By Alex Palmer
Direct response television (DRTV) may seem downright old-fashioned as mobile and social marketing surge. But this traditional channel
is not only highly adaptable, it’s also still highly effective—even in this increasingly digital world.
DRTV is television content that’s designed to drive
viewers to another channel (e.g., the telephone or a
website) to take an action, such as purchasing a product or filling out a survey. This alone is no easy feat.
Yet, the ubiquity of handheld computing devices and
the deluge of online content make the DRTV marketer’s job even more difficult, as consumers’ attention is
increasingly drawn away from TV. Not only is it more
challenging than ever to engage consumers, channel
fragmentation can make it more difficult to track the
impact of individual television spots.
Additionally, the shift in the way people consume
media affects one- and two-minute, short-form DRTV
spots, as well as long-form, 28.5-minute infomercials.
Short DRTV spots have traditionally showcased
products also available at retail, or that sell for lower
dollar value than those sold in the longer infomercials,
which have been more likely to promote health equipment, beauty programs, or business and self-improvement courses not available at retail. This has been the
case in DRTV for decades and continues to separate
the two types of promotions, though both short- and
long-form face nearly identical challenges in driving
customers online.
“The audience is now savvier. They can go to a website, which converts at a much lower rate than phone
calls, and get additional information there or on their
mobile. There is audience fragmentation and the metrics have gotten more difficult,” says Ron Perlstein,
president of Info Worx Direct, a marketing agency that
specializes in DRTV.
But Perlstein insists that DRTV provides marketing
options unavailable anywhere else; long-form infor-
mercials are beneficial to products with higher price
points, for example, because the format provides an
opportunity to go into detail about the products. The
key, according to Perlstein and other industry watch-
ers, is for marketers to leverage newer digital chan-
nels to enhance their DRTV campaigns, making their
calls-to-action more effective than they were in the days
when consumers were glued to a single screen.
“With the
prevalence
of screens,
[consumer]
interactivity
with TV also
increases.”
DRTV works best in a
multichannel environment
While DRTV marketers can no longer claim exclusive
command over viewers’ time in front of a screen, many
marketers report that the growing number of devices
has actually benefitted their television efforts.
“With the prevalence of screens, [consumer] interactivity with TV also increases,” says Beth Vendice,
president of direct response agency Mercury Media’s
Performance Group.
On the whole, this effect has been positive, because
it offers companies an additional revenue channel,
according to Vendice. But she emphasizes that the
rise of digital has complicated marketers’ approach to
DRTV, requiring them to consider how each spot ties
into a multichannel campaign. “We don’t let a DRTV
campaign go out the door unless there’s a search or
email element,” Vendice says.
Direct response firm Acquirgy has taken a similar
tack, recommending that marketers incorporate a
strong search engine marketing (SEM) effort to coincide with any DRTV rollout. Viewers who see a
DRTV spot are likely to log on to their computer and
conduct an Internet search—a deceptively complicated
action from a marketing standpoint.
For instance, while companies are increasingly likely to include a URL in a DRTV spot, consumers might
type a company name, product name, or other type of
Beth Vendice
President,
Mercury Media’s
Performance Group
THE NUMBERS | DRTV’s multiple screen viewing opportunities
➜ Two-screen viewers
who say they’re likely to
use social media while
watching TV; 64% of
four-screen viewers
said the same*
32%
➜ Four-screen viewers
between the ages of 18
and 44 who use social
media while watching TV*
74%
➜ Two-screen viewers
who learn about products and services offline;
63% of four-screen viewers said the same*
75%
➜ Tablet owners who
use them while watching
TV at least once a day; 41%
of smartphone users said
the same**
26%
Interactive Advertising Bureau’s “The Multiscreen Marketer” report, May 2012 **Nielsen’s Q4 poll of mobile users
