Yo, what's down with that yo-yo?

I have long keened the marketer's lament about all those times I've gotten "stuck" with products that were priced well above the market norm. That seemed larded with features that no one really wanted to pay for. That weren't all that differentiated (other than the lard).

Then I saw an ad in The New Yorker for a $400 yo-yo and I knew I had to check out the Yo-Yo Guys.

Well, the price may be above the market norm, but looking at the Yo-Yo Guys (and the other yo-yo related sites out there), I realized that yo-yo-ing is a pretty darn serious business these days. No doubt there is a market for a limited edition beaut like the Duncan Freehand MG that's a far cry from the wooden Duncan I used to have that probably cost two-bucks. Or the funkier "No Jive" someone gave me a decade or so later. Not to mention the cheap-o plastic yo-yo's with thread instead of string that used to come in cereal boxes. (If you were lucky, you got one up-and-down before it fell apart.)

The picture doesn't do it justice, but here's the description:

The Cadillac of YoYos is here! Butterfly shape body is 99.5% forged magnesium. Ceramic bearing for ultra-smooth spins. Limited quantities per year (200 of each color). Includes limited edition white/black counterweight set and (4) friction stickers. This edition is powdercoated with a sparkle blue finish.

And, unlike some of the products I've marketed over the years, the value prop on this one is pretty straightforward: This product is fun! And, once you get the hang of making a slip-string for your finger and perfect the up-and-down motion, it's a darn sight easier to use than a lot of my products have been.