DRTV News

Since the first online ad was sold in the mid '90s, our industry has made enormous strides and, in my view, is about to pull up a chair at the grown-up table to be served its rightful share of ad dollars. Yet, some things about online never seem to change, such as the debate about whether at the end of the day it is a direct response medium or a branding medium on par (or even better than) TV and print.

How to maximize a campaign's success from the creative level up.

What interactive TV commercials will really look like when they go mainstream?

Using the direct approach to gain brand awareness in a crowded advertising marketplace.

Wouldn't it be great if you could neatly bundle up your products or services in an emotional wrapper that gets right to the heart of the very customers whom you're trying to reach? Seeing your TV ads, they would become engaged instantly, learn as much as they need to know about your wares, and then rush out to purchase them today, and in the future.

When will Corporate America “re-discover” Long Form DRTV? Despite all the talk on Madison Ave. of ROI and accountability in advertising, and the use of Long Form in VOD, no major brand has carved out a specific and on-going share of their marketing budgets for this powerful marketing venue. Oh, they’ve dabbled in Long Form (we count at least 100 major brands from Apple to Walmart), starting as long ago as 1990. And for the past decade brand marketers have increasingly penetrated the Short Form DRTV marketplace (longer commercial messaging, cheaper media rates). But Long Form DRTV is still the shunned step-child of direct marketing. Here, again, is the case for why Long Form should become part of many major Brands’ marketing mix.

Our new business team once presented to a brand name poultry company, with rousing success. Their internal marketing managers were captivated by long form DRTV's unique advertising benefits. They were just hours from deciding to be the first major food processor to produce a program length ad when their general advertising agency's Account Director called and lay down the law, "I'd rather drive down a road throwing chickens off the back of a truck than let you do an infomercial." Moments later, I got the call... "Gosh, Tim, I don't think we have room in the budget. Maybe we'll consider it next year..."

When infomercials made their debut in the mid '80s, it was difficult to find celebrities willing to attach themselves to this type of format. DRTV programs were widely perceived as low-budget productions featuring hard-sell pitches and wildly exaggerated claims, delivered by "yell and sell" hosts who targeted vulnerable late-night television viewers.

The age-old guideline for making money in financial markets is: buy low, sell high. The direct response industry has evolved a contemporary guideline for saving advertisers millions of dollars in media: roll out profitable commercials only.