Electronic Retailer

In the early 1990s, recognized brands and Fortune 500s like Apple and Barun Nissan embraced long-form DRTV. While enjoying the big budgets and credibility boost that these advertisers brought, DRTV insiders worried that shrinking inventory and higher media rates would force out entrepreneurs. That tide has receded. A February Jordan Whitney "Top 60 Infomercials" report listed only one major brand--Humana--whose Gold Choice show registered at number 60. What changed?

How will the transition from analog to digital affect production on DRTV campaigns? On February 17, 2009, federal law will end transmission of analog TV signals in favor of digital. We've heard this before, but the deadline was extended. For that reason, some agencies will take a wait-and-see approach before switching to high def production. But DRTV shops should act now.

As marketers flock to user-generated content (UGC) as the latest road to riches, the increased traffic has created some potholes. Clumsy creatives, self-absorbed spots that stray from product benefits and overtly negative brand associations are landmines that all sensible marketers should avoid. But since a UGC campaign's goals are positive and promising, advertisers must develop a strategy to harness consumer communities' energy.

Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., have asked the FCC to review its advertising disclosure rules. The congressmen contend that today's product placements are purposefully deceptive and blur the separation of commercials and content. Well, yes. That's the point.

Brands with a future take risks. Giving consumers your brand platform -- for them to play with -- is the risk du jour. More and more companies are launching contests that ask consumers to generate commercials -- just like Madison Avenue makes (or so they hope!). Most participants love the challenge, while others crave the incentives. The standard issue prize package includes cash, air time and the fame that accompanies both. And a classic consumer ad contest in the making is from Heinz.

Advertisers are uneasy. It's not just because we're learning new media and formats, it's because our audience claims it hates ads. You've seen the statistics. DVR owners love their ad-skipping button. Web surfers install ad-blockers. Mobile phone users delete before peeking. Consumers gripe that ads are intrusive and interrupt the enjoyment of the content they want. Sounds bad. But if we accept these complaints at face value, we can knock down the walls of resistance. It's simple: we must make our ads as compelling as the content surrounding them.

Should you consider using a toll-free vanity number with your DRTV campaign?  Our first instinct is to say "skip the vanity number." Why? Vanity numbers defy the very goal of traditional DRTV, and that's to create an accountable campaign where you can tell exactly how and where every call - and ultimately every sale - is generated. Vanity numbers inhibit traceability and thwart a company's ability to track their media buys, successes and failures to specific telecasts and stations.

It’s called Videoactive Advertising™. We believe this is a powerful new approach to market products and services through integrating DRTV with a video-enhanced or “Videoactive™” web site.

Hand written letters. Baseball before steroids. Gasoline for a buck. Some smaltz, some regret, some yearning. Conjure up a personal "good ‘ole days" remembrance and you'll get a smorgasbord of associated emotions. For advertisers today, it's probably some longing, some terror -- for the bygone era of a sane number of media options: TV, radio, print and billboards. Today, of course, media seems as hopelessly fragmented as Humpty Dumpty after his fall. But when you manage to wrap your head around all the new options, you'll find your plate packed with choices that should have your DRTV-marketer's mouth watering.

Circa 1984, David Letterman mounted his Late Night pulpit to impose a national catch phrase. Despite unflagging effort, "They pelted us with rocks and garbage" didn't exactly catch on. Twenty years later, the little known Spiridellis brothers authored a web animation that satirized 2004 presidential candidates George Bush and John Kerry. Within weeks, millions of netizens were buzzing about their barb-filled This Land is Your Land. Unintentionally, Jib-Jab had manufactured the mania that Dave sought.