December 03, 2015

Weekly Round-Up


That's three in a row

  1. Bacon Blast. Starring: Marc Gill. Pitch: "The fast, easy way to flavor, cook and crisp delicious candied bacon." Comments: First Bacon Bake, then Bacon Boss and now Bacon Blast. Suddenly everyone is all about bacon! Of the three, this one is the most different, but that's also a potential liability. For reasons I can't fathom, not everyone loves candied bacon. [ss]
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  3. Dial Vision. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "Adjustable glasses for crystal clear vision." Comments: This is the third time this concept is being tried. The first attempt was IdeaVillage's Instant 20/20 in April of 2013. The second was Telebrands' Clear Control five months later. And now, more than a year after that, Telebrands is trying again. [ss]
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  5. Posture Slim. Marketer: Telebrands. Pitch: "Align your spine to relieve pain and look slimmer." Comments: Speaking of third attempts, here's another. The first attempt was Telebrands' Royal Posture in July of 2014. Then came Tristar's Posture Fix a year later, which featured a different design, And now, six months after that, comes the Royal Posture concept and creative again under a new name. Sorry, but I have no inside knowledge or even a hypothesis about why this is happening. If I find out, I'll be sure to post about it. [ss]
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  7. Silver Naturally. Starring: Marc Gill. Pitch: "The only household cleaner, disinfectant and deodorizer that harnesses the power of silver." Comments: Good to see Marc working his way back toward ubiquity, but I don't see this one getting him a lot of airtime. Household cleaners is the ultimate crowded category, and it has a horrible track record. Besides, unless you have an irrational fear of werewolves, this pitch will likely come across as odd instead of compelling. [ss]
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  9. Smart Angel. Pitch: "The wearable case for your smart phone and tablets." Comments: Phone/tablet accessories is the No. 1 worst category for DRTV, yet people keep trying them. Most Siren categories make sense because there's a hit in the history (see LED lanterns). The song of the Siren has to have its allure, after all. But this category has zero allure. Maybe I should start calling it a 'Lemming category': One goes over the edge and the others mindlessly follow. [ss]