As Seen on TV items popular in retail outlets

An awards show Sept. 15 at Wynn Las Vegas recognized the best in television, radio, online and mobile direct response marketing. Think Pocket Hose, My Pillow, Ninja Coffee Bar, Oxy Clean, Ped Egg Foot File, Battle Balloons, Polar Pooch Self Cooling Mat and Jillian Michaels Nordic Track.

The Electronic Retail Association Moxie Awards, the “As Seen on TV” version of the Oscars, saluted many of these products available in major retail chains including Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens and CVS. They also are found in homes throughout Southern Nevada.

“Any product that can make a household job easier or quicker is popular with our customers,” said Vanessa King, a salesperson at Bed Bath &Beyond in Henderson. “At one time, we displayed all the As Seen on TV products against one wall as you walked in, but they are now placed in their respective departments throughout the store. People walk in and ask about them all the time.”

According to Vanessa, one of the most popular items is the 10-inch Red Copper Pan. Why so popular? Because it’s “perfect for frying, sauteing, broiling, or baking up to 500 F without food sticking, while the ergonomically designed handle stays cool to the touch. Meat and other food moves easily across the surface without the need for added fat.

It’s easy to clean as burned food glides off with water — no elbow grease required. The tough coating withstands thousands of abrasives without scratching or flaking and the pan is dishwasher safe.”

That’s not King talking. That’s how the item is sold on television. And all of it goes through TeleBrands Corp., the company founded by A.J. Khubani in 1983. It has become the marketing giant that has brought a number of household inventions to consumers through direct response television. In 1987, TeleBrands was the first to expand into brick-and-mortar locations beginning with AmberVision Glasses.

“Something caused me to recognize the potential growth of the category through sales at retail outlets,” Khubani said. “After watching the AmberVision Sunglasses infomercial, I brought it to retail.

They were sold at New Jersey-based Herman’s Sporting Goods and sold out within days. Shortly thereafter, I designed the red ‘As Seen on TV’ logo and we’ve been moving forward ever since.”

According to Khubani, kitchen gadgets, skin and personal care products, fitness equipment and all the Ninja products are strong sellers. And it all begins with a message such as the one from Red Copper Pan.

“The pan is not only beautiful, versatile and convenient, but most of all it’s safe to use,” Khubani said. “Our goal is to always develop products that can make the lives of our consumers easier, and Red Copper Pan does just that from food preparation to cleaning. Copper has become the cooking material of choice for professional cooks. And to guarantee the offer, we independently test and substantiate everything that we sell.”

TeleBrands has launched more innovations than any other marketer in history, selling hundreds of millions of As Seen on TV products. Khubani himself is a TeleBrands customer who enjoys the Pocket Hose.

“I like washing my car and that’s why I use the Pocket Hose,” he said. “It has an ingenious accordion design that expands when the water is turned on and contracts when the water is turned off. It’s portable, lightweight, durable and tangle resistant, yet expands to a full-sized hose.”

As the holiday season nears, Bed Bath &Beyond and other retailers are stocking Star Shower Motion, a follow-up to the company’s Star Shower.

According to As Seen on TV, the laser light system projects thousands of dual-colored laser stars over 600 square feet from one light source. It is made with a motion motor that creates shimmering patterns of light and can be easily staked into the ground, eliminating the need for ladders and electrical outlets used for hanging holiday lights. Star Shower Motion operates indoors and outdoors and in a range of weather conditions and temperatures.

Khubani said the world is so homogenous that once a product becomes popular, it becomes popular everywhere.

“It’s important to say something that will connect with the person who is watching our program, not only in the U.S., but in more than 100 countries around the world,” he said. “We engage viewers and demonstrate all the benefits from owning this particular product. We’re very creative in developing our message and have found that 63 percent of people watching our shows are engaged, while the number of those engaged watching regular television is only 58 percent.”