Broker Roundtable: Is DRTV Still a Viable Medium for Marketers to Pursue?

Broker Roundtable: Is DRTV Still a Viable Medium for Marketers to Pursue?Our current panel features Jim Hall of All That Marketing; Matt Kaiser of Veradata and Don Yaffe of Belardi/Ostroy. (Would you like to be considered to be a member of our roundtable? Contact Larry Riggs at [email protected].)

Jim Hall, vice president, All That Marketing:

There is any number of DRTV-sourced files available so I have to believe it’s a workable medium for marketers. The DRTV market is always evolving and there is definitely a segment of the population that responds well to that type of promotion. We find that the older audience from this medium responds very well to offers that are targeted at them.

Matt Kaiser, executive vice president, Veradata:

There is definitely a place for DRTV depending on your product. And lists produced through the medium can work quite well. The underlying psychological attribute (in many cases) is that of an impulse buyer. These types of responders serve as a very appropriate audience for many types of offers, both in the commercial and nonprofit sectors

Don Yaffe, senior account executive, Belardi/Ostroy:

DRTV lists are still viable for marketers to use or at least test. Because these lists are relatively inexpensive as compared to other types of response files they can be considered. It is important however to find out what selects are available, such as recency and maybe amount purchased. Also one should check to see how often the list is updated. These lists should only be used for specific offers or vertical markets such as insurance, education and opportunity seeking. Within a mailing campaign, it’s a good idea to limit the amount of these lists ordered. They may work best as part of a mix of different types of lists such as compiled and catalog/mail order buyers.