Tag Archives: Snuggie

Allstar Products Group Scott Boilen Named One of DRTV’s Industry Leaders to Watch

HAWTHORNE, N.Y., Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — When you think of direct-response marketing power players, only a few people come to mind. As Seen on TV industry veteran and Allstar Products Group President and CEO, Scott Boilen, is at the top of list.  The man behind Snuggie, Boilen is featured in the “20 People to Watch in 2016” from HomeWorld Business Magazine.

Boilen founded Allstar Products in 1999 as a direct mail marketer and later repositioned the company to become a leading As Seen on TV marketer and distributor.  Under Boilen’s leadership Allstar has put more than 100 products on retail shelves in two decades.

Since inception, Boilen has lead Allstar through many successful As Seen on TV rollouts including the famous Snuggie ®. The blanket with sleeves has sold more than 33 million units since becoming a viral sensation in 2009, and it was this popularity that helped cement Allstar to national DRTV prominence.

“The Snuggie was one of the first products that really went viral thanks to the rise of social media. This social buzz set a new standard for our business. Just as our products evolve with audience demands, so does the way we market our inventions. A strong social media presence is now an integral part of our marketing platform,” says Boilen.

HomeWorld Business Editors listed Boilen one of the power players to watch because success in the housewares business is about finding the right formula to stay successful not just once, but time and time again. Allstar’s smart social, TV, and digital promotions along with the distribution of the right product has led to long-term, multi-SKU retail brands such as the Perfect cookware line which included thePerfect Bacon™ Bowl, or Hot Beauty accessories with Hot Buns® and Hot Designs®.

Hoping to continue this success into 2016 Allstar is currently rolling out nine new TV-supported retail items nationwide.  This is the most holiday rollout items in the company’s history.

The HomeWorld Players list is a representation from a cross section of a diverse housewares business — from established to newly installed company leaders.

The group is diverse, not just in the scope of their businesses and responsibilities, but also in their individual experiences and contributions to the industry. All, however, have played a role in shaping the housewares industry.

A list of all the 2016 HomeWorld Players can be found here:http://www.homeworldbusiness.com/Retail/The-Players-People-To-Watch-In-2016/28301

About Allstar Products GroupAllstar Products Group is a leading direct response and consumer products company making quality products available to U.S. and international consumers through direct response television as well as internet, direct mail and retail channels.  Allstar Products has a diverse product portfolio including popular consumer brands such as Snuggie® Magic Mesh®, Hot Designs®, Secret Extensions® and Wobble Wag Giggle®.

For more information on Allstar Products Group visit:www.allstarproductsgroup.com
For more information on Scott Boilen visit: http://www.scottboilen.com/

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SOURCE Allstar Products Group

Copyright (C) 2015 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Throwback Thursday: Snuggie as the Leader in Social Media

In a 2013 article titled, “Snuggie: Social media’s first viral success,” Melissa Hincha-Ownby explores how the Snuggie® was a leader in social media marketing and viral videos.

“Social media is a powerful tool,” Hincha-Ownby begins her article, “and if anyone doubts the power that Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media sites have then they merely need to look at the success of the Snuggie.”  She goes on to discuss how social media helped Allstar Products Group – the makers of the Snuggie  – achieve skyrocketing sales.

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It was noted that Snuggie commercials received millions of views on YouTube and Snuggie parodies received even more attention.

Allstar Products Group CEO, Scott Boilen, was quoted saying Snuggie “was the first product that really went viral, that really went mainstream like that. It was probably the first product that had the advantage of social media really peaking.”

Read the full article at http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/blogs/snuggie-social-medias-first-viral-success

Throwback Thursday: Scott Boilen and the Cult of the Snuggie

It was early 2009 when USA Today announced that Snuggie was taking over America with the “Cult of the Snuggie.”

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The article, titled “Snuggie gets a warm embrace from pop culture” notes how “Snuggies seem to be everywhere.”  On Facebook and Youtube, on the Tonight Show and the Ellen Degeneres Show, even among the crowd at Obama’s inauguration.

“Every once in a while, a product transcends advertising to become part of pop culture,” Scott Boilen, president and CEO of Allstar Products Group said in the USA Today article.  “Snuggie got the highest rating ever for any product….” Scott Boilen goes on to say.

Today Snuggie is a permanent part of pop culture and the Snuggie line continues to grow.

Read the full 2009 USA Today article about Snuggie and Scott Boilen

 

Throwback Thursday! Scott Boilen and Snuggie on the Oprah Show

Scott Boilen appeared on Oprah via satellite back in March of 2009 to discuss the Snuggie with a Snuggie-wearing group including Ms. Winfrey (in hot pink) and Tyler Perry (in a zebra print). Scott Boilen attributed part of the product’s impressive sales numbers to the fact that people were spending more time at home and wanting to simply feel warm and comfortable.

Watch a clip of Scott Boilen, Oprah and friends wearing their Snuggies:



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 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 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.

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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