Posts Tagged ‘advertising’
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.
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.
TV Viewership and Its Impact on DRTV
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
Much has been written about the demise of television at the hands of the web. The recent report issued from Nielsen may put a snag in the theory that TV is a dying medium.
The graph below indicates that TV viewership continues to grow, and hit an all-time high last quarter. This by no means diminishes the role of the internet (and, more importantly, its role as a DRTV response option), but it does give one pause to think that HD-quality 52-inch television viewing is going to be replaced by people viewing shows on their cellphones anytime soon.
The skeptics will say that viewership may be increasing for viewers 18+ but the next generation of viewers will act differently. This may be true, however Nielsen’s latest data on viewers 2-11 indicate that viewership is increasing there as well.
Web Impact on DRTV
Many of us remember the heady times of the late ‘90’s in Silicon Valley. Start-up internet companies in garages were receiving millions of dollars in seed money. As the web continued its growth, one had to naturally begin to wonder what the web’s impact would be on the television industry, and on DRTV specifically.
Looking back on it, the internet is the best thing that ever happened to the DRTV industry. The primary benefit: accountability. Marketing and product managers have had to become much more accountable when it comes to their marketing budgets. And for many marketers, take a guess what is usually the largest line item in their marketing budget: TV.
DRTV has allowed marketers to better justify the dollars they spend on TV. As the technology continues to evolve, there is no doubt this efficiency and accountability will continue to grow.
Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
DRTV and Pharma
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
It’s hard to believe it has been 12 years since the FDA eased the guidelines on television advertising for pharmaceuticals. It occurred to us when this happened that DRTV marketing would be a natural component for DTC television:
–Pharma TV ads had to contain an 800# for consumers
–Commercials had to contain a balance statement (requiring a longer length spot)
–Capturing the names of people with a chronic disease state seemed valuable
As I made my rounds of marketing conferences espousing the benefits of DRTV and how it would change pharma marketing, mostly what I received were stares. I quickly learned that pharma product managers in those days not only had no idea what DRTV marketing was, most had no consumer marketing experience either. They had built their success on B2B marketing to the physician.
While we as an agency had some success with a few clients, the growth never reached the level we thought it would. It seemed that while direct marketing was being used here and there, it hadn’t taken hold, for whatever reason. A few years passed.
I walked into a meeting a couple years back at a large pharma company. As the large group introduced themselves, it became apparent that 70% of the people from the company had the term “Relationship Marketing” in their title. The day had come — direct marketing had finally taken it’s place in the Pharma industry and it’s never looked back.
There are rumblings that the new healthcare plan will contain some restrictions on DTC advertising — until that time we suspect that direct marketing/DRTV will continue to play a larger role in DTC marketing.
Bill McCabe is EVP/COO at A. Eicoff & Co., one of the North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
A Message about the Message
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Have you ever watched a television commercial and thought, “Wow, I have no idea what you, Mr. Advertiser, are trying to tell me.” It happens all time. Advertisers, with everything they’re attempting to accomplish, can very easily find themselves communicating nothing. You can speak in a language consumers don’t understand. You try to be too clever. You can be too forgettable. You can say too much. You can say too little. Indeed, there are a million ways to mess up your message.
In direct response television, bad communication makes for bad results. In DRTV, the commercial lengths are often longer; the copy is heavier; and the need for understanding is even greater. Thus, while the longer format provides a great opportunity to really make your words work wonders, it unfortunately also can become a showcase for one’s failure to communicate. So when it comes to your TV commercials and relaying what you want to say, here are 5 ways to move your message in the right direction.
1 Make your words relevant and relatable
Instead of telling the viewer this is what my product or service does, try expressing what it means to them. For example, rather than saying, “This phone is equipped with a state-of-the-art global, galactic, digital-mapping navigation system,” try something more like, “With our phone in your purse, you’ll never know the feeling of being lost again and you’ll always know where closest coffee shop is.”
2 Stay focused
What is the main message you want people to take away? Think about it. Think some more. And then do everything you can to ensure it does not get lost. In longer format television spots, the big advantage is the ability to add more and more information. This is certainly a terrific thing because very often a 30 second spot simply does not offer enough time to tell your story. However, if your big message is “our product will make you better looking,” and you open with that statement, then go on to talk about how the product makes you smarter, taller, funnier, faster, stronger, happier, less stressed out about your job and better at Sudoku puzzles without continuing to reinforce your main message, your spot quickly becomes less clear, less concrete and less compelling.
3 Speak their language
No, this does not mean if you’re airing your TV spot in Texas you need a cowboy for your voice. What you need to consider is the fact that you understand your product or service in a completely different way than the guy sitting on the couch watching your commercial. The internal, corporate jargon needs to be locked away in a file cabinet. Be conversational. Be human. Be personal. Make your message feel like it was written from one person to another.
4 Don’t forget your tone
Especially in direct response television, the tone of your spot can often fall into the category of “what tone?” This is a big mistake. Because it’s not only what you say, but how you say it. First, you must think about the personality of your product, your brand or your service. Is it friendly, serious, smart, energetic or something else? If you don’t know the personality, envision what you would like it to be. Tone can help your ad stand out from the clutter and really get noticed.
5 Lead them on a clear path
Okay, so you’ve done everything you can to get a consumer interested in your product. You’ve made it relevant, spoke their language, stayed focus and engaged them with your tone. Now you must make sure they know what to do. If you want them to call, say it loud and proud. If you have a website in mind, put it up there on the screen as clear as can be. Or if there is a store to go, let the people know. Unless your product is well known and where it’s sold is super obvious, don’t be shy about telling the viewer exactly how to take action. And don’t give them 8 different call-to-actions either. Make their path simple and smooth.
The message you send in your TV commercial is everything. The words you choose, and of course the visuals you use, should work effortlessly to convey your story. Whether your story is easy to tell or much more challenging, you should always be thinking about that person on the other side of the TV and asking, “Do THEY get it?”
Tim Burke is a Creative Director at A. Eicoff. one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
Falling in Love with DRTV
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
The other day I walked into a store, looking for a certain something. I was prepared to do retail battle, tracking the thing down, hunting among cluttered shelves and end aisle displays. Instead, a salesperson met me at the door, and asked me what he could do to help me. I told him. He walked me back to the rack in the store where I found precisely what I was looking for. I checked out and went on my way, clutching my newest material possession.
That’s what I’m talking about. Closure.
In a world awash with products and services of every description, what I’m really looking for is someone to help me figure out how to get what I need, or at least what I really want. Most of the traditional brand-sell spots that I see leave me wanting more – like having a brief 15- or 30-second conversation with a charming so-and-so at the bar, and then leaving without a phone number or a way to take the next step.
I want my DRTV.
Instead of a commercial with half a minute of clever – there are many, and I enjoy them as much as the next remote wielder – how about something that will also educate, inform, give me a little taste of what to expect, what you’ll do for me, your many virtues. And then let me know how I can get one of my very own. Right now.
Engage me, entertain me. But then please, please give me your phone number. Or at least your url. Now that’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Or, more accurately, a consummated one.
It’s been said that we live in a world dominated by immediate satisfaction. I’ll cop to that. As will anyone who finds themselves frustrated when they don’t get a reply within sixty seconds of sending a text. Tell me how I can get it delivered it to my door, downloaded to my TV, uploaded it to my iPhone.
Just please don’t make me work for it.
Mike Powell is Executive Creative Director at A. Eicoff, one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
The DNA of DRTV
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Everyone wants to know the secret to DRTV. Advertisers who wouldn’t have touched it a few years ago are intrigued, and are siphoning funds away from traditional brand-only television. Predictably, general market agencies are scrambling to learn more, to become facile in this estranged world of selling. After more than fifteen years in the brand advertising world, I’m a convert.
What’s the secret? Guess what, there isn’t one. There isn’t a step-by-step chronology or a secret sequence of events. At least not one that I could divine. Here’s what I came up with: commercials either work or they don’t. And as much as some like to say they have decoded the process, as far as I can tell nobody’s got that figured out. It remains, so far, a creative process.
Still, I thought, there has to be some method to the madness, right? I tried to uncover consistencies across the successful DRTV spots that we’ve done at Eicoff. It seems like there are four essential elements that make up the DNA of successful DRTV advertising. How you put them together, well, that’s up to you.
Element #1: Engagingness
Chances are good that the person watching your commercial hasn’t been sitting there waiting for you to invade their world. Your best chance at avoiding the tyranny of the remote or the mouse is to engage your prospect. It’s been said that the most important skill of a good salesperson is to be a good listener. But what do you do when you’re not even in the room? In the monologue of pre-produced video – on TV or online – the listening happens beforehand, off screen, with loads of research, as much as you can get your hands on. Immerse yourself in your target audience, appreciate the value of your product or service to them, and figure out how the two fit together. The days of shameless schilling are, if not completely gone, numbered. You’re really stacking the deck against yourself if you think you can bully someone into buying with repetition and volume – too many other choices out there. You have to engage, not assault.
Element #2: Value
Before you can sell anything, it has to have value, and I don’t mean how much it costs. At the onset of your message, remember that the value of the product or service you’re offering is exactly zero. Your commercial has to create value, enough that someone will not only be willing, but indeed want to spend their money and invest their time to get it. If you think the viewer is going to help you here, you’re mistaken. This isn’t the time or place to imply or intimate. Be clear and concise (more on this below). Be explicit. Demonstrate. Explain. Educate if you can. Share a success story. Does it resolve a conflict? Does it solve a problem? Does it do something surprising? Construct your case, and make it airtight.
Element #3: Clarity
Seems like a no-brainer: communicate with clarity. But you’d be surprised how easy it can be to get yourself off track. Know what you want to say, and then say it as simply as you can. Repeat important points if necessary. Don’t get too fancy. This doesn’t mean boring – it means focused. And there’s another threat to clarity of communication. When a client is in love with their product, they sometimes yearn to mention every detail. But if doesn’t mean anything to the consumer, leave it in the meeting room.
Element #4: Sell
Wait for it…wait for it…
Timing has a whole lot to do with making the sale. Sell too soon, and you’re likely to get the proverbial door slam. DRTV practitioners tell you to get the phone number up early, it’s a proven tactic. But it’s going to have more impact when it coincides with something meaningful in the script. If you can, sweeten the offer in case someone is on the fence. Don’t be demure, clearly ask your prospect to buy and tell them how (you’d be surprised how many people assume consumers know what they need to do). If your commercial works the way it’s supposed to, the selling is easy, because your consumer is anxious to buy.
Done well, a commercial that engages the audience, creates value, engineers exclusivity and sells soundly is a beautiful thing. It makes the phone ring or the website light up. It strengthens, or even builds, the brand, which provides value long after the sale has been made. David Ogilvy said, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” I can’t say it any better than that.
Mike Powell is Executive Creative Director at A. Eicoff, one of North America’s largest DRTV agencies.
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