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Posts Tagged ‘advertising’

What Can DRTV Strategists Take From the “Whitey” Bulger Arrest?

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011


In an ending to a story that doesn’t do justice (no pun intended) to Jack Nicholson’s performance in The Departed, James “Whitey” Bulger was brought down last month by, according to reports, a woman in Iceland who saw this ad on a CNN news story:

Now, what can we as DRTV marketing strategists learn from this? First, avoid being fingered for 19 murders and becoming a despised government turncoat. Oh, wait, this is a marketing blog.

Shotgun Media, Rifle Shot Creative Message

Blame “Whitey” for the firearm analogy — nevertheless it is appropriate.

Several years ago, Eicoff was approached by a company called Liberty Medical that was in the diabetic testing supply business — this was pre-Wilford Brimley. The company explained to us that TV had shown limited success for them and that their target market was Adults 65+, who are insulin dependent, and on Medicare. Unless callers answer yes to all three questions, they are not a worthwhile lead. While I would like to tell you that we all had a vision and jumped on board, the reality was that we were a bit skeptical that TV would be the right strategy.

We developed a very straightforward DRTV spot that was extremely direct –  a strong opening that called out the target, “If you are 65….”, supers calling out the benefits of Liberty Medical, and actors the target demo could relate to.

Long story short — the strategy was a huge success, eventually leading us to introduce Wilford Brimley as their spokesperson.

The lesson — while TV is a shotgun medium, a laser-focused commercial can help pinpoint hard-to reach audiences.

Al Eicoff told me many times that DRTV could be an effective way to sell an airplane. I used to laugh to humor him, but then I started to think “you really wouldn’t have to sell many ….”  Boeing hasn’t returned my call yet.

PR of a Campaign Can Be as Impactful as the Campaign Itself

According to the FBI, their commercial targeting Whitey’s girlfriend was scheduled to start airing in 14 markets on June 21. Interesting to note that Santa Monica/LA where Whitey was found, was not one of the scheduled markets. It appears the tip came in the night of June 21 from a woman in Iceland who saw the ad featured on a news story on CNN — she apparently had visited LA recently and recognized the wanted couple.

So, after working 16 years and spending God knows how much money trying to find Whitey, the FBI turns to our bastion of marketing and closes the sale in less than 24 hours. Better yet, the PR piece airing on CNN cost them nothing!  (Note to DRTV media buyers: I don’t know whether or not they were able to cancel the rest of the schedule — you’ll have to find that out on your own).

I think it goes without saying that you can never publicize your marketing campaigns enough. One more reason it’s critical to integrate your DRTV strategy into your overall marketing strategy.

As far as I know, there is no truth to the rumor that the Charlie Sheen Foundation is working on a campaign to locate the whereabouts of his career. Will keep you posted.

Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.

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DRTV’s Impact on Traditional Marketing

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010


It dawned on me as I was watching the Olympics this week the impact DRTV is having on traditional marketers. While we didn’t see a preponderance of 800#/drive to web (though I saw some), the impact I spotted was more subtle.

There has been a great deal of discussion regarding the web’s impact on television viewing. We’ve discussed at length the misperception that TV viewing is declining — there is plenty of research recently published that shows that, in fact, TV viewership is increasing.

Digging deeper behind the “TV is Dying” headlines, I’d propose that what the “experts” really want to be saying is, “The :15 and :30 TV Commercial is Dying.” I suspect that general marketers are beginning to learn what DRTV marketers have known for a long time — longer length commercials are more effective than shorter length commercials.

Here are a couple spots from Nike and P & G that appeared frequently during the Olympics:

Personally, I love these spots — I don’t get tired watching them. The question I ask myself is, “Would I like them as much if they were a :15 or a :30?” Probably not.

As more traditional marketers become exposed to the benefits of longer length DRTV spots, I believe you are going to see traditional marketers shift the balance from :15/:30′s to :60/:90/:120′s. The same reason DRTV marketers know they generate more calls/traffic per dollar via longer length sports, smart traditional marketers will learn this is the strategy they will need to follow for TV to be effective for them.

Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.

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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.

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