Is DRTV right for your company?
by Administrator on November 14th, 2007
DRTV Infomercial Industry Update
Is Your Product or Service Right for Direct Response?
Whether you have a new or innovative product, an existing product on retail shelves, selling through the internet, or a SERVICE that you provide….direct response media, whether you use a short form or long form infomercial, is the most effective way to drive sales and leads and can double, even triple, your revenue in just months.
Criteria for a hit product or service!
1. Unique and Innovative: The more unique the features
and/or benefits, technology, etc, the better. Is there a current “buzzâ€
in the marketplace about the aspects of your product?
2. Does it Solve a Problem? The best problem solvers save
time in cooking, cleaning, life, help you lose weight, look younger,
make more money, convenience, ease, etc.
3. Does it have Broad Appeal? Research the need for your product.
Can it appeal to at least 10-20% of all US households? However, even niche products and services can be targeted with cable directed to targeted neighborhoods and even demographic groups.
4. Is it “Demonstratable� Seeing is believing… and SELLS.
5. Does your Product have “Legs� Are there extension products or services
that can be developed and sold to customers, thereby creating lifetime
value of the customer?
6. Cost of Goods. With the high costs of media and production,
any successful DR campaign must have a 4:1 or 5:1 price/cost of
goods relationship.
by Administrator on November 14th, 2007
FREE MARKETING - READ MORE!
Free Marketing!….PR
Top 10 Tips
How can I get my Press Release published? Average newsrooms receive hundreds of press
releases per day. More than 80% are tossed immediately because they are poorly written; not presented in a suitable manner; lack informational content or interest; or sent to the wrong
person.
Follow these suggestions to increase your chances of PR success:
1. Know Your Target. Study the publications history, readership, distribution and frequency. Learn where your information may fit.
2. Know What is News. Always ask yourself how the reader will benefit from your information or story. General guidelines of what is news include: rarity, proximity, prominence, people, crises, timeliness, and impact.
3. Know the Writers. Every publication covering business has specific writers assigned to broad industry categories. Know the writers who are assigned to your industry. Do follow up press releases with a phone call. Ask them how you can better meet their needs so you can do better next time.
4. Niche Market Your Story Within A Publication. Determine which section of the publication would be best for your story.
5. Know How to Reach Media Contacts. Keep a current roster of media names, phone numbers, email, and fax numbers and most important…deadlines. Some magazines receive information months in advance and even daily newspapers may need several days or weeks.
6. Know the Best Time to Pitch a Story. Never pitch a story when a writer or editor is on deadline. Mornings are best at daily newspapers. Mondays and Tuesdays are best at weekly or bi-weekly publications. Keep it brief, these are busy people.
7. Persistence and Patience. Don’t expect to place every story you pitch. Be patient. Don’t ask the writer or editor when your story will appear. It is your responsibility to keep track.
8. Be Available for Comment. Become and industry source willing to comment on breaking news or trend stories. Always include your contact information on each press release.
9. Package Your Idea. Be able to tell your story in 100 words or less. Don’t make claims you can’t prove. Suggest art and chart options for your story.
10. Press of Any Type is Good. Remember, there is no bad press. If someone is writing about your business, it’s free marketing. The only time you should worry is when they’re not writing about you.
For more information, please contact Kelly Burke, CEO and Executive Producer at Innovative Direct Response. 949-253-4190 or Kelly@innovativedr.com
What makes a hit DRTV commerical?
by Administrator on November 14th, 2007
DRTV - Science or Art?
Direct Response Financial Models: The Science vs Art
Successful DR programs are a combination of both art and science. A good DR marketer can instinctively see a hot product, but a proven financial structure will ultimately provide the green light.
The Art:
1. Creating a strong package or product offering that appeals to the masses.
2. Targeted media plans, testing venues, and alternative selling channels.
3. Developing a strong value proposition to the customer.
The Science:
1. Cost of Goods, including upsells and continuity
2. Shipping and handling
3. Upsell revenue
4. Fulfillment cost
5. Returns
6. Telemarketing
7. Customer service
8. Merchant fees
9. Royalties/commissions
10. Cancellations/bad debt
11. Media expenditures
DR marketing is a very viable channel to promote products and services. Using realistic and proven DR models will provide you with the opportunity for great success.
For more information, contact Kelly Burke, CEO & Executive Producer of Innovative Direct Response, LLC located in Irvine, California at 949-253-4190 or Kelly@InnovativeDR.com. When You’re Serious About Results!
National Retail Launch with DRTV!
by Administrator on November 7th, 2007
Innovative Direct Response to launch National DRTV campaign
for Squid Soap
(January 15, 2007) Laguna Beach, CA— Coming soon to A TV set and retail shelves near you!
Innovative Direct Response today announced the launch of a major direct response television campaign for SquidSoap. SquidSoap features an inventive and fun soap dispenser that teaches children how to properly wash their hands, increasing the chances of killing germs and lowering their risk of disease. It features an “ink stamp” on the soap plunger that leaves an ink mark when someone uses it. The non-staining, nontoxic ink washes off after 15 to 20 seconds of scrubbing with soap and water.
The nationwide campaign will take the company’s aggressive marketing efforts to the next level, and is expected to dramatically increase both awareness and sales of SquidSoap.
“We expect this DRTV campaign to dramatically increase sales with retailers carrying SquidSoap on their shelves, “ asserted John Lynn, Director of Marketing of SquidSoap LP. “Studies show that for every DRTV sale, retail sales increase by 5 to 10 times, compared to product sales that are not supported by DRTV campaigns. We are fortunate to have such a great team behind us.”
The new direct response TV campaign will take the marketing campaign to the next level. The campaign will consist of short-form spot commercials one and two minutes in length that will entice viewers to immediately pick up their phones to order SquidSoap. The direct response marketing team includes West Telemarketing www.west.com ( a $2 Billion Omaha based communication company), Koeppel Direct www.koeppeldirect.com (a national, leading direct response media buying firm), and Innovative Direct Response www.innovativedr.com ( a world class direct response production company).
About Innovative Direct Response, LLC.
Innovative Direct Response., LLC is a full -service production and direct response marketing agency which provides a single, integrated source for all the elements necessary for a successful direct response campaign including strategic development, production and back-end implementation. Founded in 1996 Innovative Direct Response, (Laguna Beach, CA) is owned and operated by Kelly Burke, an expert in Direct Response Marketing.
Contact Information
Innovative Direct Response, LLC.
Kelly Burke, CEO & Executive Producer
2102 Business Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
Website: http://www.InnovativeDR.com
Phone: 949-253-4190
E-mail: Kelly@InnovativeDR.com
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new client news!
by Administrator on November 7th, 2007
Innovative Direct Response Produces National Short Form DRTV Campaign for the Cooking Caddy
(March 23, 2007) Irvine, CA— Coming soon to A TV set and retail shelves near you!
Innovative Direct Response today announced the launch of a major direct response television campaign for the Cooking Caddy with a series of short form commercials ranging from 2 minutes to 10 seconds, to drive both DRTV and retail sales. The Cooking Caddy features an inventive rack for holding hot, messy cooking covers, keeping your counter and stovetops mess free. It also comes with a convenient utensil tray at the bottom that completes the mess free and handy kitchen necessity.
The nationwide campaign will take the company’s aggressive marketing efforts to the next level, and is expected to dramatically increase both awareness and sales of Cooking Caddy.
“We expect this DRTV campaign to dramatically increase sales with retailers carrying Cooking Caddy on their shelves, “ asserted John Lynn, Director of Marketing of Cooking Caddy LP. “Studies show that for every DRTV sale, retail sales increase by 5 to 10 times, compared to product sales that are not supported by DRTV campaigns. We are fortunate to have such a great team behind us.”
The new direct response TV campaign will take the marketing campaign to the next level. The campaign will consist of short-form spot commercials that will entice viewers to immediately pick up their phones to order the Cooking Caddy. The direct response marketing team includes West Telemarketing www.west.com ( a $2 Billion Omaha based communication company), Koeppel Direct www.koeppeldirect.com (a national, leading direct response media buying firm), and Innovative Direct Response www.innovativedr.com (a world class direct response production company).
About Innovative Direct Response, LLC.
Innovative Direct Response., LLC is a full -service production and direct response creative marketing agency which provides a single, integrated source for all the elements necessary for a successful direct response campaign including strategic creative & development, production, post-production and back-end implementation. Founded in 1996 Innovative Direct Response, (Laguna Beach, CA) is owned and operated by Kelly Burke, an expert in Direct Response Marketing.
Contact Information
Innovative Direct Response, LLC.
Kelly Burke, CEO & Executive Producer
2102 Business Center Drive, Suite 130
Irvine, CA 92612
Website: http://www.InnovativeDR.com
Phone: 949-253-4190
E-mail: Kelly@InnovativeDR.com
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It slices, It dices, It boosts ROI
by Administrator on November 7th, 2007
HEADLINE: IT SLICES! IT DICES! IT BOOSTS ROI!
Why direct response television ads remain viable in the age of digital-video recorders
BY ANNE STUART
In today’s era of digital video recorders (DVRs), it might seem that traditional direct-response television ads – those upbeat “call-now” commercials lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes – should be facing the same fate as the dinosaurs. After all, since DVRs can capture programs for later viewing, audiences seem likely to skip past the ads once they finally sit down to watch.
But industry research indicates that direct response television (DRTV) is alive and flourishing. Spending for DRTV ads grew by an average of 6.5 percent annually from 2001 to 2006 and is expected to keep growing by 5 percent annually through 2011, according to the Direct Marketing Association. And the DRTV industry “will expand at twice the rate of the direct-response radio, magazine and newspaper markets” over the next few years, according to a July 2007 research paper prepared for the Electronic Retailing Association by the Winterberry Group LLC, a New York City-based marketing-strategy consultancy.
Meanwhile, the genre—which, as the Winterberry report tactfully notes, was “once the exclusive province of a devoted, almost quirky brand of marketer” — now encompasses a much broader range of products, services, approaches and format. “The world of Madison Avenue and the world of direct response are starting to merge,” says Kelly Burke, CEO of Innovative Direct Response LLC, an Irvine, Calif.-based DRTV production company.
While there’s still no shortage of DRTV ads for low-cost miracle gadgets, “it’s no longer just the slicers and dicers,” says Burke. “Now it’s mortgage companies and insurance companies and Fortune 500 companies, too.” Among the industries now advertising via DRTV are credit-card issuers, financial-services specialists and telecomm providers, according to the Winterberry report.
Of course, product manufacturers still dominate DRTV and, when blending it with other media, still enjoy brisk results. Recently, for instance, Vertical Branding, which develops and distributes a wall hook that can hold up to 150 lbs., launched a DRTV and Internet campaign with short videos demonstrating how easily homeowners could install the “Hercules Hook.” Traditionally poor in-store sales for the hook shot up almost soon after the campaign started, as did Web and telephone orders. “If you don’t have multiple channels of distribution, you’re going to be in trouble,” warns Nancy Duitch, CEO of Vertical Branding.
DRTV ads once relied almost exclusively on viewers’ picking up the phone. Now many also steer consumers to Web sites. “If you give the customer a choice of an 800 number or a Web site, about 30 percent, on average, now go to the Web site,” says Peter Koeppel, president of Dallas-based Koeppel Direct Inc., a direct-response media-buying agency. “Just a couple of years ago, it was 5 or 10 percent.” To goose ROI even more, most DRTV campaigns are also now mixed with banner ads, search campaigns and a Web site. They also include a direct-mail component, as marketers typically follow up with brochures, videos, DVDs, catalogs, coupons and other materials.
For many companies the appeal of DRTV rests in its speed and malleability. “You see results very quickly” as customers respond—or fail to do so, Burke says. Because ads use highly specific phone numbers or URLs, marketers can determine almost instantly what works and what doesn’t and can adjust campaigns accordingly. Meanwhile, growing specialization among cable networks makes it easier to target viewers. “If you’re marketing household products, you have the Food Network or HGTV,” says Koeppel. “You can be pretty precise in targeting your message to reach certain demographics.”
Those in the DRTV industry say the fast-forward factor isn’t as big an issue as people had originally feared, largely because direct-response ads tend to run on cable and satellite stations that people don’t record as much. “We don’t advertise on regular-program stations,” says Duitch. “We do one- and two-minute commercials on CNN and the Weather Channel and other stations that people just watch.”
What’s more, certain viewers—for instance, those considering investing hundreds of dollars in home-gym equipment or adjustable beds—are still likely to sit through half-hour infomercials, according to TiVo Inc.’s StopWatch data service, which measures program and commercial viewership in DVR-using households nationwide.
Finally, today’s DRTV ads are designed to build ongoing relationships through, for instance, automatic shipments of recurring orders and follow-up mailings with special offers and new product samples. Burke puts it this way: “It’s not just about the initial sale; it’s about everything that happens after that person contacts the seller.”
SOURCES:
Kelly Burke (Ms.)
CEO & Executive Producer
Innovative Direct Response LLC
2102 Business Center Drive, Suite 130
Irvine, CA 92612
Kelly@innovativedr.com
Phone: 949-253-4190
Fax: 310-388-5795
www.innovativedr.com
Nancy Duitch, CEO
Vertical Branding Inc.
16000 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 301
Encino, CA 91436
P: 818.926.4900
F: 818.926.4885
www.verticalbranding.com
Contact Nancy via Lauren Bishop:
Lauren Bishop, 5W Public Relations
Account Coordinator
45 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Direct Line: 212-584-4272
Cell: 303-596-2011
lbishop@5wpr.com
Peter Koeppel, President
Koeppel Direct Inc. (direct-response media-buying agency)
16200 Dallas Parkway, Ste. 270
Dallas, TX 75248
(P) 972-732-6110 Ext. 105
(F) 972-407-0944
pkoeppel@koeppelinc.com
www.koeppelinc.com
Winterberry Group LLC/Electronic Retailing Association report: “The Evolving Role of Direct Response Television in Multichannel Marketing Execution” – prepared for the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) by the Winterberry Group LLC, published in July 2007.
I can e-mail a copy for fact-checking purposes. Where to find info in the story:
Spending trends attributed to Direct Marketing Association are on p. 3.
Quote about “quirky brand of marketer” is on p. 4
Information on Vertical Branding Inc.
Vertical Branding, Inc. (OTC BB:VBDG.OB - News) is a consumer products, branding, marketing, and distribution company. The Company takes an integrated vertical marketing approach to brand building utilizing a variety of media channels, including television, online media, and print advertising. The Company also has established retail, catalog, and international product distribution channels to drive consumer sales. The Company’s focus is on finding appealing and high quality products that meet a real need in the marketplace with emphasis on the beauty, personal care, and house ware product categories.
Locations for organizations cited in story:
• Direct Marketing Association, trade group based in NYC
• Electronic Retailing Association, trade group based in Arlington, Va.
• Winterberry Group LLC, marketing strategy consulting firm based in NYC
• Procter & Gamble Co., based in Cincinnati
• TiVo StopWatch, Alviso, Calif.
Trustmedcare.com DRTV launch
by Administrator on August 7th, 2007
Innovative Direct Response to launch direct response TV campaign for TrustMedcare.com
(June 15, 2007) Irvine, CA— Innovative Direct Response, LLC is proud to announce the new DRTV launch of Trust Medcare’s, www.trustmedcare.com, national direct response TV campaign.
Trust Medcare Diabetic Supplies provides a wide range of medical products and services for the senior market including diabetic supplies, durable medical goods, scooters, wheelchairs, and Guardian Angel in home monitoring service. Trust Medcare is also the proud sponsor of NILA.org, a non-profit organization dedicated the health and well-being of the senior consumer.
The extensive TV direct response marketing campaign will include 12 short form commercials promoting all of its products and services and will be hosted by Pat Boone. The complete marketing and media campaign will be managed by Milkyway Marketing, Inc., www.MilkywayMarketing.com.
About Innovative Direct Response, LLC
Innovative Direct Response., LLC is a full-service production company providing a single, integrated source for all the elements necessary for a successful direct response campaign including strategic development, production and implementation. Founded in 1996, Innovative Direct Response, LLC, (Irvine, CA) is owned and operated by Kelly Burke, an expert in Direct Response Marketing.
Contact Information
Innovative Direct Response, LLC.
Kelly Burke, CEO & Executive Producer
2102 Business Center Drive, Suite 130
Irvine, CA 92612
Website: http://www.InnovativeDR.com
Phone: 949-253-4190
E-mail: Kelly@InnovativeDR.com
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