Glossary: DRTV

Call Now! motivators

Use of premiums, bonuses, discounts, sweepstakes, etc. in addition to the principal infomercial product, designed to motivate viewers to call immediately. A good “motivator” can double response. Marketers are cautioned to fully substantiate and fulfill all claims. If your infomercial states: “$10 off for all callers in the next hour,” you must strictly adhere to the offer.

call to action (CTA)

The segments of an infomercial that “ask for the order.” An infomercial can have one, two, three, or more CTAs. Each infomercial CTA is typically a minimum of two minutes long, reviews the product’s main features and benefits, and states product guarantee, price point, warranties, “send check” address, toll-free number, credit cards accepted, etc.

campaign

Term used to describe a product’s advertising plan and execution from development, through production and media placement.

CD-ROM

Computer term for compact disc-read only memory, which—in marketing context—is used more and more to sell and promote products, particularly in catalog form.

channel surfing

The use of a remote control to window shop multiple cable channels, stopping only briefly on each channel.

chip camera

A technologically advanced video camera that records images using silicon microchips. This video is more stable and not subject to the drifting and burning typical of older tube cameras.

clearance

A term used by short-form buyers to indicate what portion of their media order in any day, week or campaign was actually broadcast. If a media buyer requests that $10,000 of short-form media be telecast in a week, but only $5,000 airs, the clearance is 50 percent. Decreasing clearance percentages over

clutter

A term used primarily by the spot image/awareness TV advertising industry to denote multiple commercial messages in a short period of time, thus making it difficult for an individual spot commercial to stand out from the crowd. Commercial breaks can last two to four minutes, and possibly have as many as eight to 16 different commercial messages.

COD

Acronym for “cash on delivery.” The most common method of payment in Europe--rarely used today for North America infomercial/DRTV sales. Refusal rate is often 50 percent or higher, making it too costly except when a product’s gross margin is very high (10-to-1) and therefore able to absorb refusal costs. “Sorry, no CODs” is a common graphic on infomercial billboards.

color correction

A technical process involving the electronic manipulation of colors on transferred film or video. Color correction is done to enhance color or correct lighting or equipment problems resulting in off-colored images during shooting.

comparables

A media time slot or slots that previously aired an infomercial with a product of similar demographic appeal to the product being analyzed.

component

Recording and transmission of the individual color, luminance and chroma characteristics of a video signal without combining them first as in a composite signal.

composite

Combining, recording and transmission of a video signal’s color, luminance and chroma values and characteristics as one signal.

composition

The demographic make-up of a specific viewing audience.

contingency

A percentage (usually 10 percent) of a production budget that is set aside for potential cost overruns.

Continuing media

Specific infomercial media time slots that produce profitable results week after week and are continually rebooked.

continuity program

An infomercial/DRTV product purchasing program that encourages consumers to purchase the first in a series of products, often for a lower-than-normal price, then continue purchasing the entire series for a higher price. Extensively used for music and book series. Concept also employed successfully for beauty, diet and self-development products.

copy

Term used by advertisers and agencies to specify the written or spoken words in a commercial. The term “copywriter” is most often used in traditional advertising to denote the writer of copy. In the infomercial industry, the copywriter is more often referred to as a “scriptwriter,” due to the length of copy written, which can range from 30 to 40 pages.

cost of goods (COG)

The direct costs associated with the manufacturing and packaging of a specific product.

cost per lead (CPL)

The average cost of television media to generate one lead or telephone request for more product information.

cost per order (CPO)

The average cost of television media to generate one product order. The figure is determined by taking the cost of a specific infomercial telecast and dividing it by the number of orders received. A $1,000 time period that generates 100 product orders would have a CPO of $10.

cost per rating point (C/RP)

The cost of buying one rating point in a specific time period or general program category (news, talk show, soap opera).

cover footage

Same as B-roll.

coverage

Total number of different people or homes reached by a specific ad campaign.

creative

Term used to describe the concept and scripting phases of the production process, and/or a person who is involved in these processes, as in “the creative department.”

credit card percent

The percentage of total DRTV orders purchased with a credit card versus check or COD.

CTA

See call to action.

cumulative/CUME

Synonyms for reach.

customer service

In DRTV, this typically refers to a bank of telephone operators or telephone service representatives (TSRs) who manage the shipping, payment, returns, and product questions from customers. Customer service can make or break product manufacturers’ DRTV campaigns.

cyc

A seamless curved studio wall, floor to ceiling, which is used as a background for shooting film or video.