Business History Books » Business Consultant » Night driving glasses
Night driving glasses
Question:
>…special glasses for night driving….. >Initial testing price point should be about $20 but could conceivably >range from $12.95 to $29.95. High volume manufacturing should bring >the cost of goods down to about two or three dollars, although it’s >much higher now. It’ll come in a minimum of two styles (clip-on and >regular). >How to sell it? I see 3 options: > (1) Direct response print ads. > (2) Direct response TV. > (3) Retail channel.
At the lower price, I’d say get others to pay for your mail! Have a look at statement stuffing with American Automobile Association and the like At the higher price one can get more flash. If there is an identifiable profile you could start looking at lifestyle lists. I helped with the launch of safe n sure in the UK, a product which goes into tyres and automatically patches them. ICD, a division of Metromail, could put together a list of people interested in car maintenance (the product needed putting in the engines), who had children and were safety concious. A tip whin buying these lists, an added selection, which costs extra is "mail responsive" this is a waste of money as the prospects are recruited by mail! If you want to start with vertical markets, look at professional drivers, like truck drivers. >My biggest concern about DM is what to back-end this with.
You are selling a driving product, so car care, in car coffess makers. Mmaps. In the UK you can sell Breakdown Insurance in a pack, as a one off product sale! (You are like an agent so there are no strings). You could even put together your own catalogue or card deck. >Retail could certainly be viable, but unfortunately, my marketing >skill set is weakest in this area. My strength, and the resources of >my company, is focused on direct response (primarily print and mail). >I’d certainly welcome input from any retail marketing mavens out >there.
I think the light reactive sunglasses product got ripped off pretty quickly, so ths could be a make some money and get out project. Anyhow, one could use direct mail to sell into retail. Pricing etc could be found out by just asking a few retailers. You did not mention internet sales! John John Block Creative, marketing aware work which Freelance Copywriter talks rather than blandly bores, actively promotes your product, International and aims to be the best Welcomes Dollar and Sterling. in your market sector.
Response:
Victor, Interesting case. A question and a suggestion: Question: Are the medial/product liability issues sorted out? Suggestion: Consider selling va direct response TV first to generate sales/profits/brand awareness. Then, when production costs are way down, put it on the market as a premium product/giveaway with recognized value. Jay Curry
:I’m in the early stages of a project and thought it would be :fun/interesting/synergistic to share some of the details with you and :possibly treat it like a case study. : :It’s a rights deal; I’m negotiating the exclusive marketing rights to :a new patented product. My company is working with the inventor, an 
ptometrist, who’s developed special glasses for night driving. They :have a light enhancing (blue block) coating on the bottom and a :special semi-metallic band across the top. The top band is positioned :5mm above your normal direct field of vision, but when oncoming :headlights cause excessive glare, you can just tip your head down :slightly to "activate" the "beam blocker." : :Like I said, I’m at a very early stage, but I think this thing has :great potential. My father-in-law, who’s 78 years old, has extreme :difficulty driving at night. Oncoming headlights cause him to :literally see star bursts and he just about loses his vision for :several seconds. He must arrange his schedule to avoid being on the :road after dark. That’s especially tough this time of year in New :York when it gets dark at 4:30pm (16:30 for you international folks :with the sensible way of telling time). : :So far, that’s the extent of my market research (I know the market :size is at least one <g>). Qualitatively, I’ve got to believe that :there’s a huge potential market for this product, although my next job :is to put some numbers together. : :Anyway, here are some random thoughts about the product: : :Initial testing price point should be about $20 but could conceivably :range from $12.95 to $29.95. High volume manufacturing should bring :the cost of goods down to about two or three dollars, although it’s :much higher now. It’ll come in a minimum of two styles (clip-on and :regular). : :How to sell it? I see 3 options: : : (1) Direct response print ads. : (2) Direct response TV. : (3) Retail channel. : :My biggest concern about DM is what to back-end this with. It’s :substantially a one-time sale. Aside from gifts (and it’s far too :late to do anything this X-mas season), I don’t see much of a repeat :purchase scenario. These will be kept in the car, so there’s less pportunity to lose and/or break them (the major cause of regular :sunglass replacement, I’m sure). I also don’t see much of an upsell 
ex. 3 for the price of 2) opportunity and that’ll make DRTV tough at :this price point. : :Retail could certainly be viable, but unfortunately, my marketing :skill set is weakest in this area. My strength, and the resources of :my company, is focused on direct response (primarily print and mail). :I’d certainly welcome input from any retail marketing mavens out :there. : :Naming it: :The working name coined by the inventor is "Beam Blockers." I have :mixed feelings about this name. On the one hand, it has the elements f a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). It puts the biggest benefit :forward. And it has "snap." On the negative side, I think Joe :Sugarman might be upset (he’s the "Blue Blocker" guy of JS&A and :infomercial fame); it’s probably too close for comfort. I don’t know :if the candidate name has been checked by a trademark attorney but I’d :guess not. : : :So there it is. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. : :vrurbach (at) optran.com OOOOO OOOOO OOOOOO OOOOO OOO OO OO :Victor R. Urbach OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOO OO :Optran Corporation OO OO OOOOO OO OOOO OOOOOOO OO OO OO 
irect Response Marketing OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOO :http://www.optran.com OOOOO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Response:
: The working name coined by the inventor is "Beam Blockers." I have : mixed feelings about this name. On the one hand, it has the elements : of a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). It puts the biggest benefit : forward. And it has "snap." On the negative side, I think Joe : Sugarman might be upset (he’s the "Blue Blocker" guy of JS&A and : infomercial fame); it’s probably too close for comfort. I don’t know : if the candidate name has been checked by a trademark attorney but I’d : guess not. I certainly wouldn’t like to drive a car with glasses that blocked my view. I recommend that you search for a more positive name, that indicates that you see more instead of less. Marjolein Visser MarketWise marketingconsultancy and -support, specialized in marketing of services
Response:
: I’m in the early stages of a project and thought it would be : fun/interesting/synergistic to share some of the details with you and : possibly treat it like a case study. : It’s a rights deal; I’m negotiating the exclusive marketing rights to : a new patented product. My company is working with the inventor, an : optometrist, who’s developed special glasses for night driving. They : have a light enhancing (blue block) coating on the bottom and a : special semi-metallic band across the top. The top band is positioned : 5mm above your normal direct field of vision, but when oncoming : headlights cause excessive glare, you can just tip your head down : slightly to "activate" the "beam blocker." I think you may be missing a large section of the market by selling the technology as a product. Many people who have a considerable amount of disposable income wouldn’t think of wearing a pair of glasses that cost less than $100. In addition, people that need prescription sun glasses would not be able to use the product. You may be better off licensing the technology to large optical chains for a fee, than selling the product itself. This could give you a larger target market with more disposable income, and conceivably, higher margins. Michael D. Westover
Response:
>How to sell it? I see 3 options: > (1) Direct response print ads. > (2) Direct response TV. > (3) Retail channel.
Just a quick observation: Based on your market, my inclination would be to go with print ads in publications geared to the elderly, which is, generally and comparatively speaking, a rather narrow market in the context of other consumer segments. You’d end up spending less and getting better results with a decent-sized ad in a seniors-oriented magazine, a "scandal sheet" newspaper like the National Enquirer, or a large regional family-oriented paper (ie. Grit, which publishes in the northeast) than you would spending money for product floor space and TV ads seen — and ignored — by younger people who make up the largest segment of the viewing and shopping public and, consequently, have little need for your product. Also, unless there’s fairly wide recognition of the product, retail would be a tough sell since you couldn’t show or explain the benefits. Just wondering — think there’s any benefit in your product to those who don’t have night vision problems? If the product could somehow benefit people of all ages who do have good night sight, then you’d have a big winner that cries out for TV (mainly) and retail exposure rather than print, since the product now appeals across *all* consumer segments.
Response:
> I’m in the early stages of a project and thought it would be > fun/interesting/synergistic to share some of the details with you and > possibly treat it like a case study. > It’s a rights deal; I’m negotiating the exclusive marketing rights to > a new patented product. My company is working with the inventor, an > optometrist, who’s developed special glasses for night driving.
You or your attorney should check with the FDA to make sure that such devices are not an issue with them, and if they can be considered a legal exceptions for those who have night driving restrictions. You might also want to check with some of the major ophthalmological or optical associations to see what their take is on night vision technology. If everything clears, you can probably market the device to eye care professionals, who wouldn’t sell it so much as recommend it to their patients. — Brian Pomeroy – Web Developer, Instructor & Writer http://www.slackinc.com/yoursite/ * http://www.ison.com/pomeroy/ Author, "BeginnerNet: A Beginner’s Guide to the Internet and WWW" http://www.slackinc.com/books/33225hom.htm
Response:
I’m in the early stages of a project and thought it would be fun/interesting/synergistic to share some of the details with you and possibly treat it like a case study. It’s a rights deal; I’m negotiating the exclusive marketing rights to a new patented product. My company is working with the inventor, an optometrist, who’s developed special glasses for night driving. They have a light enhancing (blue block) coating on the bottom and a special semi-metallic band across the top. The top band is positioned 5mm above your normal direct field of vision, but when oncoming headlights cause excessive glare, you can just tip your head down slightly to "activate" the "beam blocker." Like I said, I’m at a very early stage, but I think this thing has great potential. My father-in-law, who’s 78 years old, has extreme difficulty driving at night. Oncoming headlights cause him to literally see star bursts and he just about loses his vision for several seconds. He must arrange his schedule to avoid being on the road after dark. That’s especially tough this time of year in New York when it gets dark at 4:30pm (16:30 for you international folks with the sensible way of telling time). So far, that’s the extent of my market research (I know the market size is at least one <g>). Qualitatively, I’ve got to believe that there’s a huge potential market for this product, although my next job is to put some numbers together. Anyway, here are some random thoughts about the product: Initial testing price point should be about $20 but could conceivably range from $12.95 to $29.95. High volume manufacturing should bring the cost of goods down to about two or three dollars, although it’s much higher now. It’ll come in a minimum of two styles (clip-on and regular). How to sell it? I see 3 options: (1) Direct response print ads. (2) Direct response TV. (3) Retail channel. My biggest concern about DM is what to back-end this with. It’s substantially a one-time sale. Aside from gifts (and it’s far too late to do anything this X-mas season), I don’t see much of a repeat purchase scenario. These will be kept in the car, so there’s less opportunity to lose and/or break them (the major cause of regular sunglass replacement, I’m sure). I also don’t see much of an upsell (ex. 3 for the price of 2) opportunity and that’ll make DRTV tough at this price point. Retail could certainly be viable, but unfortunately, my marketing skill set is weakest in this area. My strength, and the resources of my company, is focused on direct response (primarily print and mail). I’d certainly welcome input from any retail marketing mavens out there. Naming it: The working name coined by the inventor is "Beam Blockers." I have mixed feelings about this name. On the one hand, it has the elements of a USP (Unique Selling Proposition). It puts the biggest benefit forward. And it has "snap." On the negative side, I think Joe Sugarman might be upset (he’s the "Blue Blocker" guy of JS&A and infomercial fame); it’s probably too close for comfort. I don’t know if the candidate name has been checked by a trademark attorney but I’d guess not. So there it is. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. vrurbach (at) optran.com OOOOO OOOOO OOOOOO OOOOO OOO OO OO Victor R. Urbach OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOO OO Optran Corporation OO OO OOOOO OO OOOO OOOOOOO OO OO OO Direct Response Marketing OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOO http://www.optran.com OOOOO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO
Response:
I’d like to come back to this but for now, just the following. >Naming it:
You’ve already received my private reply but here’s some for public consumption: Night Cruisers, Night Watchers, Night Drivers, Ray-Beams, OPTrans, Urblocks. I think if someone came out with a full line of sunglasses, the name "Shades" might have great potential. Some very creative campaigns. >So there it is. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Would it mean seeing a new signature <g> / / O-O O-O Sorry, my humor mode has been *on* lately. — Marketpreneurs (webwork in progress) An association for marketing consultants, a service and directory for business