Author: James McGee, Media Man Communications

Considering DR? Consider this first:

You've got a great product. You know its going to sell a million units. But now you have to get the word out. Your best bet is Direct Response Television. Read on to find out why.

Why DRTV?

From the sellers' point of view, Direct Response enables you to reach the greatest amount of consumers in the shortest amount of time and measure that response immediately.

From the consumers' point of view, DRTV has beome a highly accepted way to buy quality products in a convenient manner. It is now easy to buy trusted, recognized brands from the comfort of your living room and have them delivered to you within days. All you need is a phone and a credit card.

Who buys from television? Everyone! According to recent demographic studies, infomercials are most watched by a middle-income audience: primarily the married white female homeowner with an income in the 56k range. All in all, not a bad market to have at your disposal.

History

Direct Response Television has been around since the 1950's in various forms. The real renaissance for the medium began in the early eighties with the debut of the Home Shopping channel out of Florida and QVC based in Pennsylvania. There are three basic formats:

• Direct pitch to camera where a host or hostess explains the product then implores you to buy, buy buy.

• Short commercials from thirty seconds to two minutes in length. From cellulite cream to car wax, this format has been used to sell everything. You tend to find these either on late night TV or in the early morning where broadcast time can be bought cheaply.

• The thirty minute infomercial. These programs are perfect if you are trying to sell a more complex product with several features and benefits. Do you remember the Blu Blocker ads? Originally broadcast in the mid-eighties, it became the template for the infomercial over the past twenty years. Though there have been many variation on the theme, the main goal is to educate and entertain. A well informed customer is a happy customer. Infomercial's for the most part have (3) segments or pods punctuated by a call to action at the end of each pod.

Traditionally it is best to go "long" rather than "short", especially if you are trying to educate the consumer about a more complex product. It gives you plenty of time to overcome objections while you keep on selling.

The evolution of DRTV

Although the prime market for DR is still vanity products (diet plans, exercise machines, and cellulite reduction creams), DRTV has been used to sell everything form cooking gadgets to timeshares to dating services.