5-14-09v2 ISSUE #14:What's Hot
5/15/09
11:45 AM
Page 1
What’s Hot
Report
SPRING/SUMMER 2009
ISSUE 14
Four Hits to Heat Up Your Summer
HD
Readers
(Price: $19.99)
ANDY KHUBANI, CEO, IDEAVILLAGE
The question I get asked the most, the one
that inspired the creation of this
newsletter, is “What’s Hot?” These days,
my answer to the question is simply: “A
lot!” The recession continues to fuel the
growth of the As Seen On TV category,
and there are more hot items out there
than ever. In fact, this just may shape up
to be one of the best years in history for
our industry.
Line extensions
seldom deliver
the sales of the
original item
that spawned
them. These
combination
sunglasses are
a noteworthy exception. Indeed, this is the
third hot item to be launched under the
“HD” sunglasses brand. HD Vision aviators
topped the charts in 2002. Six years later,
HD Wraparounds (WHAT’S HOT, Issue 11)
outsold the aviators and continue to sell
well. Now there’s this promising up-andcomer, which combines HD sunglasses
technology with built-in reading glasses
for comfortable reading outdoors.
Available from IdeaVillage
More information at HDReaders.com
Enjoy the issue.
As always, I welcome your comments.
To send feedback or order reprints, email
Theresa@IdeaVillage.com
What’s Hot is written and edited by IdeaVillage
© 2009 IdeaVillage Products Corp.
Sometimes the
simplest
products
become the
hottest sellers,
and we’re left
to wonder: Why
didn’t anyone
think of that
before? This is
certainly true of
this product, a
simple piece of plastic women can use
to hide their bra straps when wearing a
top that would normally leave their
straps exposed. An added benefit: It
gives the chest a little lift as well.
Available from Media Enterprises/
IdeaVillage
More information at StrapPerfect.com
Dual Saw
(Price: 3 installments of $59.95)
In this issue, we cover four recent hot
items that are contributing to this new
“golden age.” What’s even more exciting is
that sales of these products will only get
hotter with the weather. That’s because
each one, in its own way, is made for the
coming months:
• HD Readers are simply a must-have for
all those people who take books to the
beach.
• Strap Perfect solves an embarrassing
problem with women’s summer clothes,
one that used to be unavoidable.
• Dual Saw is the perfect tool for all those
summer DIY projects.
• And Shoes Under is the perfect
purchase for people kicking off the
season with a little spring cleanup.
Strap Perfect
(Price: $19.99)
Shoes Under
(Price: $10)
Solutions to the problem of “closet clutter”
have long been a staple of the As Seen On
TV industry – and with good reason. The
category has delivered more than its fair
share of hot items over years. This new
entry into the category is a drawer-like
organizer that stores twelve pairs of shoes
and slides under your bed, freeing up
precious closet space. Its clear, zippered
top also makes the shoes easy to see and
protects them from dust and moisture.
Available from Telebrands
More information at ShoesUnder.com
Featured in Episode Two of Discovery’s new
reality show Pitchmen, this power tool is
shaping up to be a major hit, even at $180.
The reason? Amazing demonstrations.
In the infomercial, which pits Billy Mays
against Anthony Sullivan as dueling hosts
(see interview on reverse), everything from a
steel pipe to an entire car is cut in half in just
seconds. And best of all, there’s no heat and
no kickback because of its unique design. A
must have for any do-it-yourselfer.
Available from Omni Reliant Holdings
More information at Dualsaw.com
5-14-09v2 ISSUE #14:What's Hot
5/15/09
11:45 AM
Page 2
The Pitchman Goes Primetime.
Q&A with
Anthony Sullivan and Billy Mays
Two of the As Seen on TV
industry’s most recognizable
spokesmen are the subject of
a new reality show on the Discovery Channel called Pitchmen. The
show, which airs Wednesdays at 10 pm, follows the exploits of
Anthony “Sully” Sullivan and Billy Mays as they work with inventors
to bring innovative new products to market. We caught up with the
two reality stars to find out if their recent experiences have changed
their perspective on the business and what makes an item hot.
1: First, congratulations on the success of your hot new show,
Pitchmen! How do you feel about the show now that you are seeing
it in edited form on TV?
Billy: Seeing the show now is a lot different than shooting it. I mean, I
always thought it would look good, but it’s more of a masterpiece than
I ever could have imagined. I’ve been blown away.
Sully: I’m especially blown away by the ratings. We tripled what
Discovery wanted and the ratings are holding, so we must have done
something right! The finished show is so much more than we signed
up for. Initially, Billy and I thought it was going to be a ‘fly on the wall’
show with some cameras trailing us around. Then after three weeks
of production, Discovery and Thom Beers asked us for 13 “A” stories
and 13 “B” stories. Essentially 26 stories. We initially balked at the
idea, but then we just threw ourselves into it 110%, and here we are.
Billy: We owe a lot to the creative storytelling of Original Productions
and Discovery. They took our show and made it not just about us, but
about the people and the products they bring us. The show is really
about the American Dream and how it’s alive and well.
Sully: Yeah, I think I am most proud of the fact Discovery honed in on
the “dream” aspect. I think as a viewer you get invested in these
inventors and really want them to succeed. Discovery also captured
the Billy/Sully moments that make the show entertaining and help
people get invested in our characters.
2. The part where you decide whether to ‘green light’ an item is
particularly interesting. How do you decide whether an item is
going to be hot or not?
Sully: Obviously, it’s impossible to produce a bona-fide hit every time.
As good as we are, we still don’t have a crystal ball. But to be honest,
we went down the usual checklist and chose the products that we
thought had the best shot.
Billy: We look at things like … Does it have mass appeal? Is it
demonstrable? Does it solve a common problem? And how big is that
problem? I always say, ‘The bigger the problem, the bigger the product.
Part of it is also thinking outside of the box. There was once this little
product called OxiClean, and no one wanted to give it a shot and sell it
on the road. Then I started messing with options, putting ink and iodine
in a bowl, and then made it turn white with OxiClean. The rest is history.
So beyond the checklist, you have to go that extra mile.
Sully: The bottom line is we really tried hard to pick products that
would work. But Pitchmen is also about getting a shot, and there is
always some success in failure. I think some of the most compelling
moments are those when we break bad news to inventors. It’s very
humbling and humanizing to have to look an inventor in the eye and
say we did the best we could, but it wasn’t good enough.
3. So it starts with the product. Then you have the creative concept
and, of course, the pitch and the pitchman. If you had to assign
percentages to these components, how much is each responsible
for the success of a hot item?
Sully: I think product is king. We have hits with just voice-over, like Heel
Stick. We have hits with Billy and I, like Dual Saw. And we have
individual hits, like Jupiter Jack, Mighty Putty, G2, Point and Paint. We
both have different styles, and Billy is a powerhouse – there’s no doubt.
Billy: The product is definitely king. The pitch is only as good as the
product. But I think the pitchman shares equal responsibility. He can
be 40% to 50% of the success or failure of a product. It’s really about
the delivery and bringing out the qualities of the product. You have to
find products that have star power and then bring that out, make it
have an impact – even when you’re naming it. I’ve always liked corny,
quirky names – like Jupiter Jack or Mighty Putty.
4. Do you ever get a clear sense of why items succeed or fail? If so,
what are the most common reasons?
Billy: I don’t get too close to it, and I don’t get hung up. America votes
and says whether they want the product or not. I don’t try to overanalyze it. Numbers don’t lie. Sure, you have your opinions. You go
back and tweak it. But if it doesn’t work after that, you gotta move on.
There are a lot of good ones out there, and for every one that doesn’t
work, there are two or three that will work.
Sully: I think the most common reason for failure is emotional
attachment to a product. You have to take your emotions out of the
equation when making key decisions. Of course, I take every failure
personally, but hindsight is always 20/20. As Billy said, I also think
that the envelope has to be pushed with regard to creative. I hate the
word “wow,“ but coming up with that memorable demo or line that
everyone remembers has a lot do with whether something succeeds
or fails.
5. How strong is the correlation between ‘hot on TV’ and ‘hot at retail’?
Have you ever seen an item fail on TV and then do well at retail, or
vice-versa?
Sully: If you walk into Bed Bath & Beyond, you’ll see a slew of items that
have not worked on TV but are everywhere at retail. Stick N Click, Swivel
Mop, Dryer Balls, Miracle Sponge, Engrave It. The products still have to
be quality, but I think that people see the ‘TV style’ packaging next to a
product that has heavy TV exposure, and they assume it’s an As Seen on
TV item.
Billy: The rule is ‘strong on TV, strong at retail.’ Everything I had that
was hot on TV was hot at retail. Again, it’s really just a numbers
game. People watch it on TV, you get those eyeballs, and then they buy
it at retail. So I try to load that gun as heavy as possible and then pull
the trigger. I disagree with going to retail too soon, though. I
understand why retailers are demanding it: They want a piece of the
action from the beginning. But I think if you let an item get some
traction on TV first, you’ll get stronger results at retail. When the
public can’t get it right away, well, they’ll want it even more.
6. Last question: Tell us something interesting or funny that happened
during the filming of Pitchmen that didn’t make the final cut.
Sully: What happened to me during the filming is that I realized that
this whole industry is more than about the money. It’s about the
people behind the product. What Billy and I do inspires people – even
kids love Pitchmen. We have over 1.4 million people a week tuning in
and following Pitchmen, and this is only season one! I am truly
honored that we had a chance to represent the industry, and I hope we
continue to do a good job. These are tough times for a lot of people,
and if Pitchmen can help one family improve their life or inspire one
person to act on their dream, then that’s good enough for me … As
for one thing that’s funny: Wait till episode 13. I haven’t seen it yet, but
I think it will be one of the funniest episodes in the history of
Discovery Channel.
Billy: Episode 13 will definitely be funny! Anyway, Sully’s right,
especially about the kids. It’s been great to be able to mentor kids,
help people with their products and launch new successful items, all
at the same time. It’s a nice ride for us, and it’s helped take the
industry up another notch.