The next wave of direct response television may not be DRTV at all, but rather BRTV – brand response television.
During a session at the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing’s annual DM Days at Navy Pier Thursday, Joyce Cusack of Thumbs Up! Marketing told attendees that DRTV spots that integrate with other branding initiatives are the direction companies should move towards.
DRTV can be effective as a branding medium, but to be successful marketers need to have a clear objective, she said. A spot with more branding is going to be less interactive, while a hard sell spot is less likely to build brand awareness.
Over one million infomercial spots will air in 2005, said Cusack, noting that electronic retailing represents 6% of all retail sales. Fifty percent of all DRTV sales are now completed online, she added.
Interactive television will continue to evolve, said Cusack, pointing to campaigns integrated into programs such as “Survivor,” “Hollywood Squares” and a local “Star Trek” marathon that featured interactive pizza delivery spots as good examples of effective uses of the medium.
