Tim's Articles By Year

Traditional advertisers bemoan the demise of the mass appointment TV audience, but DRTV veterans shrug unconcerned. Provided that media rates are set by sane GSMs, fragmentation will never destroy the direct response model. We've always built our audience by methodically aggregating comparatively small groups. One thousand clusters of 1,000 consumers respond significantly better than do 1 million viewers you reach all in one shot - so long as historical response data directs your audience targeting and media buys.

Successful DRTV marketers should be entertaining and educating, not just selling

No one likes to be "advertised to," but everyone loves to be entertained and educated. Knowing this, why aren't more marketers taking a page from the large corporations' books and creating commercials that do more than just push products and services on consumers that really aren't watching - or paying attention - anyway?

We've all watched American Idol host Ryan Seacrest's emphatically tell his nationwide audience of television viewers to dial "866" not "800" when picking up the phone to call in their votes. He makes the point several times during the show, doing what he can to keep well-meaning viewers on track for the end of the show, when it comes time to dial.
Why all the fuss over 866 versus 800 vanity numbers?

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.

There's a global economy waiting out there...are you ready to tackle it? We live in a global world, and we're all part of an international television advertising industry that presents significant opportunity for marketers looking to dip their toes into international waters.

If you've read any advertising related news story, blog or newsletter lately, you wonder how we all stay employed. Barely a day goes by without some new alarm that the web, cell phones, video on demand or gaming will doom traditional ad models. If we don't plunge in quickly, we'll perish.

Keep an eye on these developing trends to find out where ITV is headed and what it means for you

What was once a love-hate relationship has slowly transformed into an all-out love fest for all things DR.

Stroll through the aisles of any mainstream retailer these days and you're bound to run into one or more DRTV products. Whether it's the George Foreman grill in the housewares section at Target, a Roomba vacuum or tube of Miracle Hand Repair at Sharper Image, or a full array of everything from Space Bags to Pasta Pots at Bed Bath and Beyond, these products have become as prominent at retail as they are on DRTV commercials.

Knowing when DRTV will and won't work can help alleviate issues down the road. The product marketer comes to you with big dreams of selling oodles of units via short-form DRTV. The brand marketer knocks on your door, looking for someone to produce an infomercial that builds brand awareness and supports its traditional advertising methods. The large organization calls on you to create a mix of long- and short-form shows to raise awareness of its mission.

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.