Side Socket (Swiveling Power Outlet) – A Marketing Review
Sometimes you just need an extra two or three inches . . . . of space on your floor or counter.
That’s about as much space that you lose when you have cords plugged directly into wall outlets. Because of those pesky power cords you have to keep your couch and other furniture pulled away from the walls. Trying to ram the back of the couch against the wall outlets and just saying the hell with it only leads to trouble with bent and broken power cords and a potential fire hazard.
Of course one could always plan their furniture around the wall’s power outlets or learn how to properly use power strips, but that’s not the point here. This is the future, and if you want to have your furniture against the power outlets while cords are plugged in to them, then, by golly, you should be able to do just that. The same goes for other locations such as a kitchen counter or a work bench in the garage.
Side Socket website — www.SideSocket.com
What’s this? The Side Socket? You mean that I can have a wall outlet that swivels so that power cords aren’t sticking out into the room, saving myself those extra two inches of space?
Side Socket TV commercial
Let’s review the Side Socket’s advertisement and try to see just what they’re selling us.
Side Socket TV commercial – Just . . . barely . . . not . . . enough . . . intelligence . . .
The Side Socket’s TV commercial begins with a lady reaching behind some furniture in an attempt to plug in a power cord. She’s having a hard time accessing the power outlet as it’s quite a stretch reaching behind the furniture. If only there was a way to make reaching behind the furniture a little bit easier. Or better yet, maybe just using a power strip would be best. Companies do make power strips with 90° power cables, allowing you to plug it into the wall between tight spaces.
Nah. A solution like that would be too easy. We’re really looking for a solution that still requires us to reach the wall’s power outlet even when it’s out of reach behind large or bulky furniture.
Side Socket TV commercial – Why can’t I mash furniture against the power cords? Why?!?
Cramming the furniture against the power cords doesn’t seem to work either. It stands to reason that should be able to ram any furniture you want to against the wall’s power outlet, but for some reason that just doesn’t seem to work. Doing so damages the power cords and creates a fire hazard. Rats! Why is life so complicated?
Side Socket TV commercial – It’s a small power outlet that, uh, swivels.
Thankfully there’s a solution here that does NOT REQUIRE any advanced schooling or an intricate knowledge of physics or electrical engineering.
The solution here is a product called the Side Socket. As you can see, the Side Socket is a small power strip with six outlets (three on each side) that can swivel 90° to the side. Instead of sticking out into your room or on a counter, now the power cords can stick to the side and save you a few inches of space. This is being hailed as a “swiveling power solution.”
Side Socket TV commercial – How do you define ‘flush’?
What’s so important about being able to rotate the power cords 90° to the side?
By rotating the power cords you’ll be able to move your furniture flush against the wall, stupid! Well, it’s not exactly flush as the furniture will instead be pressed against the power strip, still creating a fire hazard should there ever be a spark or severe electrical disturbance. Who cares about a fire hazard? You’ll be too busy sliding your furniture an extra two inches closer to the wall and telling your friends how you outsmarted the system.
Don’t let your friends question how you’ll be squeezing your hand between the furniture and the wall if you need to unplug or plug in a new power cord, most likely needing to move the furniture to do such a task. Their logic and reasoning is really just them being jealous of your Side Socket.
Side Socket TV commercial – Taking it to the extreme when showing how to save some space.
Here we can see just what kind of a difference in space a product like the Side Socket can create. This may be rather hard to believe as a reputable TV commercial like this would never intentionally be misleading, but it seems like the “before” shot on the left may be exaggerated by just a little bit. Notice how sticking out of the power outlet is a wall-mounted outlet, and on the bottom of that is a second wall-mounted outlet, pushing the bottom power cords away from the wall by almost two inches.
Side Socket TV commercial – Now you can hide power outlets behind decorations, keeping that previously ugly sight your little secret.
The Side Socket wasn’t designed to only help you save some space in the living room or office. Here we can see that it can also help save some space on the kitchen counter. You can even hide the swiveling power outlet behind a decoration or spice rack. Normally people will plan their kitchen appliances and decorations around the wall outlets, but thanks to the Side Socket that’s no longer a burden.
Side Socket TV commercial – When planned correctly the Side Socket could be completely hidden behind furniture.
That’s right. Just slide the furniture right against the Side Socket and reclaim those extra couple of inches. Of course, it’s not explained how you’re supposed to slide your hand between the wall and the furniture should you have to change or plug something in to the Side Socket. Nor do we hear about the dangers of cheap electrical equipment, the extremely close proximity to a fuel source, and the danger of creating a fire hazard.
Side Socket TV commercial – Just which piece of furniture did they move to create the extra space?
It’s all in the name of creating extra floor space around your home. Thank God that they used a Side Socket behind that chair and created so much extra floor space. The seat pitch and all of that space around the base and legs would have never previously allowed you to keep the chair so close to a power outlet.
Side Socket TV commercial – Think you’ll need to slide that coffee machine two inches to the side? Guess again.
Apparently now we can “. . . finally move kitchen appliance against the wall instantly increasing counter space.” Yeah, those power outlets have been winning the battle for the kitchen counter’s space for all of these years. Now the advantage is ours again thanks to the innovation of the Side Socket.
First of all, I guess that the coffee machine couldn’t have simply been moved two inches to the left or right and placed next to the power outlet. That would have been too easy of a solution.
Second, how is pushing an item against a bulky power outlet considered putting it “against the wall?” They keep using that term throughout the commercial despite it not being true. Being an inch away from the wall is not “against” the wall.
Side Socket TV commercial – That does it! I’m getting rid of my power strips because it sucks trying to use a vacuum cleaner around them.
So why shouldn’t we be using power strips? Aren’t those designed to not only provide extra power outlets but also have them in easy to reach places?
Oh, that’s right. When used incorrectly the power cords from devices and power strips can get in your way when using a vacuum cleaner. I’m sold. It doesn’t even matter that the image on the left shows six or seven power cables plugged into the two power strips whereas the image on the right only shows three power cables plugged into the Side Socket. The bottom line is that somebody finally cleaned those messy cables.
Side Socket TV commercial – Go away, lightning! I’m using an upgraded version of the Side Socket to protect my battery-operated tablet.
Did you notice that some shots of the Side Socket show a red and green light on the unit? That’s for the upgraded model of the Side Socket capable of protecting against a power surge. Don’t bother checking the product’s website for any information about the upgraded version of the Side Socket. It’s not mentioned anywhere on the main page.
Remember that just because a product claims to be a surge protector DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT IT ALSO PROTECTS AGAINST LIGHTNING. Surge protectors that protect against lightning strikes SPECIFICALLY STATE IT ON THE PACKAGING. This is very important when it comes to protecting your electronics during a thunderstorm.
The genius in this scene is putting her complete faith in the upgraded version of the Side Socket and continuing to keep her tablet plugged into the wall during a thunderstorm. Maybe she’s too busy telling everybody on Facebook about the thunderstorm, and forgetting that tablets can also operate on battery power. NEVER ASSUME that just because something is a surge protector means that it’ll also protect against lightning. Always verify it first. When in doubt, play it safe and unplug your electronics during bad weather, especially if it can still be used on battery power.
Side Socket TV commercial – It’s hammer time!
The advertisement claims that the Side Socket can withstand virtually any punishment. That’s good to know if all of a sudden I decide to start smacking rubber mallets against power strips. Hopefully doing so won’t damage anything within the wall.
Side Socket TV commercial – How is the *power* being redirected?
Again in the TV commercial we visit the concept of the Side Socket using a swivel technique to move power cords away from obstacles. The terminology though is a little bit awkward. It states that the power is safely being redirected when in reality it’s the power cords that are moved into a new position. Last time I checked, the electricity is still flowing out of the wall outlet and to your electronics, no matter how you positioned the cords.
Side Socket TV commercial – The art of using electronics in the bathroom.
We also see an example of the Side Socket being used in the bathroom. In this example the woman turned the power outlet to help protect the electrical connection against a splash of water and potentially a nasty ZAP!
Of course, this technique only works for half of the Side Socket as the other three outlets are not only completely exposed to the sink, but they’re actually another inch closer thanks to the size of the Side Socket.
I bet I have an easier solution for this scenario. It’s called TURN OFF THE FAUCET WHEN USING SOMETHING PLUGGED INTO THE NEIGHBORING POWER OUTLET! There! Was that so hard? Do people really need a product when common sense can solve the root problem?
Side Socket TV commercial – A $100 deluxe power strip and a $10 Side Socket are completely identical, right?
Aren’t power strips really expensive? I can walk down that aisle in Walmart and see the prices for myself, but here in the commercial they’re claiming that some power strips can cost $100. This commercial would never mislead me, right?
The cost of a power strip depends on what features you need. A basic power strip that provides five or six power outlets and does NOT protect against surges is commonly $5-$8. If you need basic surge protection then the price will be around $12-$20. Adding lightning protection normally bumps the price to around $25-$35. If you need a really heavy duty power strip designed to survive anything just shy of a nuclear explosion, then you’ll probably be spending $50 or more.
The objective here is to show ignorant people that power strips CAN be really expensive. People who believe that will also believe that most power outlets and power strips are really the same. When they see the advertised price for the Side Socket they’ll believe that it’s a tremendous deal.
Side Socket TV commercial – It’s time for the BIG promotion!
Sure enough, the Side Socket is being advertised for only $10. That’s one hell of a lot cheaper than $100 for that other power strip, right? The Side Socket must be one fantastic deal.
On top of that, if we take advantage of the super special deal in the TV commercial and on the product’s website, we can get a second Side Socket for FREE! All we have to do is pay a little bit extra in shipping and handling fees. That’s soooooo worth it, right?
The TOTAL COST of the Side Socket buy-one-get-one-free sale comes to $25.90 ($10.oo + $7.95 S&H + $7.95 S&H). Keep in mind that this is also with allowing two to six weeks for delivery.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The advertising for the Side Socket makes the power outlet seem like the optimum solution for people having problems with power cords, whether they’re sticking out from walls or being a nuisance in other ways.
Throughout the advertising we see examples of people pushing furniture right against the Side Socket, claiming that it’s flush against the wall. We proved this terminology wrong earlier in the article. Being flush against a wall means that there is NOTHING between the furniture and the wall.
Those same examples failed to show how people were supposed to unplug or plug new cables into the Side Socket while furniture was blocking access to it. The reality is that unless you can immediately reach one of the outlets, then you’re going to have to slide back the furniture just to unplug or add a new cable to the power outlet. That’s not exactly convenient.
The advertisement claims that there’s an upgraded version of the Side Socket that protects against power surges, but there’s no information about that on the product’s website. In reality, the website is extremely simple with basically no information at all about the Side Socket. There’s not even an FAQ page.
The problem here is that there’s already a fantastic solution that’s inexpensive and available in almost any store that stocks household goods or electronics. It’s called a power strip. Some power strips have long power cords for significantly easier access, while others have a plug that’s bent at a 90° angle, allowing it to be plugged into tight spaces (such as a couch that’s “flush” against a wall). Power strips can also easily be hidden behind furniture, and they can lay neatly against walls or other areas.
As long as you have the common sense and organization skills of a third-grade student, then you can successfully use a power strip.
In the end, did the advertisers make any good selling points for the Side Socket? Anything at all?
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All of the Side Socket commercial images were screenshots of a TV commercial currently available on YouTube and the product’s website. For more product information, please visit the company’s website at www.SideSocket.com.
Side Socket is a registered trademark.
RellimZone.com is not affiliated with Side Socket.