Author Archives: ScottBoilen

Scott Boilen Discusses Snuggie Success

scott-boilen-snuggie-yahoo-finance-suprisingly-simplyA recent Yahoo Finance article discussed “surprisingly simply ideas” that have both resonated with a broad range of consumers and became products which generated huge sales. Included among the list is the popular As Seen on TV product, the Snuggie. The Snuggie, created by Allstar Products Group, appears like a simple idea that could have been created years ago. “It’s definitely one of those ideas that’s so simple that a lot of people might say to themselves, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’” says Scott Boilen, founding member and president and CEO of Allstar Products Group.

“It had actually been around in various forms for a few years with similar products available in the backs of catalogs, but nobody really knew about them,” Scott Boilen continues, so Allstar decided to create and market their own version. The rest is As Seen on TV history and soon we all saw the Snuggie go viral!

Scott Boilen says sales have remained consistent after the first-year spike and he believes the broad-reaching appeal of the Snuggie is a key element to its success. “I think what clicked for consumers is that the Snuggie appealed to everyone….Doesn’t matter if you’re a kid, a senior citizen, a mom, a guy — everyone can wear one. The market potential was limitless.”

Learn more about the Snuggie

Read the entire Yahoo Finance article featuring the Snuggie, Allstar Products Group and Scott Boilen

 

Scott Boilen Discusses Partnership with DNA Response

Allstar Products Group recently selected DNA Response, Inc., a multi-channel commerce company, as an exclusive partner to manage and control their online marketplace channel in North America. Under the agreement, DNA Response will enforce Allstar’s established pricing policies and authorized seller agreements for potential third party sellers on leading marketplaces including EBay.com, Amazon.com, Rakuten.com, NewEgg.com and Sears.com.

While e-commerce marketplaces present a high growth opportunity for omni-channel product marketers, the ability to manage 3rd party sellers and enforce reseller agreements is critical to protect traditional in-store retail channels from downward pricing pressure.

scott-boilen-allstar-dna-responseAs a leading direct response marketer, having introduced brands such as Snuggie and Perfect Bacon Bowl, Allstar Products Group will rely on DNA’s channel protection solutions to gain control over their marketplace channel and to effectively leverage the benefits of a protected distribution channel.

“DNA Response brings a fresh perspective to how we reach our customers online,” says Allstar President and CEO Scott Boilen. “To best leverage marketplaces like Amazon and protect our traditional retailers from competition, we needed to gain control of the 3rd party sellers authorized to sell our products on marketplaces and dictate clear quality and pricing guidelines,” Scott Boilen adds.

DNA Response will market Allstar products and provide marketplace channel protection solutions for brands including Juggle Bubbles, Catch Caddy, Purrfect Arch, Catch Caddy, and upcoming products including Spicy Shelf and Bright Eyes Blanket.

“DNA gives us the intelligence and reporting tools to quickly identify unauthorized sellers to manage marketplaces and maximize revenue across all our channels,” says Scott Boilen.

“It’s a great privilege to partner with Allstar Products Group and work with a company that shares our vision for a controlled distribution approach to selling on marketplaces,” says DNA Response Founder and CEO Ranjit Mulgaonkar.

Scott Boilen Discusses the Power of Humor

In a Yahoo Finance segment analyzing the reasons behind Allstar’s successful Snuggie product line, Scott Boilen discusses the marketing power of humor.

scott-boilen-snuggie-yahoo-finance“Sometimes you need to be a little bit of joke” CEO Scott Boilen tells Yahoo Finance reporter Lauren Lyster. “You need to stop people as they’re in their viewing habits so they say ‘that’s pretty funny.’”

“So you kinda are in on the joke?” Lyster asks. “Absolutely,” Scott Boilen responds.

Scott Boilen goes to discuss how the Snuggies has revolutionized the way As Seen on TV products are sold in retail stores. “I think Snuggie, and a few other products around that time frame, the velocity that they moved at retail got us from the back of the store to the front of the store.”

Watch the full Yahoo interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX3UtT0jM7w

Scott Boilen, Allstar Products Group and the Bacon Boom

scott-boilen-marketplace-bacon-bowlIn a recent Market Watch article, Charles Passy discusses bacon sales, the “bacon boom” and Allstar’s popular Bacon Bowl. Allstar CEO, Scott Boilen, says he reflected on the boom of sales occurring with bacon and consider the crowded bacon marketplace before introducing the Bacon Bowl – a simple device that runs strips of bacon into an edible shell.

Scott Boilen decided he couldn’t resist the invention and in late 2013 Allstar Products Group launched a series of Bacon Bowl infomercials. “In a brief period, Scott Boilen’s New York-based company has sold more than two million units of the $10.99 bacon cooker, making the Bowl a success story potentially on par with the Snuggie, to name Boilen’s biggest “As Seen on TV” hit.

“Never underestimate the power of bacon,” Scott Boilen states. “It’s almost become a cult-like food.”

Read the full MarketWatch article at http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bacon-sales-sizzle-to-all-time-high-2014-02-11

Scott Boilen on Marketing a Brand New Product

In an Inc.com article entitled “How to Market a Brand New Product” Drew Gannon explores the phases one can take to turn an unknown name and product into a consumer success and Allstar Products Group CEO, Scott Boilen, offers a number of insights.

“With tens of thousands of inventions conceived each year, turning an innovative new product into a consumer staple isn’t easy” Gannon reports. “It requires creativity, ingenuity, and persistence to break into a market and convince consumers they need something that never existed before.” The Snuggie blanket is a perfect example of how to turn an invention into a success.

scott-boilen-inc-article-marketing-new-product

When Snuggie commercials launched in late 2008 the response by consumers was often sheer laugher. “[B]y the time the ad showed an entire snuggie-clad family cheering at a sporting event, some viewers were too busy laughing to pick up the phone” Gannon recalls. But Scott Boilen and Allstar Products Group had a solid marketing plan and they watched as four million Snuggies were sold in four months.

“Within months of its introduction, the Snuggie transformed from a virtually unknown product into a pop culture phenomenon, appearing on The Today Show, referenced on hit TV comedy 30 Rock, and featured in the tabloids. Hundreds of Facebook groups and YouTube parodies spread awareness and boosted sales.

“Once we got people talking, it turned into a great product,” says Scott Boilen. “It was almost like why wouldn’t a blanket have sleeves?”

A key phase in marketing a new product is designing a campaign with built-in motivation. “Allstar Products intentionally gave its product a quirky name and an over-the-top commercial to promote fun and fashion” says Gannon. “But, the Snuggie still upheld Allstar’s core purpose: problem solving.”

“We’re a problem-solution company,” says Scott Boilen. “We show a problem to a consumer and give them an excellent way to solve it at a good price.” Scott Boilen and Allstar’s problem-solving method considers daily activities and enhances them with the introduction of a new idea.

After Gannon’s review of ways one can focus on the descriptors in their marketing of a new product and the ways can prove to consumers that the product works, Gannon considers his final stage: how to “personalize it.”

“Since introducing its three original colors in 2008, the Snuggie has relied on its consumers…to create the next generation of Snuggies” Gannon notes.

“They’re giving longevity to our brand,” says Scott Boilen. “With any product, make sure you’re connecting with your customer, make sure you’re communicating with them, and make sure you’re partnering with them to build your brand for the future.”

Read the full article from Inc.com at http://www.inc.com/guides/201106/marketing-a-brand-new-product.html