Archive for the ‘DRTV Production’ Category
DRTV Can Serve as Virtual Pop-up Store This Holiday Season
Wednesday, July 27th, 2011
Traditional retailers know that in order to succeed, they need to locate their stores in targeted high-traffic areas. And many marketers rely on this distribution to drive sales. But imagine being able to quickly and easily change these locations based on your products’ sales volume and seasonality. It sounds too good to be true. But there is a way to ride the wave of high-traffic visibility without the cost and restrictions of brick-and-mortar retail: DRTV.
To put this in better context, consider the increasing popularity of pop-up stores. Many retailers have embraced the pop-up store during the holidays as a way to add flexibility and expand reach in order to take advantage of seasonality. The concept here is to offer a selection of popular products in smaller stores located in high-traffic shopping areas. These additional locations will also increase visibility for a retailer, and create a residual lift for their permanent retail locations and e-commerce platform. DRTV can have a similar impact. But it isn’t limited to traditional retailers.
E-commerce Opens Doors; DRTV Makes the Sale
As a marketer, if you have an e-commerce platform, you have a virtual store. Like most brick and mortar stores, it is a fixed location and relies on consumers to find it. Most e-commerce marketers rely on brand advertising support to create a buzz and drive high-volume traffic. Other than that, traffic is driven in lower quantities via targeted digital tactics like search and display advertising. But in most cases, none of these tactics are actually selling any product. For e-commerce, a DRTV commercial (:60 or :120) can serve as a virtual pop-up store, presenting your products for sale to a mass audience in the targeted high-traffic environment of television.
In a pop-up store, you can learn more about the specific products, and there are sales people on hand to convert the sale. A DRTV commercial can do these same things as an extension of your web site. And in the process, generate accountable revenue. But unlike a retail location, with DRTV you don’t have the commitment of a lease. Sure, the cost of creative production can be seen as a fixed cost similar to the cost to build-out, stock, and set-up a temporary retail location. But the media is flexible and accountable, so it can be optimized based on performance. And that is a big advantage.
It’s Time to Consider DRTV in Holiday 2011 Planning
It is easy for traditional marketers to overlook DRTV, because they are not familiar with its ability to deliver across several objectives: awareness, education, direct sales, and retail support. And prior to the development of their e-commerce platforms, most marketers didn’t have a way to efficiently fulfill sales directly to the consumer. But it is now time to take another look.
If you have the means to sell product directly to consumers, then DRTV is your virtual pop-up store. It is a two-pronged tactic that can increase retail sales and generate direct sales that will, at the very least, help fund your marketing costs. And if successful, it will produce an entirely new revenue stream. Given this potential up-side, don’t be surprised to see new DRTV campaigns unwrapped this coming holiday season.
Rob Schmidt is an Account Supervisor at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
7 Questions to Ask When Choosing a DRTV Agency
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
1. What is the DRTV agency’s primary focus?
Many agencies like to be all things to all people. They specialize in long-form DRTV, short-form DRTV, radio, search, banners, etc… While it would be ideal if agencies were great at all aspects of DRTV/direct marketing, my experience is that most agencies have one core specialty.
Either the agency is very good at half-hour infomercials and does short-form because their client needs them to; or they’re very good at short-form and try to improvise when it comes to half-hours. I think most DRTV veterans would agree with me on this.
2. What is the background of the agency’s principals?
How long have they been in the DRTV business? What companies/agencies have they worked for? Is their DRTV background long-form or short-form? You can uncover some interesting things.
3. Are the agency employees working on my business going to be full-time employees or freelancers?
I think it goes without saying that a full-time employee has a much greater investment in seeing your campaign succeed. Ultimately they will see a financial benefit if the clients do well. The freelancer is getting a set fee, regardless of whether the campaign succeeds or not.
While it may seem like overkill, it is important to visit an agency’s headquarters to determine whether the actual agency headcount matches the advertised headcount.
4. What is the headcount of the agency staff that works on DRTV full-time?
While an agency’s billings are a fair question, it is not necessarily a good indicator of experience. Headcount of staff devoted to DRTV is a better guide to an agency’s experience and clout.
For example, a multi-disciplined agency may have a client/brand that spends $200 million on TV. The objective of the campaign is to achieve awareness and store sales. The commercial does have a small 800# and URL, but the response is minimal
Further, the media is handled out of a holding company media group on the other side of the country. So, what appears to be $200 million in DRTV billings is actually a brand account handled by someone in another office.
5. What percentage does DRTV comprise the agency’s bottom-line business?
This will quickly give you a snapshot of whether the agency is focused 24/7 on DRTV or if it is a menu item of a much larger entity.
6. Does the DRTV agency supply full disclosure of rates paid to stations?
No matter what proposal an agency might present to you (i.e. “Guaranteed CPL’s”), unless you have the ability to see exactly what the agency is paying the station for every spot aired, you are susceptible to being overcharged. There’s a reason station affidavits are notarized – you should demand to see them. It’s a red flag if the agency won’t submit them.
For example, let’s say an agency agrees to a 5% commission, rebating 10% of the 15% agency commission back to you. They report to you a $1,000 spot on CNN, without supplying an affidavit.
The agency invoices you for $900 (rebating the 10% of the reported $1,000) which on the surface seems like a pretty good deal. However, the reality is the agency may have paid $750 for the spot, pocketing the difference. This would translate to a real commission rate of 20%. Demand to see the original unedited station invoice.
7. What is the DRTV agency policy on conflicts of interest?
Most companies do not want their agency working with a competitor. Not every agency looks at it that way. Clarify this upfront.
These are just a few of the questions you may want to think about when reviewing potential DRTV agencies. Good luck with your search!
Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
DRTV in Asia
Friday, March 11th, 2011
For those of us that have been involved in DRTV overseas, we know that DRTV’s growth is coming like a freight train, particularly in Asia.
The following release gives you some insight into DRTV’s role in CIGNA’s business strategy in Thailand.
CIGNA Insurance Announces 2011’s Key Business Strategies
and Launches New DRTV to sell “1 Care 2” Policy Plan
Posted by on March 3, 2011
Bangkok–3 Mar–CIGNA Insurance
Management, and Direct-to-Consumers Channels integration. The Company sets to launch new Direct Response TV Commercial to offer “1 Care 2” policy aiming to tap the family generation for the 2 consecutive year. CIGNA Thailand targets Y2011 Sales from all channels to exceed THB 1.5 Billion.
Mr. Gary Wayne Denson, Chief Executive Officer & Country Manager, CIGNA Insurance Public Company Limited, an expert in affinity-based telemarketing and direct distribution business specializing in Personal Accident and Health insurance products in Thailand said that the Company has again been successful in its sales mission which has grown over 300% during Y2008-2010, owing to its continued successful implementation of the first three-year strategic road map since Y2008. To continue its success in Y2011, the Company focuses its key strategies on 3 initiatives which are:
1) Affinity Business Partnerships: to increase the numbers of major Business Partners (BPs) and to expand a horizontal penetration within existing BPs. The Company aims to bring the Insurance more closer to Thai people through various marketing campaigns with BPs such as the campaign that CIGNA has partnered with GSM advance to offer Personal Accidental Insurance for GSM advance customers free of charge for 3 months.
“Our core business model is based on the affinity partnerships. Therefore, the growth of our business partner numbers is very important to the growth of our business. We’re proud to say that our business partner numbers have tripled over the last 3 years, most of which are the country’s leading financial institutions, plus major companies in the telecom, retail, automotive, and IT sectors” Mr. Denson added.
2.) Customer Value Management (CVM) which is the unique strength of CIGNA around the globe that is used to help CIGNA’s Business Partners to drive effectiveness through targeting relevant and meaningful offers to their customer segments — and where CIGNA’s products meet a buying need. Over time, CIGNA is migrating to a model where its approach integrates the customer, product and channel dynamics. This also enables CIGNA to optimize the customer contact management strategy on behalf of its Business Partners. CIGNA Thailand is striving to utilize this unique selling point with every BP to produce greater customer satisfaction & superior financial results for both CIGNA and BPs.
3.) Synergy of all sales channels, especially Direct—to-Consumer Channels, the channel that creates a direct demand from the consumers which has been another strategic initiative of The Company since early 2008. Being happy with last year’s Direct Response TV (DRTV)’s success, the campaign earned overwhelming response from the Thai consumers, which resulted higher than planned sales value. Thereby, CIGNA Thailand will aggressively pursue the DRTV channel again this year.
“Last year we’ve overwhelmed with about 100,000 incoming calls from airing the DRTV and also achieved THB 100 million sales target (DRTV and Internet); we are extremely satisfied and assume in being the pioneer in Thailand that we have created a movement to the market in this channel significantly. There are number of insurance companies that now play in this channel but focus on a different target groups. For CIGNA Thailand, we are still focusing on the target group of the family generation as last year and we launch “1 Care 2” policy plan to the market today”. said Mr. Denson.
The new DRTV campaign will promote the “1 Care 2” insurance policy, which covers both yourself (a prime insured) and another loved one who is either the prime insured’s father, mother, spouse or son/daughter. The prime insured, aging from 15-59 years old, will be covered with both Personal Accident Insurance Plan and also 5 critical illnesses: Invasive Cancers, Heart Attack, Stroke, Kidney Failure, and Coma ranging from THB 200,000 to THB 800,000, plus reimbursement on medical expenses from an accident, with maximum coverage of 30,000 baht per accident (motorcycling included), with no limit on the number of accidents within the protection period. In addition, CIGNA Care Card will be provided to the insured to allow them to enjoy cash-free payment for medical expenses in case of an accident if the insured receives medical treatment in any of the hospitals under the CIGNA agreed partner network. Moreover, Global Emergency Services 24 hours a day will be provided to the insured, allowing them to have a peace of mind when they travel, anywhere in Thailand and across the globe.
Also, the loved one of the prime insured will be provided the maximum coverage of THB 300,000 lump sum benefit when they suffers loss of life, dismemberment or total permanent disability due to an accident, plus reimbursement on medical expenses from an accident with maximum coverage of 10,000 baht per accident (motorcycling included), with no limit on the number of accidents within the protection period. CIGNA Care Card also provided for 1 year coverage (for those who buy plan 3-5 only). The benefit of covering the loved one will go only to the prime insured who pay the premium by credit card, without any additional cost. The loved one could be the prime insured’s either father, mother, spouse or a child whose age between 1-70 years old. The premium of “1 Care 2” plan starts from 7 baht per day (for the prime insured with age between 15-25 years old and buy the Plan 2.)
In addition to DRTV channel, CIGNA also offers “1 Care 2” plan through the online channel via CIGNA Thailand’s website. It aims to serve the new generation of consumers, who love to purchase products via the online channel. For those who interested in the product can leave their name and phone number on the website, for next step follow up from CIGNA’s telesales specialists who will provide information in detail and complete the sales process.
“CIGNA Thailand will synergize our all sales channel as much as possible whether on telemarketing, internet and other channels which will be launched in the near future to maximize the benefit from every channel to ensure a convenient, easy and enjoyable consumer experience. CIGNA Thailand sets the sales target (ANP) of DRTV and internet in Y2011 to exceed THB 140 Million, which means 40% growth from last year.” concluded Mr. Denson.
For Y2010 overall business performance, CIGNA Insurance Public Company Limited recorded Net Written Premiums as of December 2010 of THB 717 Million, jumping 122 percent from THB 322 Million of Net Written Premiums as of December 2009. Number of Policy in-force is about 570,000 policies as of the end of Y2010. The Company has set the Y2011 sales target (ANP) of all channels of THB 1.5 Billion, 50% growth from Y2010 sales results.
For the original article, please visit http://www.tivarati.com/news/106222
Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
DRTV Will Benefit from New Technology
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
As new technology continues to explode around us, many of us continue to assess the impact it will have on both consumers and marketing. Call it half-glass-full thinking, but it appears to us that this is all good, particularly for DRTV marketers.
Upon reading the article below about ESPN’s expansion into 3-D (in addition to mobile, online, iPads, etc…) the line that jumped out of the article was, “New second and third screens, online, iPad, mobile, are not cannibalizing traditional media. ” Said another way, it would appear that most of the new technology is adding to, not taking from, traditional media.
ESPN Pushes 3-Screen Approach, But TV Still King
Wayne Friedman, Jun 15, 2010
Las Vegas, NV — ESPN isn’t just about all screens all the time; it’s about content producers all working together, which can be rare in media. It’s also about moving fast with new technologies.
“Digital producers sit next to online producers [who] sit next to TV producers,” says George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN Inc. and co-chair of Disney Media Networks, speaking at the Nielsen Consumer 360 conference.
“I don’t believe in silos,” he says. “I hate hearing about silos.”
ESPN recently built the biggest digital-TV facility in Bristol, Conn., which the company believes is the largest facility of its kind in the U.S.
ESPN has been pushing its three-screen approach for some time now — whether it’s traditional TV, online, mobile or the iPad. These businesses are still growing, although the latter is small. “Nearly 10% of the people who watch the World Cup, and who enjoyed, weren’t watching on TV,” he says.
Television remains the big gun for ESPN. “Television is the Mac truck of media usage,” he says. Eighty percent of the sports network viewership comes from TV. New second and third screens, online, iPad, mobile, are not cannibalizing traditional media.
Bodenheimer says 75% of ESPN’s traditional TV usage comes from male viewers, with 85% of ESPN’s new digital video products also consumed by men. But he adds that the network has women users; it’s just that the cumulative usage of men versus women is much higher.
ESPN’s rapid deployment of new technology is necessary — even with doubters. “It’s very easy to throw your hands up [about 3D],” says Bodenheimer. “How big? How fast? What about the glasses? The answer is: We don’t know… [but] if we are going to continue to be leaders, then we must launch [these products].”
Why is this good for DRTV marketers? First, traditional TV media will continue to grow in the near future as the population increases. One only has to count the increasing number of cable/digital networks to bear this out. As we all know, more air time means lower rates, etc…
What’s even more intriguing is the opportunity new media presents for DRTV marketers. While much of the new media is still over-priced on a CPM basis, just imagine the day when those costs come back to reality. Combine these more rational media costs with DRTV’s ability to both utilize video content to drive a response, and track every single spot aired. Based on our experience in new media, that day is fast-approaching.
So get your 3D glasses on, grab your iPad and hold on, it’s going to be a fun ride!
Original article here: ESPN Pushes 3-Screen Approach, But TV Still King
Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
Back to Basics: Maintaining DRTV Efficiency in a Tight Marketplace
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
DRTV became even more attractive to a wide array of marketers in late 2008 and early 2009 as media budgets eroded and CMO’s faced more pressure to justify marketing spend by way of ROI. New advertisers tested the DRTV waters, and inventory was available across a broad spectrum of broadcast, cable and syndication outlets. With more vendors willing to work with DRTV advertisers, availability was plentiful and efficiency came relatively easy. But as we face heavier scatter demand in 2010, and brace for a strong 2011 upfront market, it is important to revisit the basics of what makes DRTV efficient.
Wide Landscape
DRTV was born out of a growth in commercial inventory, and even as CPMs increase and avails tighten on top tier networks, inventory is still accessible on a national level. Make sure your media partner assesses the full scale of availability while building your tactical plan. Also, fight the temptation to limit your buy to stations and/or programs that you, personally, are familiar with. A good DRTV buyer can still reach your target efficiently by looking beyond the obvious.
Flexibility
Another staple of DRTV is flexibility. Stations offer buyers flexibility in rates and cancellation, and in return expect flexibility in placement. Allowing for leeway in response or impression delivery on a weekly and even daypart level will allow you to take better advantage of station availability, and improve efficiency.
Tracking and Optimization
This is elementary to traditional DRTV players, but many marketers who entered the space during the recession were content with driving phone or web response as a means to earn efficient DRTV pricing. But rate is only part of the equation. Tracking – both clearance and response – and campaign optimization based on this data is the core of a successful DRTV campaign. Make sure your media agency has the tools and experience to track and optimize down to the creative, station, daypart/rotation, and even program level. Also, remember that unique phone numbers and URLs by station and creative are instrumental in this process.
Testing
A good DRTV marketer knows that you are always in test mode. With the tracking capabilities available via DRTV, your campaign should continue to evolve each week based on testing new stations, dayparts, and creatives. Your media partner should identify the correct balance between core schedule spend and testing.
There will be a lot written about the return of the traditional TV marketplace in the coming months, and much will focus on increases in upfront and scatter demand and the subsequent impact on pricing. This more competitive marketplace will elevate the importance of traditional DRTV principles. The marketers and agencies that execute these principles the best will continue to thrive in an increasingly ROI focused environment.
Rob Schmidt is an Account Supervisor at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
The 5 Myths of DRTV
Friday, March 26th, 2010
Despite the growth of the DRTV business in recent years and all the knowledge available about it online and elsewhere, certain misconceptions persist. Some of these misconceptions have been repeated so often by so many that they become full-fledged myths. At worst, these myths create flaws in the DRTV strategies of advertisers—flaws that can produce media plans, creative approaches or even offers that don’t work.
Awareness of what these myths are can help prevent the damage they do. Here are the most common myths we’ve observed and the realities they obscure:
You can’t sell and build a brand in the same DRTV spot.
This myth is rooted in the early days of DRTV, when the common belief was that every second of the spot must be devoted to motivating viewers to respond. For hard-selling DRTV pioneers, building brand or anything that didn’t focus directly on the offer benefits was wasted time. Over the years, however, we’ve found that brand-building and selling aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, delivering the brand message at the right time in the right way can actually increase response rates.
Late night and weekend slots are always the best times to run DRTV commercials.
Not always. Obviously, these are effective periods because they usually offer lower rates and the type of programming that DRTV thrives upon. But it may be that for certain offers, other slots are as effective or even more effective. We’ve found that there are instances when primetime can be effective for some direct response spots.
The most effective DRTV spots are ALWAYS two minutes in length.
For a long time, two minutes was the gold standard for DRTV. For many clients it still is. However, because of the diversity of offers on the air and the well-known brands using DRTV, even 30-second spots can work well. We’ve learned that the length of the spot should be shaped by the offer, by testing and by availabilities. The more flexible advertisers are when it comes to commercial length, the more likely they’ll produce an effective spot
You can’t sell products or services over a certain price point using DRTV.
Years ago, there was some validity to this myth. At one time, $19.95 was the cutoff. As viewers became more accustomed to buying via DRTV, as Fortune 500 advertisers helped legitimize many spots and as credit card usage for purchases became the norm, the old pricing limits became irrelevant. Nonetheless, some people in our industry still believe that it’s tough to sell high end offers, even though there’s a great deal of evidence to the contrary.
DRTV advertising has no impact on retail sales.
In some ways, this is the most persistent myth of all. For years, many people in our business believed that if people didn’t respond to a DRTV spot by calling the toll free number, they would never buy that product in a store; that DRTV commercials contributed nothing to creating awareness for and a predisposition to buy advertised products in stores. We’ve had clients who have run what are known as “dark tests” where they pull DRTV advertising for a period of time and measure how retail sales are impacted. They’ve found that store sales of their products decreased when the DRTV commercials were off the air and increased when they went back on. Clearly, direct response commercials have a positive, spillover effect on store sales.
Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
Choosing the Right DRTV Celebrity
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Or How Wilford Brimley rode in on a horse, and Liberty Medical rides out with a success story.
Working with a celebrity endorser can be an expensive proposition for an advertiser. And, as many advertisers through the years have discovered, it can be fraught with peril. But with DRTV, you can find out very quickly whether a celebrity is the right spokesman for your product.
Liberty Medical is in the business of home delivery of diabetes testing supplies and was committed to using a celebrity in their advertising. Liberty tried a number of very famous actors without success. The spots were pulled after short media tests, with minimal financial investment.
It turns out having an instantly recognizable name was not enough to resonate with potential Liberty customers. The spokesman had to know what living with Type 2 Diabetes is all about. Enter Wilford Brimley.
Click on the embedded video to see the spot created by A.Eicoff & Company, and hear Wilford Brimley’s story. The spot was a long-term success for Liberty Medical.
After the initial two-week test with Wilford Brimley proved successful, a national rollout followed. The difference was not the message or the markets where the spot ran. The difference was the simple fact that Wilford Brimley understood what living with Type 2 Diabetes was all about; he was able to connect with the audience. He knew that testing your blood sugar as often as your doctor prescribed was vital, even if it wasn’t the easiest or most pleasant thing to do. He offered a bit of advice, he did it in a compelling manner and there was no mistaking what he wanted people to do: “Call Liberty, they’ll help you live a better life.”
Liberty Medical built their diabetes testing supply business significantly on a Direct Response Television campaign featuring Mr. Brimley. This commercial, which ran successfully for several years, was also parodied on Saturday Night Live, featuring John Goodman in the role of “Wilford Brimley.”
I’m not sure how Mr. Brimley took the satirical piece, (I didn’t dare ask), but when your commercial is being parodied on SNL it’s definitely part of the consciousness of American television viewers. And that was a huge bonus for Liberty Medical. A celebrity is not always the right way to go in a television campaign, but when you can test it with a Direct Response Television commercial, you’ll know very quickly whether you made the right decision.
Terry O’Sullivan is a Group Creative Director at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
Evolution of DRTV
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
When Alvin Eicoff created his own direct response agency 50 years ago, did he think direct response television (DRTV) would make products like the Snuggie a national phenomenon? Some may argue that he knew products like this would flourish with DRTV. In fact, one of Alvin’s first products he advertised promised to get rid of rats in your home and was quite successful. Though the products may be as unique as they were 50 years ago, small products are not the only ones using DRTV. Top Fortune 500 companies, who 20 years ago would have never dreamed of using DRTV, now rely on it to sell products, generate leads and build their brand. The following are four developments that helped DRTV evolve into the effective marketing tool it is today:
Call Tracking
The development of telemarketing call centers has become just as important as any other element in DRTV. When a person calls the number shown in a DRTV advertisement, they are directed to a call center where the call can be broken down into several statistics. Most DRTV commercials place a unique 800-phone number on their spot, specific to that channel/daypart. When a person calls one of the unique phone numbers, the call center can track which spot (channel/daypart) generated the call. The call can then be analyzed and statistically reported by aspects such as cost per call, cost per lead, and conversion rate, which have become one of the most important elements when placing media. These statistics help optimize where media is placed based on which channel/daypart/program produces the best statistics. Many call centers today possess real-time tracking technology that gives media buyers the power to know more data faster and optimize more effectively based on this data.
Internet
The internet has provided a new medium to which the viewer can respond. Many DRTV commercials also feature a URL the viewer can visit. Some advertisers are even placing unique web address in their DRTV spots, e.g., www.company.com/tv1. The use of a URL is a less formal response to a commercial, but can provide similar statistical feedback to advertisers. Also, though viewers may not remember the unique URL in a commercial, they may perform an internet search for the company advertised in the spot. If search has gone up, one can assume the commercial has had a positive effect.
Media Landscape
The television media landscape continues to expand. The number of cable networks is increasing and becoming more fragmented, making it easier to place longer length spots (typically 2-minutes or 60 seconds in length) and target specific demographics. For example, if an advertiser wants to target adults aged 65+, they are able to place DRTV spots on stations this demographic is likely to watch, and as a result, more likely to respond to. This type of strategy not only drives more leads, but more qualified leads as the audience viewing the commercial are the ones targeted.
Fortune 500 Companies
Twenty years ago, top Fortune 500 companies like American Express would have never dreamed of using an 800-phone number or a call-to-action in their television commercials. Having DRTV as part of their marketing mix was considered uncomfortable territory for these companies. Nowadays, these Fortune 500 companies are calling us to learn how DRTV can help generate leads and more importantly, sales. Whether it is driving people to a phone number, retail store or website, DRTV has been an effective ROI strategy for these top companies to produce results as well as build brand awareness.
With technology and the marketplace ever changing, the possibilities are endless for DRTV. At the current pace, advertisers in the next 50 years may have no choice but to rely on DRTV. Alvin Eicoff would certainly agree.
Adam Poll is an Assistant Account Executive at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
The Power of the DRTV Demo
Friday, January 29th, 2010
With the spirit of the state of Missouri in mind, buyers of your helpful product or cool innovation will often bring a simple demand: show me! Thus, as much as powerful language and nice imagery can enhance your product’s personality and its brand, you cannot underestimate the power of THE DEMO in your television spot.
This is especially important if you’re creating a direct response television commercial.
Over the years at Eicoff, we’ve put numerous products to that task in our DRTV commercials. Craftsman tools, Kenmore vacuums, beauty products, automotive… we’ve demoed it all. Along the way, we’ve learned quite a few things. Here are some.
Demos don’t need to be boring. Whether it’s the angle you shoot it at, the art direction or the sound effects, demos can and should be dynamic.
Think visual. Some demonstrations are made for television, others not so much. Make sure what you’re demonstrating is something that can be told visually. For example, you cannot show how a product smells.
Take your time. Longer format television spots help you help the viewer see your product’s value. Unless you have something that does one thing and one thing only, it’s beneficial to have extra time to give viewers a more complete picture and better understanding of your product. “Wow, it does that and that and that… sold!”
Run a test. It may seem like a total no brainer, but it’s always a good idea to try the demos before you film the demos. This ensures no hangs up on the shoot day and may actually create a thought or two on how to improve the demo.
Here are 3 examples of Eicoff DRTV commercials that work hard to tell a product’s story by utilizing the almighty demo.
Craftsman 2-in-1 Trimmer/Blower
Craftsman Clean ‘N Carry Powerwasher
Craftsman CompuCarve
Tim Burke is a Senior Vice-President, Group Creative Director at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
Where Emerging Media and DRTV Overlap
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
There is much focus these days in the trade publications on emerging media. It is a very broad term that often scares traditional DRTV clients. It should not. Much of what makes emerging media exciting overlaps well with traditional DRTV:
- Highly measurable
- Easy to target specific demographics
- Platforms that are conducive for response
- Pricing models that allow for low-cost testing
It is true that the emerging media world is very broad and rapidly changing market. In this post I would like to focus on a few of the key areas where emerging media and DRTV overlap:
- Alternate buying platforms (Google TV, Admira)
- Interactive TV (TiVo, RFI)
- Online Video
One reason these all work so well is that they are rooted in the power of utilizing video to drive response and serve as a new way for the ad to generate response. Alternate buying platforms are the easiest emerging media tool for a DRTV company to grasp. You are buying the same media and running the same creative, but the buying process is more intelligent due to some very exciting technology from companies like Google and Microsoft (Admira). We have had great success using these platforms as additional tools in our media tool box.
Interactive TV allows the consumer easily respond to a call-to-action — most often via the click of a remote. TiVo has proven a very successful tool for our clients. Their platform is very advertising friendly- especially with the addition of show tags and pause screen tags. We are now able to advertise on shows that typically are off limits for DRTV clients. RFI capabilities are currently rolling out on other platforms and should be a great tool to generate cost-effective responses in 2010.
Online video has been the hot medium for the last two years. Unfortunately, the large growth in online video consumption has not been matched in ad spending by DRTV-minded advertisers. That may change in 2010 as the number of consumers watching longer-length videos increases and the cost of online video ads comes down. The willingness of ad networks and publishers to test CPC (cost per complete call) and even CPS (cost per sale) pricing is also increasing, which is a very good sign for the DRTV market.
This was just a very brief skim of just a few of the exciting emerging media tools our clients are using to generate immediate, measurable results. More to come…
Matt Cote is Associate Director of Emerging Media at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
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