The Sunday FSI New Product Surge!

When the economy goes south and sales don’t hit goals, the first thing that’s cut is the advertising and marketing budgets.

Well…either the CFOs are still on their holiday bowl game vacation or they’re still on the Champaign fix from last week.

Get this… this Sunday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution had more than 300 free standing insert (FSI) ads! I even had to double check to make sure that there weren’t any duplicates.

I hope the creative directors and designers that put the ads together don’t take this personal, but after cruising through the ads, I kind of felt queasy.

Here are some of the featured products!

Whole Body Cleanse

The copy tells it all… “Whole Body Cleanse internal cleansing system is your first step toward diet success.” It “removes toxins and excess waste” and makes you “feel cleaner, lighter and rejuvenated.”

Wow…I especially like that “lighter” part.

Also with an FSI ad that’s marching to the same beat… Airborne… an “immune support supplement created by a school teacher” that protects you from the environments found in airplanes, offices, schools, restaurants, health clubs and theaters.

Ex-Lax…is there any joint venture opportunity here?


Triaminic Flowing Vapors

It’s a battery operated mini desktop fan with disposable vapor inserts.

The desire for the full sensory experience gave new birth to Glade with their plug-in room refresheners.

Today, you can get room refreshners with one cartridge insert, two cartridge inserts, battery-power fans, built-in nightlights and even with special programmed night time light shows.

New product development not only has found a way to extend a product idea, but in doing so, has also found a way to raise the purchase price!


Theraflu Vapor Patch

My Italian grandmother used to use Vicks and its “soothing vapors” for “nighttime comfort” whenever she had the sniffles.

The Theraflu Vapor Patch does the same thing without the mess!

By the way, the Triaminic Flowing Vapors and the Theraflu Vapor Patch have more in common than you may think…they are both products of Novartis Consumer Health!

Novartis is quickly becoming the next P&G!


Jolly Time Popcorn Healthy Pop Butter

“Oh Yum!” And who said that butter laden popcorn couldn’t be healthy! Jolly Time Healthy Pop Butter is 97% Fat Free with 0 grams Trans Fat.

But if you still feel guilt eating the carbs…you should get a box of the Jolly Time 100 Calorie Healthy Pop Kettle Corn.

It’s amazing how perception can change reality!


Krispy Kreme

Move over popcorn, the doughnuts are next in line!

Not only is the product interesting…the ad design is a showcase. No extensive fancy copy…just the headline, sub-head, BIG product visual, coupons, logo and 1-800-number.

“0 Grams TRANS FAT! 100% Delicious!”

And the BIG product visual includes jelly, chocolate covered, glazed and crème filled… all with 0 Grams TRANS FAT!

Again…it’s amazing how perception can change realtiy!

Also with an FSI ad that’s marching to the same beat… Lean Pockets Whole Grain with Whole Grain on the Outside and Real Cheese on the Inside.


Joint Juice

Don’t go there.

With bottled water now selling at a higher price than any of the soft drinks and brands like Gatorade launching fitness waters like Propel, its not a shocker that medicinal brands are next.

Joint Juice is specially formulated to “Hydrate Your Joints”. As the copy reads: “Cartilage, your joints natural shock absorber, loses water over time and could use some hydration to keep working.”

Each bottle or can includes 1500mg of Glucosamine. Glucosamine is produced commercially by the hydrolysis of crustacean exoskeletons.

Wow! Talk about recycling going Green!

Crustaceans include lobsters, crabs, shrimp, krill and even water fleas!

Don’t be too dismayed if you don’t get into the fishy taste…

Joint Juice comes in flavors… Kiwi Strawberry and Tropical Fruit are featured in the FSI.


Other Products

8th Continent Light Soymilk (isn’t soy milk light to begin with?), Dannon Light & Fit, Palmolive Scrub Buster with MicroBeads, Green Giant Giant Bites (note: baked, not fried – wheh!) and Yoplait GoGurt Portable Yogurt.

Yeh…there were ads in the inserts too for mainstay brands like Tide, Red Lobster, Sears Optical, Betty Crocker and Progresso Soup.

But do you get a sense that the market for even the classic FSI products is changing quickly too?