As Seen on TV Product News

Great Savings On Contour Products

2008-09-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

As summer is coming to an end, it's a great time to start thinking about your Christmas shopping to stay ahead of the game, or just stock up on some really great Contour products!

Right now, Contour is offering the following two great opportunities to save on these awesome Contour products:

Contour Twist Pillow
Contour Leg Pillow
Contour Back Max
Mattress Genie
Cloud Mattress Topper

Get $7.50 off any purchase of $50 or more by entering the coupon code "Pillow" at checkout. Offer expires 10/25/08

Or, receive $12.00 off any purchase of $100 or more by entering coupon code "Save12". Offer Expires 10/25/08

Introducing Rosetta Stone's Audio Companion

2008-09-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

Rosetta Stone, the popular language learning product that has successfully helped millions learn new languages, has recently introduced the Audio Companion an on-the-go audio product to reinforce skills taught in the Rosetta software.

The Audio Companion is available on CD or you can download them to your MP3 player in order to strengthen your language learning skills anytime, anywhere!

The activities of the Audio Companion are created to specifically match the language-specific lessons taught by the Rosetta Stone software, so that you are able to continue building your knowledge even when you can't be at your computer.

Click here for information on Rosetta Stone's language learning software and the Audio Companion.

Worx Air - Eco-Friendly Yard Tools

2008-08-28T09:37:00.001-07:00

Worx Yard Tools, the producer of several environmentally safe tools, has announced their latest product the Worx Air. The Worx Air is a blower/sweeper that is quiet yet very powerful and comes with a zero emissions guarantee.
One of the best features of the Worx Air is that it is cordless so you are able to easily blow leaves and clean up your yard, porch, driveway etc. without having to deal with annoying extension cords and unplugging and replugging over and over. And, right now you can get $50 off the regular price of the Worx Air.

Get In Shape For Summer! Limited Time Offer

2008-06-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and and we all know what that means...swimsuit time! Lipozene is an effective diet pill that helps you lose weight fast with no unhealthy side effects, so you can slim down just in time for summer.

Order Lipozene today and save with this limited time only deal: Lipozene Summer Slim Down Trial Offer - buy one and get the second bottle FREE!

Lipozene is made of 100% natural fiber called "Propol", contains no ephedra and is manufactured in the United States.

SAVE NOW on The #1 Consumer-Rated Detox Patch

2008-06-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Get 15% Off The Verseo Detox Patch, the most effective detox patch on the market. This detoxification technology was developed through 24 years of Japanese scientific research. It works to extracts toxins naturally from your body while you sleep!

The results of using: a strengthened immune system, increased blood circulation, increased metabolism, improved quality of sleep, and promotes overall better health.

Receive 15% off the Verseo Detox Patch today by entering coupon code: DETOXFOOT08 at checkout. Hurry! This offer expires July 30,2008.

Purse Brite: Get Your Purse Organized!

2008-06-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Are you sick of digging blindly through your purse to find something? Or tired of having to individually take out everything in your purse and switch it to another? Introducing Purse Brite, a lighted organizer for your purse.

Purse Brite comes with 10 expandable pockets to organize your keys, glasses, ID, phone and much more. There is also a hidden pocket for you credit cards or anything else you want to keep private. It's compact so there's plenty of room left in your purse for larger items such as a planner or wallet. And the light allows you to find what you need anytime.

Purse Brite also comes with a Free Magnifying lighted mirror for those quick touch ups on the run.

Stick n Click: Light Where You Need It

2008-05-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

The Stick n Click lights are individual lights that you can stick just about anywhere in your home that you need a little illumination.

Do you have a hard time finding things under your kitchen sink or hall closet? A Stick n Click's powerful LED light provides up to 100 hours of light on a single set of batteries!

It's simple to install, simply peel and press wherever you need a little extra light. No tools necessary!

Controversy over Internet Advertiser's Use of "Behavioral Targeting"

2008-05-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Behavioral targeting is the practice of sending advertisements to internet users based on information gathered regarding their online habits. Many online advertisers utilize this approach by placing a cookie on a computer when it connects to certain designated sites. The cookie then identifies that browser and assigns it a random number and is then able to track other sites visited, what search queries are entered, shopping habits and more. No other personal information such as a the users name is generated or stored by the targeting agency.

The collected data is then used to determine products of possible interest to that browser and tailored ads are delivered to them. For example if person searches or reads about golfing, advertisements for golf equipment or golf resorts would be sent to him. Companies such as Revenue Science have been using this method of targeting consumers for awhile now and have found it to be far more successful in terms of generating sales than sending undifferentiated ads (creating as much as 10x more revenue). However, there is a controversy growing over the legality of the behavioral targeting tactics.

The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing the legality of behavioral targeting in response to many complaints it has received from various advocacy and public interest groups concerning the methods of the online advertisers. The FTC currently has established some voluntary guidelines that make it harder to target consumers in this way, and is considering whether to make them mandatory.

A recent poll by Harris Interactive found that 6 out of 10 people were uncomfortable with the idea of companies tracking personal information such as their search queries and using that information to target specific ads to them.

Auto Cool - Never Get in A Hot Car Again!

2008-05-22T15:43:00.000-07:00

Summer is fast approaching and we all know what that means...having to get into a steaming hot car and waiting for what seems like a lifetime for the A/C to kick in. But not this summer! Introducing Auto Cool, a solar-powered ventilation system for your car.

The Auto Cool fits in top edge of your car window and its solar panel continuously absorbs sunlight and then uses that energy to power a fan inside the Auto Cool. The result is a fan that blows out all the hot air out. It's so easy and completely solar-powered so it requires no batteries!

Every order of Auto Cool also comes with a Cup Holder Caddy, a convenient organizer that fits in your extra cup holder.

Merck To Pay $58 Million For Misleading Advertisement Claims

2008-05-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

A settlement has been reached between Merck & Co. and the 29 states involved in civil lawsuits regarding the prescription pain-killer Vioxx. It was alleged that advertisements for the pain-killer significantly understated the health risks associated with taking the medicine.

Vioxx exploded in popularity beginning in 1999 through its use of direct-to-consumer advertisements. Hearing all of the benefits of Vioxx and not being sufficiently warned of the side effects, consumers began requesting prescriptions from their doctors without being wholly informed of the associated risks.

In 2004 Vioxx was taken off the market following studies showing that it doubled the a person's chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke; and the lawsuits ensued.

As result of Vioxx's bold advertising claims Merck must not only pay the $58 million settlement, but also is required to submit all new advertisements to the FDA for review and approval prior to releasing them.

Bare Minerals

2008-05-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Bare Minerals products are changing the face of of the cosmetic industry, literally. Unlike traditional cosmetics that are full of preservatives and other chemicals, Bare Mineral's amazing line of products are all made from 100% pure minerals and can actually improve the skin's texture over time!

Bare Minerals may look like a powder but it actually provides coverage like a cream foundation leaving skin feeling fresh and natural and flawless. It also contains SPF 15 and provides adjustable coverage, ranging from light to full.

Click here to view Bare Minerals' full product line.

Must Go "Green"

2008-05-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today, there is a growing opportunity for brands to gain new customers by introducing more environmentally-friendly products and business practices. Recent surveys are showing that an overwhelming majority of consumers around the world feel their government is either not doing enough, or do not possess the capabilities, to significantly improve the global climate change problem.

As consumers lose faith in their governments they turn to look to businesses to step up and take some responsibility by making the necessary changes in their practices to help improve climate conditions.

This is a world-wide trend. Surveys conducted around the globe have shown that an overwhelming majority of people would prefer buying from companies they know are actively taking measures to reduce their footprint on the environment, and they are willing to pay a premium for it.

This trend applies to businesses across all industries whether it be car manufacturing or banking. Increased attention to the deteriorating state of the environment and it causess have led consumers to try "going green" in every aspect of their lives.

Businesses must take note of this and begin implementing strategies throughout all operations in an effort to reduce their impact on the environment in order to maintain customer loyalty and increase market share.

Eliminate Unwanted and Smelly Pet Hair

2008-05-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Pet Groom Pro is a grooming brush designed for cats and dogs of all sizes. It uses the same technology as ionic air purifiers to clean and condition your pets' coat while also eliminating any unwanted smell and allergen-producing dander.

And don't worry about spending forever trying to clean the brush by trying to pull out all the hair. It's extremely easy to clean with its' pop-off 'Snap 'N Clean' plate.

The Pet Groom Pro Features:

*Cleans, conditions, and deodorizes your pets
*It's pop-off plate collects the matted hair for super easy cleaning
*Has extra firm bristles that glide easily through messy pet hair

Amazon Fights New York State Tax Law

2008-05-07T13:22:00.001-07:00

New York recently passed tax legislation requiring online retailers to collect a sales tax on items shipped to the state, this applies specifically to any online retailers with affiliates in New York. Estimates of how much revenue will be generated as a result of the new law are as much as $50 million.

In response to the new law, Amazon.com has sued the state of New York making two claims. First, that the law violates the Commerce Clause U.S. Constitution by collecting taxes from out-of-state entities. And second, that it is in violation of the Equal Protection clause since it directly targets Amazon and has even been referred to by some state officials as the "Amazon tax". Amazon has also made the argument that it's affiliates in New York function completely independently of Amazon and do not generate sales for them.

Aqua Globes

2008-05-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Introducing Aqua Globes, the ingenious solution to the daily hassle of watering your household plants. With Aqua Globes you no longer have to worry about the chore of plant watering or what do with your plants when on vacation.

Simply fill the hand blown glass bulb with water and place in the potted plant's soil. When the soil is dry it releases oxygen into the Aqua Globe which then allows for water to flow from the globe into the soil. It's so easy and the decorative globe adds a an attractive sparkle to your household plants.

Features:

*Automatically waters your plants for up to two weeks
*Great for indoor and outdoor potted plants
*Set of four Aqua Globes deliver the right amount of water every time!

"But Wait There's More!"

2008-04-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ron Popeil is a famous inventor and marketing personality who also founded the Ronco Corporation, a direct response marketing company. Popeil appeared in numerous infomercials for products such as the "Showtime Rotisserie", and is know for using such infamous lines as: "But wait, there's more!" and "Now, how much would you pay?" - followed by a series of prices all markedly higher than the offer price.

In 1993 Popeil was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize (a parody Nobel)in Consumer Engineering for recognizing him for "redefining the industrial revolution" with his products and infomercials.

Popeil may be most well-known for the Chop-O-Matic and Veg-O-Matic that signaled his introduction into television. The product was so great at chopping vegetables that it was inefficient for salesmen to carry around the vegetables with them on demonstrations. Popeil saw that the solution was to tape the demonstration and broadcast it as a commercial.

Some other great-selling Popeil products are:

-The Solid Flavor Injector

-Inside the Shell Egg-Scrambler

-Popeil Pasta Maker

"DRTV Management Boot Camp"

2008-04-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

June 9-11th the CEO of the Direct Response Academy, Greg Sarnow, will be leading a DRTV Management class in New York that will focus on nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products. Greg Sarnow is well-known in the industry for his success in launching and managing many nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products.

Products in this industry are often able to do very well in infomercials, however there are many complex rules and legal issues that have a significant impact on the products. The class aims to analyze the effects of these rules on advertising for these products and the direct response television campaign in general.

The class will be over the course of three days. A few main topics to be discussed are as follows:

-Creating persuasive offers
-Effective Lead Generation
-Solutions for campaign roll-outs
-An in-depth look at details of a DRTV advertising campaign
-Vendor Accountability
-Telemarketing Strategies
-Customer Service
-Financial models

..and many more

For more information on how to participate in the course you may visit the Direct Response Academy website.

FCC Fines Analog TV Retailers $3.9 million

2008-04-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Seven major retailers were fined a total of $3.9 million by the FCC for not alerting consumers that some analog television sets they sell are not equipped to deal with the transition to digital-only broadcasting, which Federal law calls for to occur next February.

Current law requires retailers to inform consumers if the analog television sets they are selling do not have the digital converters, which means owners of those TVs will have to purchase a separate converter or pay a service fee (such as cable) to be able to use the sets starting next February.

The FCC stated in its charges that some stores, such as Circuit City had been warned as many as 32 times to comply with the law. After the warnings, follow-up inspections revealed that 25 of their stores were still not properly disclosing that their analog TVs were not equipped with digital converters. The store was then fined $8,000 per set that was not marked.

Sears Holding Corp. received the largest of the seven fines totaling $1 million. Other major retailers fined were: Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Fry's Electronics, Comp USA, and Best Buy Co. All the retailers have 30 days to pay or appeal the decisions.

So, beware if planning to purchase a television and check to see if it comes with a digital converter to avoid having to purchase one later.

PoundSky: Interactive Radio and TV Broadcasting

2008-04-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

The company SkyClix announced today the launch of it's newest service PoundSky in southern California. PoundSky turns regular broadcasting into an interactive platform where broadcasters and advertisers can directly connect to consumers at no cost. The service allows consumers to immediately receive information through their mobile phones about advertisements and on-air content from the radio and/or television. It is the first service of its kind in the world. It's also free and carrier agnostic, meaning it works on nearly any kind of mobile telephone service.

Here's how it works: while listening to the radio or watching TV a consumer simply dials #SKY (#759) on their mobile phone and holds it up to the sound of the radio or TV for 15 seconds. Within a minute the consumer receives information about what they are listening to and they can choose what they would like to do, for example they can download coupons, enter a contest, call the radio station and more.

The service is great because it allows consumers to receive the information they want as soon as they want it. Broadcasters and advertisers benefit from being able to instantly reach consumers instead of just trying to make a lasting impression on them through advertisements and hope they remember them later.

Jack LaLanne Power Juicer

2008-04-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Jack LaLanne, also known as the "godfather of fitness" has created the LaLanne Power Jucier, a high-powered, pulp-catching juicer. It's innovative design creates up to 30% more juice, vitamins and nutrients per glass! And the best part is you don't have to waste time slicing up your fruits and vegetables, you can simply drop in whole fruits and the juicer does all the work, it even catches all the pulp so you're left with the pure delicious juice.

The LaLanne Power Juicer features:

* Dishwasher safe.
* 16" tall. 6' cord. UL listed.
* Includes two FREE bonuses, Accessory Pack and Recipe Guide ($20 value) with purchase.

23% of US Cell Phone Users View Ads On Their Phones

2008-03-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

According to a report by the Nielsen Company, 58 million Americans have reported viewing advertisements on their mobile phone in the past 30 days. About half of them (28 million people) explained that they responded to the ad in some way.

The study focused on consumers' attitudes and responses to a variety of advertisements in the form of non-voice mobile data services. These included: banner ads on mobile web pages, SMS text message ads, video ads and more.

Some findings of the study:

-An increase of 38% in the number of people who recalled having seen an advertisement over their phone

-Of those, teens were the most likely age group to remember; and African-Americans and Asians were overall more likely to remember

-The most common type of response to an ad was to send an SMS message (26% of the 58 million did so)

-32% of those studied explained they would be open to receiving the ads if it meant a decrease in their overall monthly mobile bill

Consumers' reactions to mobile ads are important for marketers and advertising researchers to understand so that they can identify which types of mobile ads consumers' are willing to engage in and which ones they are not. What is apparent from the study is that there is an increase in of ability and willingness of consumers' to recall and interact with the mobile ads.

SOURCE: Nielsen Mobile Advertising Report, The Nielsen Company

Free Bonus with FoodSaver purchase

2008-03-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Now you customers can receive a FREE multi-purpose FoodSaver® Canister with the purchase of any FoodSaver® product!

Simply enter coupon code: B8FEAAA at checkout.

Visit the FoodSaver page for more details and purchasing information.

Branded Entertainment on the Web

2008-03-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

In today's world where viewers are equipped with the ability to fast-forward through commercials with DVR, companies are trying to find new ways to target a niche audience in the most cost-efficient way. In an effort to do so, "branded entertainment" which has typically included event sponsorships and paid product placements in movies and on television by large companies has developed a new marketing technique. Companies such as Reebok International have developed 30 minute TV show format "webisodes" starring famous athletes in a new effort to reach young consumers.

Reebok launched "Framed" in November 2007 which is actually a series shown on the Independent Film Channel. Each 30 minute show stars an athlete who choses a person to be their interviewer for the duration of the program. The chosen interviewer is then in charge of "directing" a short film featuring the athlete. For example, one episode starred Allen Iverson and rapper Nelly as his interviewer just chatting while riding on a private bus. The shows have a sort of reality show feel as they provide the viewer with a behind the scenes look into the life of the athlete. And of course, all of the stars of the show wearing Reebok.

While the total effectiveness of this type of advertising is still not known, branded entertainment is expected to demonstrate double-digit growth through 2012. Just this past year spending on this type of advertising has risen 15% to 22.3 billion, a whopping 8% of all advertising spending.

New Privacy Guidelines Enacted for Interactive Advertising

2008-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

At the Interactive Advertising Bureau's (IAB) annual meeting this past February 24-26, the organization developed a new set of rules to ensure a user's control over their personal information while using the cost-free online content provided by interactive advertisers. The rules also strive to guarantee that the delivery of relevant marketing communications to consumers continues to improve.

The new guidelines are said to be a bit more flexible than those that had been previously suggested by the Federal Trade Commission late last year. They have been altered to strike a better balance between protecting the consumers' rights to privacy and protected personally identifiable information, while enabling the industry to continue to provide free online services and content.

There are five basic Privacy Principles the IAB members must follow:

1) Consumers must be informed of any information gathering and storing by all companies that do so for interactive advertising purposes.

2) Consumers shall be given choices regarding the collection and use of their personal information, including information on how to opt-out of the information collection process.

3) Business that collect information for interactive advertising must provide proper security for that data

4) Businesses should provide a means for consumers to express their opinions and concerns regarding these principles.

5)Business should continue to communicate the benefits of interactive advertising to consumers.

Click HERE for a full list of IAB members.

Pop-Up Ads are not just for the Internet anymore

2008-02-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

Pop-up advertisements such as those traditionally found on the internet, interrupting your web surfing, are making their way to television. Recently the St. Petersburg Home Shopping Network has been experimenting with a slightly tweaked version of the pop-ups in an effort to draw more consumers to their network.

How it works is HSN airs a regular 30-second ad for the Home Shopping Network on another channel such as the Food Network. During the ad a graphic appears on screen that says "Press SELECT now to view HSN". The viewer can then simply press the select button on their remote and the channel immediately switches from the Food Network to HSN.

The goal of the pop-up ads is to take advantage of a consumer's interest as fast as possible, the moment it happens instead of the viewer trying to find HSN later or simply forgetting about it. The ads provide HSN with increased viewers and potential customers while also benefiting the cable and satellite companies such as the Food Network who are able to generate more revenue from extra fees paid by the advertising company such as HSN.

Switching channels is not the only feature appearing in these new interactive ads. The number of different types of these ads has been increasing as cable and satellite television companies are investing millions in developing and implementing them into their programming. The new interactive features are designed to give viewers more control over how they view television and allow them do things many different things such as sign up for contests or order brochures for products during live programming.