Just click 'em on and the glare is gone"
Main Offer: $14.99 for a set with clear, amber and polarized lenses
Bonus: 2nd set (just pay P&H)
Marketer: Emson
Watch the spot

Welcome to SunglassFest! (HT: Steve S.) No less than three companies this week are trying to enter the sunglasses category, which IdeaVillage's HD Vision brand has pretty much had to itself for more than a decade. Maybe not for much longer. If value matters -- and HD Vision's history of successes and failures suggests that it does -- this one should do well. It's like getting every type of sunglasses ever pitched on DRTV in one!

S7 Analysis: From a product standpoint, these sunglasses are certainly different and correctly targeted. Whether they are needed is the one that gives me pause. Sunglasses generally solve a big enough problem (blocking sun glare), but this specific version only solves a problem if people need different glasses for different purposes.

Perhaps that thinking is too left brain, though. The real deciding factor here is probably whether people feel magnetic, interchangeable lenses are fun and fashionable ... or dumb and dorky.