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WHAT MAKES UP THE SCIMARK SEVEN?
The PRODUCT should be: ( 1) needed; ( 2) targeted; and ( 3) different.
The CATEGORY should be: ( 4) un-crowded.
The COMMERCIAL should be: ( 5) engaging; ( 6) motivating; and ( 7) clear.
SCIMARK REPORT
If I cared about looking good, I’d give every campaign that’s high on the charts a rating of at least four stars. As this month’s report will clearly demonstrate, I don’t believe in doing that. Here’s hoping you appreciate my honesty because I could end up looking quite foolish for doubting items that are obviously successful on DRTV right now.
BY JORDAN PINE
Description: An evaporative air cooler
Main Pitch: The “quick and easy way to cool any space”
Main Offer: Two-pay of $19.99 with free shipping
Bonus: Second one (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Ontel Products
This was a top- 10 DRTV campaign at press time (No. 9 on the
DRMetrix Weekly Top 40). My first impression
when it tested in September was that it’s the
hot-weather version of Handy Heater (No. 46
on the 2016 True Top 50). Because of that asso-
ciation, I thought it would suffer from credibility
problems. Apparently,
Blue Moon’s commer-
cial has overcome that
barrier. However, I still
predict difficulties for
this campaign because
of sales-killing nega-
tive revie ws. Almost
half of the reviews on
Amazon for Handy Heater are one-star and, like its predecessor, this
product can’t possibly deliver on its promise.
BAVARIAN EDGE
Description: A knife sharpener
Main Pitch: “Make your old blades razor-sharp in seconds”
Main Offer: $19.99 for one
Bonus: Second one (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: BulbHead
Every few years, there’s
a new rollout in the
knife-sharpener category. In 2012, SAS Group’s
Samurai Pro and
TELEBrands’ Edge of
Glory both became True
Top Spenders. In 2015,
it was Hampton’s Swifty
Sharp. This year we
have this item, which
was No. 12 on the DRMetrix Weekly Top 40 at press time. I remain
skeptical, though. One reason is that I know of many failed knife
sharpeners most have never heard about (because they bombed
quickly). Another reason is my perception that the hits mentioned
above were mediocre sellers at best. Now, there’s nothing wrong
with having a few mediocre performers in a portfolio that includes
bigger hits. I’m only claiming that we shouldn’t
think of these as four- or five-star opportuni-
ties. That said, I admit I’m impressed with the
success this item is enjoying so far. I wouldn’t
have bet on it.
FAST FAIL
AIR GLASS
Description: A glass humidifier and diffuser
Main Pitch: “Gently humidifies air while diffusing scented oil for
up to eight hours”
Main Offer: $39.99 for one with two essential oils
Bonus: Double the offer (just pay a separate fee)
Marketer: Allstar Products
To really test my honesty
and continue a theme
from last month, I
thought I’d present one
project I thought would
succeed but didn’t. For
me, this represents a dis-
proved hypothesis: That
“hand-blown glass” was
the secret to the success
of an “Old Gold” item called Aqua Globes (No. 26 on the 2008
Jordan Whitney Annual). After helping to thoroughly debunk the
idea that automatic plant watering was a category (via multiple
failures to replicate its success), I thought this hypothesis was
promising. It made sense to me that a dec-
orative, artistic element could help differen-
tiate a device that is clearly in demand right
now. Apparently not. It seems evident that
Aqua Globes was just another DRTV outlier.
RATING:
3 out of 5
;;;;;
RATING:
3 out of 5
;;;;;
RATING:
4 out of 5
;;;;;
ARCTIC AIR
