pretty much extrapolate what works. We
haven’t spent much, and we’re blessed
with a one-in-three success ratio.”
DR Boosts Electronics Products
“The biggest benefit to the consumer
electronics world is in its use of DRTV to
demonstrate and test products, measuring
the response to assure a return on investment,” says Mark Biglow, new business
manager for Mercury Media, a full service
direct response media agency based in
Santa Monica, Calif.
“I’m amazed that more consumer electronics companies don’t act on that,” he
adds.
Biglow says that while many advertisers are familiar with creative agencies selling them a branding concept, DRTV can
brand products for future channels such
as retail, online or print, while paying for
the media with television sales.
“We’re monitoring every call as either
a sale or a contact lead at the same time
“There used to be a vast gulf
between products sold at retail
and products sold on DRTV.
Consumer electronics would
never have been advertised in a
DRTV spot ... but DRTV is being
used to sell a greater variety of
products. — Vi”rginia Doty, Bennett Kuhn Varner
we’re branding,” he says.
Hawthorne agrees. “The biggest challenge isn’t executing killer creatives,
it’s persuading more manufacturers to
embrace the DRTV format. Thumbing
through a recent Response, I see none
of the higher-end consumer electronics
in the top- 10 infomercial or spot lists.
Nor are any listed in the top 25 DRTV
online product searches, or the expanded
Jordan Whitney listings. With DRTV’s
longer time slots and ability to explain
features and benefits, it’s a big puzzler as
to why.”
The clincher question would seem,
why, indeed? ■
