People say politics are polarized these days. It took a faltering product concept for Patrick Phipps to figure out just how true that statement really is.
The Bellevue entrepreneur tried late last year to market Prez BaRock, a sort of Pet Rock with stickers that would help people speak their minds about the president, regardless of their political leanings.
The concept was bi-partisan. It didn’t fly.
“Right-leaning people weren’t sure if they wanted something that represented the president at all,” Phipps said. “The Left found it disrespectful.”
Now Phipps is taking a different approach, launching a product that shows his true political colors – which include only shades of red.
The NObama Countdown Clock ticks off the days, hours, minutes and seconds until President Barack Obama finishes his first term. The item is roughly the size of a credit card, and hangs from a keychain. It sells online for $9.95.
“I’m a die-hard Conservative who decided I’d roll out a product that represents my views,” Phipps said. “This one is clear on who its market is and what it represents.”
Phipps claims sales of the clock are skyrocketing as Obama’s approval rating drops. It helps that several major news outlets – including the L.A. Times, CNBC, and the Daily Mail of England – have incorporated the product in recent articles.
The goal with Prez BaRock was to create a lighthearted and snarky novelty item that would satisfy everyone in the market. But the product didn’t resonate with anyone in the end.
It wasn’t just consumers who rejected the concept. Retailers spurned it as well, saying the product was too controversial and questioning whether anything political could really be funny.
Phipps tried to boost Prez BaRock sales by donating a portion of the proceeds to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund.
“Frankly, that hasn’t even been resonating,” he said.
The NObama Countdown Clock is a different story. The item outsold Prez BaRock in its first week.
Phipps wouldn’t disclose sales figures for his two latest products, except to say that neither has sold 1 million units. He also said he had to order more clocks this week.
So what made one product more successful than the other?
“The clock is very clear in its message,” Phipps said.
