Response Magazine - November 2010

Since 1967, Lockard & Wechsler has been planning, buying and analyzing direct-response campaigns for major corporations and fast-growing startups alike. In that time, we’ve established nine proven methods to make DRTV make money – no matter what product you’re selling, no matter what medium you’re using. When every minute matters, these are the rules for success.

1Make empirical, not emotional, decisions.

And base them on cold, hard facts. 2 Numbers are everything.

They don’t lie. But they do have to be handled by experts so they give up their secrets and

provide meaningful direction. 3 Programs should work the first time, every time.

In the right hands, results can always be improved, but not enough to resuscitate

a program that’s dead on arrival. 4 Frequency is the benefit of success, not the key to success.

An expert DRTV agency will help you run a successful campaign for all it’s worth and advise you not to throw more money to the dogs. 5 Never force anything. You can’t beat a down cycle.

The key is in knowing what the cycles are and going with the flow. 6 Don’t waste time. Opportunities are fleeting.

A great media agency will be able to identify them and pounce on your behalf. 7 DRTV is a science. The discipline will lead you to success.

Run hard with the winners. Cut your losers ruthlessly. Always take advantage of all

the analytical tools and expertise available to you. 8 Test early and often. Don’t wait for a campaign to weaken.

Test offer, creative and media from the very beginning. There’s always room for improvement. 9 Treat DRTV and the Internet as a single channel.

The Internet adds efficiencies to DRTV, and DRTV adds scale to The Internet.

To give your campaign its greatest chance for success, come to an agency that knows the rules for success.

With Lockard & Wechsler, you’ll benefit from decades of DR experience including short-form and lon gform TV, radio, direct mail, FSIs and print. Your media will be placed by senior people with the experience and the long-term relationships necessary to get the best deals.

And, your business will grow with an agency who actually believes in direct response ads like this, rather than one that reverts to awareness ads to promote itself.