S07.E22: Beer Blizzard, Vengo Labs, The Good Promise, Wondercide

[yeswedo]

A beer enthusiast duo presents a new way of keeping beer chilled; an entrepreneur and a former aerospace engineer aim to reinvent the vending machine; two animal lovers pitch natural bug repellents for pets; and a woman hopes to make clean eating more convenient with her line of vegetable smoothies. Also, an update on LovePop, a line of intricate, 3D pop-up greeting cards that Kevin O'Leary invested in during Season 7.

[designing1]

 

Also, an update on LovePop, a line of intricate, 3D pop-up greeting cards that Kevin O'Leary invested in during Season 7.

 

I can practically hear the Wicked Good Cupcakes plug already.

[starri]

Didn't the LovePop episode air like two months ago?  I realize it was taped before that, but how much could really have happened?

[cyberfruit]

Love Pop has an outpost at South Station in Boston. It's one of the major transportation hubs of the city & region (serving NH to RI), but it's still kind of a weird place to have one, imo.

Edited March 16, 2016 by cyberfruit

[KaveDweller]

Didn't the LovePop episode air like two months ago?  I realize it was taped before that, but how much could really have happened?

 

 

They did another update from an episode this season, I wonder if they are running out of success stories from further back? Or they think no one will remember companies from older seasons.

[Jamoche]

Vengo guy, trying to get $2M from multiple Sharks: "Have you ever partnered up before?"

 

Have you ever watched the show?

[Eolivet]

Until I saw those cards, I completely forgot what LovePop was. It's such an odd name that says nothing about the company. I know we joke about Lori, but this is one of those times where Card Stuffins' might actually be more appropriate.

 

I found the Beer Blizzard guys so interesting. Two corporate types (one with a distinct accent) who dressed up like regular, everyday folks and it actually worked in their favor! It's like they looked at the pitch as a performance, which is an interesting way to approach it. I have to wonder though if they'd come in their corporate attire, would they have gotten a deal? It was a good product, but I think their performance sold it.

 

Didn't get Vengo at all. I was rooting for Kevin and Lori's final counter to be "I'm out." What arrogance -- "I cannot possibly part with 4% of my company, but please give me $2 million dollars for my half-advertising, half-automated-impulse-items-at-the-checkout-counter business." And I didn't like their display either -- it looked like someone had written the Sharks' name in graffiti. Maybe they'll use some of that $2 million to hire a new graphic designer.

[Primetimer]

If talk of cutting-edge vending machines thrills you, tonight's ep was made with you in mind. All five of you.

Read the story

[designing1]

Not only did I not get Vengo, I didn't understand why they were so hot to get Lori as part of their deal "for her portfolio of products". How many impulse buy items does she have in her portfolio that are no bigger than a bottle breacher? 

 

The Beer Blizzard guys giving up an extra 5% just to work with Mark were crazy. If ever a product had "impulse QVC buy, available on an endcap at a big box retailer near you", it's the Beer Blizzard (and the bug repellent, so good for them.) The veggie product was apparently awful tasting, and I'm sure there are already similar products out there; was there something different about hers that I missed?

 

 

Until I saw those cards, I completely forgot what LovePop was. It's such an odd name that says nothing about the company.

 

The "pop" is for "pop-up" cards, obviously, but just hearing the product name I'd think it was some sort of heart-shaped lollipop, maybe with a romantic message inside as you eat it (think of those Valentine candy hearts). Hmmm...maybe I need to develop something like that...

[marny]

I didn't get the vending machine idea at all.  So, it's smaller and sleeker? Great. But, it doesn't have room to actually fit anything that people want to buy from vending machines. Can't fit a soda can or bottle of water. Can't fit a bag of chips.  So, it sells gum? Chapstick? I'm just not seeing the point.

[mjc570]

Reviewer Philip:  That was a great review - you said (much more amusingly) the stuff I was muttering to myself as I watched it.  I also was especially irritated by Mark, and remember thinking it is too bad he's the richest, best known investor so he'll never be asked to leave the show.

 

I assume the point of the vending guys wasn't really the vending aspect of it, but the data mining.  At first I thought they had some kind of drone delivery system, because nothing I want to buy from a vending machine will fit (although I guess their vending machine partner will address that).  Or maybe it's for condoms? 

[Latverian Diplomat]

The "natural" bug repellant pitch was full of baloney, IMHO.

 

It doesn't use "chemical toxins" but it is made of chemicals (as every substance is) and it kills things, sounds like toxic chemicals to me. 

 

Is it a repellant or a toxin? (I realize something can be both in different doses, but if you are marketing it as a repellant, then you should test for it's effectiveness as a repellant). Flea collars do one or the other or both with distinct active ingredients. Repellants alone don't work if a pet already has fleas. 

 

The "dose makes the poison" so something can kill lots of bugs in a very high concentration in a lab can be ineffective when used as directed. 

 

At one point she said it was made only from food safe ingredients? I can believe that there are food safe repellants, but I am a little surprised there's something food safe that is lethal to bugs that feed on humans for a living. Are they drowning them?

 

Anyway, Honest just got busted for sneaking sodium lauryl sulfate into products that were expressly supposed to be sodium lauryl sulfate free (this is a common problem with "alternative" or "organic" products). So they might have been good partners. :-(

 

The last things I want from a vending machine is annoying video ads and tracking my personal information, no thanks. Vending machines that accept cash are big and sturdy because they have to stand up to attempted theft and abuse.

 

I suspect the cozy is doing all the work for "beer blizzard", which is why they "forgot" to test that.

 

There seems to be a Scylla and Charybdis dilemma wrt to "being a product not a company" vs. "you need to focus on one thing". Perhaps those are both just convenient excuses when a Shark doesn't like the pitch anyway? Or maybe the best pitch has one successful product and ideas for more in the future? the Veg smoothy pitch didn't navigate this dilemma successfully. I think it was also a real mistake to serve straight the ones intended as mixers. Also, the Sharks, not the most sophisticated palates in the world, and Kevin will always be an ass about how things taste. Not that it couldn't have been genuinely horrible anyway. 

Edited March 23, 2016 by Latverian Diplomat

[jaigurudeva]

Vengo is more like interactive advertising than vending machines, selling only the products that their advertisers are paying $200/per month/per machine for rather than actual convenience items that the establishment actually hanging the thing on their wall decides is best for their consumers. And the guys' arrogance over such an ineffectual product was so off putting, I was disappointed they got a deal.

[designing1]

Another thing about Vengo -- look at the photo of it in the review. There's a full keyboard and screen at eye level. In this age of identity theft, that seems like an accident waiting to happen. At an ATM, you can cover the little numeric keypad with your hand while your body is blocking the screen. There's no way to cover even just the keyboard with the current design, and you might not want everyone reading information like your email address, which would have to display unscrambled on-screen so you could check for accuracy.

 

 

It doesn't use "chemical toxins" but it is made of chemicals (as every substance is) and it kills things, sounds like toxic chemicals to me.

 

I took a quick look at the bug repellent website and their ingredients seem limited to cedar oil and hydrated silica (inert), with occasional small amounts of lemongrass and rosemary. I have no idea where that puts it on the "yeah, still toxic chemicals" scale, but there you have it.

Edited March 19, 2016 by designing1

[basiltherat]

I have a great idea for a non-toxic bug repellant -- it's called a fly swatter. Or, if you want to get fancy, a mean grandfather with a rolled-up newspaper.

Oh, and for vegetable drinks, it's something I like to call V-8!

[bilgistic]

I really, really didn't understand Vengo. I resent being marketed to on gas-pump TV when I'm getting gas, and I remember old-fashioned framed-paper ads inside bathroom stalls from as long as probably 20 years ago, so a digital kiosk is coming to a toilet near you; mark my words.

Leave me alone! I just want a Diet Coke!

[seacliffsal]

I am stumped as to how the vengo guys got a deal. I agree with "I just want a Diet Coke!" Vending machines generally meet an immediate want-not a buy a product for later use. The guys did keep mentioning their deal with a chocolate manufacturer-but there's not really anything else in the beverage/snack market that would fit (wait a minute-those terrible vegetable drinks seemed to be in containers that might fit---what a perfect match!).

The only product I liked was the beer blizzard and that may primarily be due to how fun and smart the guys were. Oh well.

[RemoteControlFreak]

The active ingredients in Wondercide are rosemary and cedar oil.  Based on the Amazon reviews, the product is neither effective nor safe.

 

When are people going to learn that "natural" does not equal safe?

Edited March 20, 2016 by RemoteControlFreak

[theatremouse]

I suspect the cozy is doing all the work for "beer blizzard", which is why they "forgot" to test that.

Did they say "forgot"? I thought he just acknowledged they "did not" test the cozy by itself. Just can-only and their-product+cozy.

I wholeheartedly believe the beer blizzard dudes intentionally didn't test cozy by itself because then they'd have to acknowledge it's probably something like 6 minutes alone, 18 minutes with the cozy (I'm making this up as an example) and the 21 they quoted with their product. And that makes them look useless. Which is what I thought when they brought it out. If you're in warm enough conditions that your beer will become unpleasantly warm before you finish it, no way that little disk makes a big enough difference (unless people are reallllly extra temp sensitive with beer, or reallllly nursing the thing). It's an impulse buy for sure. It's got to be cheap enough and thoughtless enough that to someone planning a barbecue in a heatwave they grab a bunch for their guests or whatever. it's not revolutioning anything. It's a "hey worth a try" product where they can make a lot quickly while it's faddish and then go do something else.

I thought the vending machine dudes sounded overehearsed and robotic. I'm always torn when these vending people come on because in other parts of the world, vending machines can be very big. Not just for snacks. So it seems like it has potential. But hasn't really caught on in that sense in the states. Then again, no one said these businesses needed to be primarily focused on the US market. I was surprised they made that deal given both sides were quibbling over half percents. I thought the sharks would go out just from not wanting to work with the guys after that, yet they pushed so they must see opportunity there. Or maybe being in the loan business is just fun for them so it's low risk. The segment played weird to me though. Very weird. Even when I disagree or am surprised with what a shark does, I'm not usually left thinking "huh?" so this makes me think part of what went down that was edited out might've made this one make more sense.

[nottopbravo]

I still don't get the vending machine guys.  I realize the product has to be small, but how much inventory can you put in a machine that size?

 

And if it has a lot of inventory in it with value, you could probably pop it off the wall with a crowbar and carry it off under your arm.

[zxy556575]

Maybe because their logo looked like spermatozoa, but the only products I could think of for Vengo were sanitary supplies or condoms in public restrooms. Except those machines are already compact and seem to serve their purpose quite well as is.

 

Shark fatigue may be setting in, because at this point the percentage of presenters who annoy me and sharks who act assily is well over half.

[basiltherat]

Were the Beer Blizzard guys wanting to license their cozy half of the equation for logo purposes? Cuz that would work for sports teams, etc.

[KaveDweller]

Were the Beer Blizzard guys wanting to license their cozy half of the equation for logo purposes? Cuz that would work for sports teams, etc.

 

I think they wanted to but said they couldn't get anyone to return their phone calls. 

 

Like others, I didn't get the vending machine guys at all. Is there really a demand for vending machines that sell products like the bottle breacher they showed? If you can't fill it with food/beverages I don't see much use for it. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

Did they say "forgot"? I thought he just acknowledged they "did not" test the cozy by itself. Just can-only and their-product+cozy.

 

I was being facetious. It seemed an obvious question, but one they didn't really want to know the answer to. Because if it's mostly the cozy, then they don't have much of a product.

[cmfran]

I love beer, but avoid sports/tailgating/hunting/outdoor culture like the plague, so the Beer Blizzard would be wasted on me. I can't remember the last time I drank a beer (or anything else) out of a cozy.

Also, do you think anyone actually calls that guy "Ozzy?"

[Gregg247]

The vending machine seemed too small to be worthwhile to me.  I typically use these machines for potato chips and honey buns.  How many of those can you cram into one of these things?  It looks like candy bars, Certs, and Lori's QVC crap is all you'll get.

[Jonathan Michaels]

I suspect the reason Beer Blizzard went with Cuban is the Dallas Mavericks, I can easily see the BB getting integrated with the team, selling them at the concession stands, slapping logos on them.

Plus it's almost too small a product for QVC.

[KaveDweller]

I also feel like the kind of people who would buy Beer Blizzard aren't the people who watch QVC.

[ClareWalks]

I couldn't believe the balls of the Beer Blizzard guys to have not bothered to test the beer with cozy alone. If an unprotected can gets warm in 6 minutes, I am sure the cozy would keep it cold for at least 15 minutes, maybe longer. They work well by themselves. So their product only adds a few minutes to your beer's cold time? Not even worth the trouble. Especially since it wouldn't last through multiple beers, you'd have to get a new one out of the freezer for each can. A better idea would be making a cozy with a malleable cold liner, where you stick the whole cozy in the freezer and put your can in when you're ready.

[bilgistic]

The vending machine seemed too small to be worthwhile to me. I typically use these machines for potato chips and honey buns. How many of those can you cram into one of these things? It looks like candy bars, Certs, and Lori's QVC crap is all you'll get.

I haven't thought about Certs in years!

[bilgistic]

Mark saying he invested in a "feminine products vending company named Oasis" will never not be funny to me. Because when I need a tampon, I think of myself as a weary, dehydrated traveler in an arid desert, just waiting for Mark Cuban to appear on the horizon to slake my thirst.

Edited March 19, 2016 by bilgistic

[columbot]

The vegetable lady seemed nice. She looked really sad when she said "Oh, everyone's out...". Don't know what makes her vegetables different from any other, though.

 

Lori had a good point about Vengo. If it hangs on the wall like that, that's potential wasted space right below it. The guys were spouting off about how it's better because it takes up less space, but simply being smaller isn't always equivalent to being economical.

 

 

because nothing I want to buy from a vending machine will fit (although I guess their vending machine partner will address that).  Or maybe it's for condoms?

 

If they're my size, those wouldn't fit either!

 

...I'll show myself out.

[KaveDweller]

I couldn't believe the balls of the Beer Blizzard guys to have not bothered to test the beer with cozy alone. If an unprotected can gets warm in 6 minutes, I am sure the cozy would keep it cold for at least 15 minutes, maybe longer. They work well by themselves. So their product only adds a few minutes to your beer's cold time? Not even worth the trouble. Especially since it wouldn't last through multiple beers, you'd have to get a new one out of the freezer for each can. A better idea would be making a cozy with a malleable cold liner, where you stick the whole cozy in the freezer and put your can in when you're ready.

 

They should have tested it with an unprotected can, a can with just the cozy, a can with just the Blizzard, and a can with both. That would have given the most accurate picture.

[Jamoche]

Seeing the still image of the real vending machine next to the Vengo just drives home how more appealing the real one is - I can see which products are there, and yeah, some of them got hung up, but newer designs don't do that so much, and if they do you can see that too and give it a good thump. Meanwhile the thing next to it does not say "buy something here!"

[LittleIggy]

Re: how much could the Vengo hold, maybe it's like a Tardis.

I knew Robert would want to pet the doggie.

[retrograde]

The Vengo website has a photo (or possibly rendering, it's hard to tell) of some selling electronics accessories like earbuds and phone chargers at hotels and airport lounges. Airports already have those items in more traditional vending machines, but I can see the smaller format working at a business hotel where you might want something sleeker in the lobby. 

[RemoteControlFreak]

Were the Beer Blizzard guys wanting to license their cozy half of the equation for logo purposes? Cuz that would work for sports teams, etc.

Who team would want to put their logo on a product that can't be seen while it's in use?

Edited March 20, 2016 by RemoteControlFreak

[Amarsir]

Neat trick not testing the cozy alone. Obviously we all instantly figured it out and the Sharks did too. And it's not their job to give all the facts, just to give a positive spin without technically lying. However, I wonder how Lori would have handled it had she gotten the deal. Obviously she's a saleswoman but as a QVC presenter she gives the air of genuine recommendations and putting a spin that we all see through seems like it should backfire.

 

Test aside though, I can probably see value in the gimmick. It's not for keeping your full can cold. But after you drink 2/3 of it and warm air has gotten into the can, there's not enough volume left to keep the remainder cold. Put a disc on the bottom and that last bit can stay cold just enough longer. Seems valid.

 

If talk of cutting-edge vending machines thrills you, tonight's ep was made with you in mind. All five of you.

Well I don't know who the other 4 are, but I like that kind of pitch. Not to say it was a good idea, but a discussion of sales methods is so much more interesting to me than yet another consumer product to go on BB&B shelves. Shark Tank veers too much towards "Infomercial Hour" at times and a pitch that's not just a thinly-disguised advertisement is always welcome.

[Jersey Guy 87]

The problem with the Beer Blizzard is it needs to be kept cold in order to provide any value - I suppose you could put a bunch of them in your cooler with the beer and add one each time you grab a fresh beer.  But using a cozy alone will work for every beer without having to remember to take a Beer Blizzard out of the cooler and put it in your cozy.  For some marginal, unmeasured improvement in how long your beer stays cold.

 

The Good Promise lady said something about "I guess the sharks just don't like vegetables" after they all got out.  No, they just don't like the vegetable smoothies you make.

 

I have no interest in buying an insect repellent that works on me, my dog and my house.  That just seems wrong.  And yeah, the whole idea that if it's "natural" it's safe is bogus.  The radon in my basement is natural but I still have a fan to remove it.  Because it's totally not safe.

 

I didn't really understand the business model for the vending machine.  I get that they have this idea of selling advertising, etc. but it just didn't seem like a good platform to me.

[starri]

I enjoy the level of sucking up inherent in filling their fake vending machine with Shark Tank products.  Although I can't tell you how many times I've been out and realized I didn't have a Bottle Breacher.

 

Can someone explain to me what exactly they meant by saying that swiping your credit card would connect to their team in New York?  I assume any vending machine connects to credit card processor, but that didn't seem to be what they were describing.

[Saylii]

I enjoy the level of sucking up inherent in filling their fake vending machine with Shark Tank products. Although I can't tell you how many times I've been out and realized I didn't have a Bottle Breacher.

Can someone explain to me what exactly they meant by saying that swiping your credit card would connect to their team in New York? I assume any vending machine connects to credit card processor, but that didn't seem to be what they were describing.

They might be their own credit card processor. Another way to make $$$ if they can take that 1-2% of sales. Most companies can't do that, but if they were marketing/business guys already they may have a separate processing business.

[starri]

They might be their own credit card processor. Another way to make $$$ if they can take that 1-2% of sales. Most companies can't do that, but if they were marketing/business guys already they may have a separate processing business.

That's entirely possible, but that didn't seem to be what they were saying.

[ae2]

Can someone explain to me what exactly they meant by saying that swiping your credit card would connect to their team in New York?  I assume any vending machine connects to credit card processor, but that didn't seem to be what they were describing.

There was clearly some heavy editing there, but it seemed that they were trying to talk about their targeted advertising at that point. So my assumption is they don't simply charge your card and move on, but they track your purchases based on your credit card so that they can advertise to you in the future based on your previous purchases.

 

Many big retailers do something akin to this too.

[starri]

Great.  I definitely want some vending machine company tracking me whenever I buy a condom or a tampon or a Bottle Breacher.

[basiltherat]

Just don't confuse one for the other, starri!

[LeGrandElephant]

I've seen vending machines in airports that sell electronics, but they're generally still pretty big so they can hold a variety of electronics. Also, I figure an airport is one of the safest places to have one of those, and they're probably not worried about someone trying to steal it when everything is under surveillance all the time anyway. But putting them in other random places would probably be more risky. 

[LeGrandElephant]

Aren't most "natural" bug repellents just made of really strong-smelling oils, like citronella, where the smell overpowers the bugs and repels them that way without killing them? So I can believe it being nontoxic, but the problem for me is I also hate having those strong smells around and on me.