Direct Response Advertising, Is Everybody Really Doing It?

The direct response advertising business is a $250 Billion dollar industry. Yes, Billion with a capital B. Yet people think they are not affected by direct response - until you find a George Foreman Grill in their kitchen. Even the most unsuspecting people are roped in by direct response (DR) advertising. This is why it is a growing industry for medium to small business owners to get their products and services sold.

Many of products you use today got their initial launch through DR advertising: TheraBreath; OxyClean, the Ab Roller®... and the list goes on.

Ironically, many people think they know nothing about it and are not affected by it. It is the most unsuspecting, yet highly workable, marketing method today. Why? TV. A newsblaze.com article Why You Can't Ignore the Power of Direct Response Ads to Boost Sales, cites television as reaching a whopping 98% of the homes in the U.S.

And according to a study from the Electronic Retailing Association, called The Evolving Role of Direct Response Television in Multichannel Marketing Execution, multichannel marketers are growing the DRTV industry. (Multichannel marketing is offering customers more than one way to buy something -- for example, from a website as well as in retail stores.)

Bob Francis, the Vice President of Commercial Production for Event Management Services, Inc. is a pioneer in the world of direct response. With 25 years under his belt in the DR advertising industry and accolades like having been the creative genius behind the well-known 8-Minute Abs campaign, when Francis comments on what it takes to be successful in DRTV, people listen.

To hit it big with Direct Response, one needs:

o A product that has mass appeal

o A good ratio between hard cost & retail price

o An irresistible, generous offer -- give away way more than what the consumer pays for (Victoria Principal's skin care line is a great example).

An added advantage is to have a consumable product. "Once they [consumers] like it, wear it or use it and get compliments three days in a row, you can guarantee when they run out they will buy it again." says Francis. "Consumable products have lifetime customers."

DRTV is not just for celebrities. Today's small to medium businesses can reap the rewards. The benefits include:

o Building brand name recognition

o Retail backup - in other words, take your product with proven DR advertising and sales backing it up, that retailer is already ensured they have a product that is going to sell in their stores.

What's the ultimate goal of DR advertising? Going to retail. George Foreman made millions before taking to retail. Jane Fonda's videos were once sold via Direct Response - now you can even rent them at video stores.

Francis' acumen lies in not only writing, producing and directing Direct Response ads, but also in assessing what products are viable candidates for this type of marketing approach. He imparts his knowledge to entrepreneurs from many different industries nationwide at marketing boot camps organized by Joy Gendusa, CEO of PostcardMania, and Marsha Friedman, CEO of Event Management Services, Inc.

One factor Francis claims he loves is disabusing entrepreneurs of the misconceptions of direct response advertising. Direct Response advertising is very workable today because:

o The costs of production is low

o With the advent of cable TV, media time is inexpensive

o You can target your audience with cable like never before

"You can't just utilize one channel of advertising these days," says Francis. "DR advertising coupled with an aggressive web and retail presence can boom your business."

Bob Francis is one of the pioneers in the direct response advertising industry. Bob began his career in 1983 as the producer of the hour long infomercials for the Lowry Group and National Super Star, two Real Estate seminar companies. Bob's biggest and most notable TV commercial hit was "8 MINUTE ABS" which he wrote, produced and directed and which sold over twenty million dollars in the first eighteen months it aired. It is still being sold on the internet today.

Karla Jo Helms is the Vice President Public Relations for PostcardMania. Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998, her only assets a computer and a phone. By 2005 the company did over $12 million in sales, employed over 100 people and made Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc 500 List as one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the nation. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. As an Expert Author, she is always willing to share her marketing advice through articles, interviews and speaking engagements. Visit PostcardMania's web site at www.PostcardMania.com For more information on Bob Francis’ educational seminars, visit www.PowerMarketingMania.com

2 Media Strategies For Running Successful Advertising Campaigns

Never make the mistake of thinking that your target customer is ready and waiting to buy from you. This applies whether you are advertising on the internet, or doing other forms of marketing. Your target market can be in any one of six buyer readiness states:

• Awareness


• Knowledge


• Liking


• Preference


• Conviction


• Purchase

If most of your target market is still in the first state of "Awareness" - you will have some work to do. You will need to spend some money convincing them to buy, before you can expect major sales results.

1. The "Big Hit" Media Strategy

Many advertising agencies will tell you that high awareness is achieved by starting an advertising campaign with a "big hit" and then following it with a series of sustaining advertising bursts.

On radio for example, you might start your advertising campaign with 25 x 30 second commercials each day for 4 days and repeat the campaign in week two. Then once a month for the next 6 months you would run 30 commercials over a three day period.

There is plenty of research evidence to show that this strategy can be effective. When in the agency business I used this type of strategy for several successful product launches (but on a bigger scale).

Smaller advertisers can use this strategy too, but it is particularly effective for major advertisers with large budgets.

Advertisers on a limited budget might not have enough money for more than one or two follow-up bursts throughout the year. In this situation the awareness created by the "big hit" quickly fades.

Follow-up bursts are therefore very important. The follow-up advertising is designed to stop... or at least slow down, memory decay after a "big hit".

2. The "Being There" Media Strategy

For low budget advertisers, a continuity campaign might be a more realistic option. This media strategy concentrates on frequency and "being there" for people who are constantly entering the market. After all, customers are entering the market for your product or service all the time - whether you are advertising or not!

With this media strategy there are no "big hits" or random follow-up bursts of advertising. You trickle the advertising over a sustained period to a defined audience.

The trick is to choose the very best option of media, placement or time-slot, with good reach against your target audience. This might mean placing an ad at 7.20 a.m. on the same radio station every Tuesday and Thursday morning for a year. The important thing is to "be there" every week for as much of the year as your budget permits. You will be communicating to the same people every week. You may not get much response for the first six months, but then the power of repetition will start to "kick-in".

You might not achieve the wide reach, or instant sales, that a "big hit" strategy would bring... but you will consistently reach a reasonable proportion of your target audience over and over again.

Remember, your media strategy will flow from what you want to achieve within your budget constraints.

Noel has a friend with a new jewelry website with helpful information selecting a Mens Cross Necklaces and Mens Gold Rings. This site has helpful information for jewelry buyers, male or female.