Does any and every revolutionary product sell with DRTV advertising?

Does any and every revolutionary product sell with DRTV advertising? Well, no. Many genuinely innovative products may just be sitting on the shelves for no apparent reason. Consumers as a group can be quite unpredictable, whimsical, and unconventional. But these are more the exception than the rule. Advanced Results Marketing (ARM) is bringing forth product hit after product hit with its fast-growing TV marketing business featuring the latest household gizmos that consumers think they can’t live without.

Last year, ARM said it sold nearly 11 million of its battery-free Faraday Flashlights via its one- to two-minute paid ads on national cable and local television stations. So far the product has totaled $30 million in direct sales from TV spots alone, with millions more from retail sales, according to the firm. Like many products, ARM chief executive Victor Grillo, said he wasn’t sure if the flashlight would sell as well as the popular Ginsu 2000 knives or the triple-edged windshield wiper blades ARM has advertised in the past. But along came last fall’s hurricanes - and the flashlight sold very well. “Believe me, it was more luck than talent,” said Grillo. Following on its heels, the battery-operated One Touch Can Opener could top $45 million in sales this year.