Snap Light – A Marketing Review

Don’t you just hate it when you’re working on something in a dark area, and you just can’t hold a flashlight the right way?

Or how about trying to grill at night and you didn’t think to have a lantern, torch, campfire, or even a flashlight handy?

What oh what can you do?  I mean, it’s a hopeless situation, right?

Well, worry no more!  Thankfully there is a solution to those problems and more thanks to the Snap Light.  Or, at least that’s what the TV commercial and company website wants us to believe.

Take a look at the company website and watch the commercial advertising the product.  I couldn’t find it on YouTube, so you’ll have to visit the website to see it in all its glory.

Snap Light website – www.GetSnapLight.com

Is it just me, or is the commercial REALLY stretching the versatility of this product?  I’m talking about stretching its alleged uses so far that some people may consider it to be a scam.

Let’s take a look at some highlights in the advertisement and see if it makes any sense.

Snap Light commercial – Kids cannot hold flashlights worth squat.

The Snap Light commercial starts out with this example of a father trying his hand at plumbing, but apparently he cannot see what he’s doing.  The reason?  Junior cannot hold a flashlight.

Does this mean that a flashlight is not the right tool for the job?  No, certainly not.  This just means that the kid is not capable of lending a helping hand, and apparently Dad cannot hold it or tell his son how to point it properly.

After sending the kid off to military school to teach him discipline and the importance of following instructions, is there any way that the father can have adequate lighting either with a different person holding the flashlight or a different type of lighting device?

Why, yes.  Apparently the solution is with a different lighting device and NOT with the person holding it.

The Snap Light.

According to the advertisement, this is the perfect solution for adding spots of light to those tight places.  You can snap it to just about any roundish surface about an inch or so in diameter, and thanks to its rubberized grip, it’ll supposedly hold and provide you with a little bit of extra illumination.

Snap Light commercial – As stylish as those snap bracelets back in the late 1980s.

I had a flashback to third grade when I saw how this tiny light attached to objects.  Back then snap bracelets were popular and came in all colors and patterns imaginable.  My classmates used to wear them all over their wrists and ankles.  But as cool of a concept as it was, they quickly went out of style and vanished from the students’ arms and legs by the end of the school year.

As you can see, there’s going to be a limit as to what kind of objects you can attach the light to.  When it comes to working under the hood of a car and in other tight and dark spaces, the places where you can actually attach the light and have it serve a useful purpose are going to be very limited, if available at all.

Snap Light commercial – Able to shine light under the darkest of furniture.

That’s right, folks.  You can use Snap Light to shine light in places where you would never use a flashlight!  Ever!  Personally, in this demonstration I would have had a person reaching for a dropped item like a battery and using one of those grabber devices with a Snap Light attached to the handle.  Honestly, how many people really need extra light when dusting or sweeping underneath furniture?  Other as-seen-on-TV products would have you easily move the furniture out of the way and then clean the floor or retriever a lost item.

Snap Light commercial – Now it’s possible to grill in the dark!

Ah, yes.  The challenge of grilling in the dark.  Most people would simply have a flashlight, lantern, or a roaring campfire provide light when grilling at night.  I know, I know, that takes the challenge out of grilling in the darkness and just flat out guessing when the food is cooked.  After watching this example in the commercial, now I know that it’s possible to attach a Snap Light to the end of a grilling spatula and use that to provide light at night.

Wow!  Is that an ingenious technique or what?  /s

I wonder how well that works when using tongs.  I cook a lot of steaks, brats, pork chops and BBQ chicken on the grill, and spatulas just aren’t really my thing.  Then again, neither is grilling in complete darkness.

Snap Light commercial – Reading in the dark without night vision.

Apparently the Snap Light can also be used to help read at night, solving another one of the 21st century’s many unsolved problems.  I do question just how much light actually reaches the pages as those corners and many other spots on the paper look pretty dark.

Instead of this being marketed as a book light, I’d go for the “Now you can read during a power outage” angle.  This looks like a pretty poor book light.  The guy could probably read significantly better if he had a small lamp by his chair.

Snap Light commercial – Make your dog the envy of the other dogs in the neighborhood.

The Snap Light can light your way.  Really?  Just like a flashlight?

No!  No!  No!

When you’re outside and need to see where you’re walking, a flashlight is significantly better at lighting your way than the Snap Light.  And if need be, a nice and solid flashlight can also be swung as a weapon.  The Snap Light can attract attention to yourself and alert passing drivers of your presence (good safety issue), but as far as providing any useful amount of light, yeah, right.  There’s a reason why this part of the commercial was shot at dusk and not night.

Snap Light commercial – Headlights for bikes!

[leans back in chair and fondly remembers biking at night]

I remember my first bicycle headlight.  I remember mounting a light on the handlebar and running a cable down to a generator that attached to the rear wheel.  Just flip the generator so that it pressed against the wheel, and as long as the wheel turned, then power was generated and the headlight provided illumination.  It wasn’t perfect, but my brother and I had fun biking at dusk, riding fast and making our lights shine brightly.  Of course, many other bike headlights were available in the market, almost all of them using a battery to power the light.

[Ah, those were the days.  🙂 ]

This part of the advertisement really stretches the usefulness of the product.  Why don’t we see the view from the biker’s point-of-view and see just how well TWO of those Snap Lights can really light the pavement?

As far as the product claiming to keep you safe at night, well, that depends on what you consider to be “safe.”  The Snap Light can be a great device to warn others of your presence.  People out walking and drivers should be able to see one of those lights, let alone two.  But as far as the lights shining bright and far enough so you can see your path, especially when riding at a decent pace, then that’s a different story.  Remember that the Snap Light was NOT designed to be a bicycle headlight.  Just because that something can be used for that purpose does not mean that it is the best or safest device for that purpose.

Snap Light commercial – See your clothes in a dark closet!  No more guessing!

As we can see in this next example, the Snap Light can also be used in a closet.  No more pulling clothes out at random, hoping to find the one you want.  No need to install an overhead light.  No need to carry a flashlight or flaming torch into the closet with you.  Let a tiny LED light be the answer for your dark closet!

Snap Light commercial – Spin it ’round and ’round and ’round and ’round again.

In this amazing display of innovation, not only is the Snap Light capable of spinning 360 degrees, but the light itself is able to pivot for better aiming at those pesky dark spots.  As long as you have an appropriate surface for the light to grip, you can then mount the Snap Light and have precision aiming.  Believe it or not, but after all of this sarcasm and criticism of the advertisement, we have come across a valid selling point.  Hurray!

Snap Light commercial – Capable of attaching to a spray can.

This part of the advertisement claims, “Snap Lights perfectly light up any job for better results.”  That’s right because everybody using a can of spray paint can do their painting job slightly better with having a little bit extra illumination, even when painting in a well lit room.

Notice how the light from the Snap Light isn’t even aimed properly on the frame.  It’s shining well below where the sprayer is spraying.  Perhaps you’re supposed to blindly guess where you’re spraying and just watch the shiny finished results with the tiny bit of extra light from the Snap Light.

Snap Light commercial – It’s good everywhere!

Ah, yes.  It’s time for the obligatory, “Perfect for camping and RVs.  A must for your car or boat.”  Right.

Answer me this:  Is Snap Light waterproof?  Is it durable and shatter resistant?

Those kinds of features are kind of critical in the outdoor world of camping and boating.  Neither of those questions were actually answered in the advertisement.  All we know is that it apparently lights up any job for better results, and it’s perfect for camping and a must for cars and boats.  Great.  That’s not exactly convincing.

Once again, this advertisement is really stretching the versatility of this product.  I’m quite confident that campers and boaters are going to look for quality products that they know will be perfect in those elements.  The same is true for keeping an emergency flashlight in your car or RV.  It’s hard enough finding valid selling points for this product to be used in a home.  Making claims that it’s perfect for camping or a must for boats is just asinine.

Snap Light commercial – Bonus itty-bitty lights.

First of all, an order for the Snap Light is actually an order for three of them through the company’s website.  As a FREE BONUS (just pay additional processing) they’re throwing in these three ultra small thumb lights.  You know, lights so small that there’s a danger of losing them if they’re not attached to something immediately.

The advertisement shows examples of the tiny thumb lights being used inside of a purse, mounted on a cell phone, and even attached to a key.  I’m sure most people can find other uses for the ultra small lights if they really racked their brain and searched for useful situations.

At this point in the commercial we’re hit with the sales pitch.  The set of three Snap Lights and the “free” bonus lights comes to a grand total of $25.97  ($14.99 + $6.99 + $3.99).  This actually isn’t too expensive compared to other as-seen-on-TV promotions.

The bottom line here is that unlike many other as-seen-on-TV promotions, this one seems to have the hardest time showing useful purposes.  Many of the scenarios in this advertisement were a real stretch, especially with this being used as a book light or even as headlights for a bike.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’ve seen lights that use a strap to mount to your head.

I’ve seen lights that have a body like a snake and can wrap around things like pipes.

And now I’ve seen a light that attaches to people’s arms and roundish items in the style of a “snapping” wrist bracelet that was popular in the late 1980s.

This is the future.  I want a hovering light that’ll shine brightly, have a long range, never need re-charging, have a variety of colored lenses, and always stay pointed in any direction that I need it.

——————————————

All of the Snap Light commercial images were screenshots of a TV commercial currently available on the company’s website.  For more product information, please visit the company’s website at www.GetSnapLight.com.

Snap Light is a registered trademark.

RellimZone.com is not affiliated with Snap Light.