10.23.08
Posted in drtv at 10:38 am by Administrator
TiVo Inc.’s recent partnership with Time Warner Inc. will position the media giant (the latter) to stand apart from the DVRs currently offered by cable and satellite companies.
TiVo bounces back. The terms of the deal are being kept private, but it’s easy to see that the impact of this merger could definitely resurrect interest in TiVo. Despite all of TiVo’s features, DVRs have grown increasingly popular.
Entertainment Weekly, part of Time Warner, will offer TiVo users the opportunity to automatically record the shows suggested by the magazine. Currently it is estimated that around 60 percent of the magazine’ audience use DVRs.
According to Scott Donaton, EW’s publisher, the magazine will provide readers with weekly recommendations for TiVo subscribers and help them “make the most of [their] entertainment time.”
More media choices for TiVo subscribers. Tom Rogers, TiVo’s CEO, explained that the company is turning to authoritative sources like EW to make it easier for subscribers to record their favorite programs.
Viewers and readers can even find helpful television and media suggestions for recording kid-friendly programming from the nonprofit organization Common Sense Media.
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09.09.08
Posted in drtv, media buying at 10:30 pm by Administrator
Infomercials are becoming one of the fastest growing direct response marketing techniques for many mainstream businesses of all sizes.
Those popular 30-minute infomercials are a big reason for this growth. If you took time to surf through the various TV channels, you would be amazed at how many different 30-second TV advertisements (also known as a “short form”) and typical 30-minute infomercials (“long form”) are currently on the air marketing their products.
On all the time…These infomercials are on TV at any given time of the day, constantly giving out their 800 numbers or website address for ordering purposes. Because so many companies are using infomercials as their number-one television marketing tool, viewers are seeing more high quality ads coming from mainstream companies like Ditech.com, Vonage and Geico. This prevalence is making any distinction between DRTV infomercials and “regular” (in the consumer’s mind) commercials virtually non-existent to many viewers.
It’s a fact. The fact that advertisers of these infomercials are pulling in countless leads simply by using DRTV as the platform for their product or service is no coincidence. The fact of the matter is that this format and means of advertising works.
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05.13.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:14 pm by Administrator
Over the past 25 years, in every quarter except one, American consumer spending rose over the previous year, according to a November BusinessWeek article. Consumers have continued to shop through both good and bad times. Access to easy credit has been responsible for this spending spree. BusinessWeek sees the subprime crisis as the “beginning of the end for the long consumer borrow–and buy–boom.” A recent New York Times report explores the possibility of an impending recession and notes, “It may be an unavoidable step toward purging the U.S. and…global economy of a major source of instability: an unhealthy dependence on the willingness of American consumers to keep buying even as debt mounts.” Since the DRTV industry is heavily dependent on consumer spending, a pullback by consumers could have a big impact on our industry.
THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM
First, let’s look at the housing slump and its possible effect on spending. Cheap credit from 2004 to 2006 allowed Americans to take out more than $800 billion a year from their homes, according to the New York Times. So the decline in home prices could definitely impact consumer spending. Christopher Carroll, a Johns Hopkins economist, told BusinessWeek that every $1 decline in housing prices cuts about 9 cents off of spending. The report further shows that a 10- to 15-percent decline in home prices will decrease spending by $200 to $300 billion, which is about two to three percent of personal income. This decline in income is likely to diminish consumer discretionary purchases of apparel, automotive and certain luxury goods. Retailers and marketers of these types of goods could be hit hard if consumers cut spending.
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03.18.08
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 3:05 pm by Administrator
Often referred to as cost per click advertising, PPC advertising is used to boost a website’s ranking status among search engine results.
Advertisers pay a predetermined price every time someone clicks on a keyword located somewhere on the Internet. When the user clicks the highlighted keyword, he or she is directed to the advertiser’s website. Additionally, the advertiser is charged for the click.
PPC advertising is beneficial to advertisers seeking a way to increase traffic to their website almost instantly. One of the challenges PPC users face, however, is how quickly the campaign cost can increase as the websites popularity grows.
Therefore, the PPC campaign should be monitored closely to prevent a budget blowout. [Natural or organic rankings, often achieved by good SEO (search engine optimization) and keyword use is the second means for gaining good search engine rankings.]
PPC and banner advertising both present separate yet relative marketing strategies. The strategy that will work best for any given company depends mainly upon the goals and needs of the organization.
Either way, an experienced online media buyer can assist with the purchase of an ad campaign, and go a long way in maximizing the company’s ROI.
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03.12.08
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 4:27 pm by Administrator
Two popular ways to effectively market a business online are banner advertising and pay per click (PPC) marketing. Many companies utilize both techniques to effectively advertise their infomercial products and services through an organized Internet marketing effort.
For all intents and purposes, banner advertising is used to raise and maintain a business’ brand and image. Banner advertisements are found on pre-selected websites, generally at the top of the page. When an Internet browser clicks the advertisement, they are redirected to the advertiser’s website.
Banner ads are popular because they link potential customers to the advertiser’s website with a simple click. A banner ad campaign, like a DRTV campaign, is also ideal because it is easy to track the results and overall effectiveness of the online advertising campaign.
Not only can the advertiser see how many times an advertisement has been viewed, but he or she can also note the amount of customers who opted to click through to the website.
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02.15.08
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 9:21 pm by Administrator
According to a research media survey released in January, three fourths (75%) of consumers talk or channel surf during television advertising.
The Simultaneous Media Survey reports on the input of more than 15,000 people. The survey also concluded for consumers to keep up with the overflow of media options, they have no choice but to multitask with other media.
“Technology is creating new media options faster than most people can assimilate and is causing more multitasking,” Gary Drenik, President of BIGresearch, said. “Unfortunately for marketers faced with the challenges of an uncertain economy and the need to increase marketing ROI, new media options are impacting how consumers use traditional media.
“Specifically, TV’s influence on consumers to purchase products declined, whereas new media options such as web radio, satellite radio, instant messaging and blogging all increased,” he added. “Consumers seem to be seeking information from digital platforms while TV has traditionally been viewed as a brand building medium, which isn’t providing the requisite information.”
Despite the results, Bigresearch maintains that television advertising (including DRTV), infomercials and other traditional forms of media have not lost their overall influence. It may go without saying, but it remains more critical than ever that the advertising, no matter what the medium, is both timely and of value to the consumer.
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01.28.08
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 4:50 pm by Administrator
Google will be leading an effort to develop software that will make cellphones more like mobile computers with improved Internet access. Google is looking to transform the mobile industry in the same manner that the PC changed the world of computing in the 1980’s, according to the NY Times (11/6/07). In order to accomplish this goal, Google will provide outside software developers with access to their phone’s functions. They hope this will encourage software developers to create PC like programs and services for cellphones.
The Internet is Going Mobile
Google recognizes that the Internet is going mobile and they have aligned themselves with leading telecommunications and technology companies to make and market their phones. A group called the Open Handset Alliance expects to sell the Google powered phones in the second half of 2008, according to the NY Times. Critics point out that other companies have tried to form similar types of alliances and failed and that Google will face stiff competition from established players such as Microsoft, Nokia, Palm and Research in Motion (NY Times). In addition, the two largest cellular carriers in the U.S., AT&T and Verizon Wireless are not part of the alliance.
Increasing the Reach of Google’s Advertising
Google is looking to become the dominant player in mobile advertising, just like they have been the leader in online advertising. Google hopes that making it easier for consumers to access the web from their cellphones and making the experience more like that of a personal computer will increase the reach of their advertising. Google said it will likely share ad revenue with the wireless carriers, according to the Wall Street Journal (11/6/07).
Energizing the Mobile Industry
“Just like the iPhone energized the industry, this is a different way to energize the industry,” stated Sanjay Jha, COO of Qualcomm (NY Times). Mr. Jha also said Google’s efforts will bring more Internet features to moderately priced phones. By allowing outside software developers access to their Android software platform, Google also hopes they will create new types of devices that have both cellphone and wireless Internet capabilities. “As a result of the platform, you’ll be able to do amazing things on your phones that you’ve never been able to do before,” says Google CEO Eric Schmidt. (USA TODAY 11/6/07)
Diversifying their Revenue Base
Google is going up against some strong competitors, but they certainly have the clout and resources to gain a significant foothold in the mobile marketplace. Google’s surging stock price clearly indicates that Wall Street and investors anticipate that Google will be able to diversify their revenue base from new businesses outside of online advertising. In my opinion, mobile advertising has the potential to be as big as online advertising for Google. It will be interesting to see how Google’s venture into mobile plays out over the next few years, since it has the potential to transform the industry.
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11.15.07
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 5:09 pm by Administrator
Once you effectively target the Baby Boomer demographic, your sales will increase. The key is to understand what this group wants and how they use and view the different advertising mediums.
Boomers were the first generation to grow up with TV, so it makes sense that they still prefer this medium as they age. In fact, on average, Boomers watch 22 minutes more TV per day than younger people, according to Nielsen Media Research. And since TV viewership increases with age, as the Boomers mature, their infomercial TV viewing time will continue to rise.
The big misconception in online marketing and media buying is that you can’t reach Boomers via the Internet. In fact, Baby Boomers make up one-third of the 195 million web users in the United States, according to JupiterResearch. Additionally, ad buyers targeted Boomers with close to 5 billion dollars in ads in 2004, out of 13 billion spent in web advertising. So don’t think that Boomers aren’t online and that they reject technology. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, over half (54%) of 60-69 year-olds go online, and 72% of 51-59 year-olds surf the net. Further, studies show that Boomers spend more money online that the average web user, yet they’re still the most underserved audience on the net.
So take a look at your current TV and online campaigns and make sure they address the needs and concerns of the Boomer market. Revamp your marketing messages and placements as needed so you can cash in on the nearly trillion dollars of spending power this group has. When you do, you’ll have tapped into a large and profitable niche that can quickly boost your company’s profits to new levels of success.
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10.10.07
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 3:19 pm by Administrator
Facebook is a social networking website started in 2003 by Mark Zuckerberg, a 19 year old Harvard college drop out. Facebook users post information about themselves on the site, such as photos and events they plan to attend. They link their web pages with the web pages of other users that are “friends” and thereby create a social network.
Facebook has 35 million active users, it has added 100,000 new registrations per day in 2007, it has an incredible 3% weekly growth rate, it has 6 million active user groups and close to 31 million visitors in July. Facebook is on track to reach $30 million in profit this year, according to the Wall Street Journal 8/23/07. The founder was supposedly offered $1 billion for the site and turned it down, according to an article in NEWSWEEK on 8/27/07. Investors in the site hope to take the site public at a valuation of $10 billion. In order to achieve this type of valuation, people familiar with Facebook say they are looking to do something similar to what Google did with AdWords, which generated $10.6 billion in revenue last year, according to the WSJ.
Facebook is not just for college students any more. More than half of Facebook’s 35 million users aren’t in college. In 2005, it added high schools and in 2006 it added, “work networks.” Facebook is also expanding internationally and already is the top Web site in Canada and London is the geographic network with the most Facebookers. Facebook has also been encouraging developers to create applications that allow them to make money by running ads or selling products on Facebook. Facebook could use these applications to grab a share of eBay’s or iTunes’ businesses with a Facebook version of those sites. (NEWSWEEK).
So how can marketers take advantage of the social phenomenon Facebook has created? Currently, advertisers can target people on the site by age, gender and location of the user. Facebook is now developing a new, automated advertising system that will allow marketers to target users based on a much more extensive database of personal information that users report on the site. In 2008, Facebook will attempt to determine how receptive a person might be to an ad based on the activities and interests of a user and its friends and target ads based on that information, according to the WSJ.
It remains to be seen whether the addition of targeted advertising and an older universe of users will affect the appeal of Facebook or whether Facebook will be able to grow to the size of Google. However, based on the rapid growth of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and the promise of being able to target offers more precisely to consumers, marketers should consider testing out advertising on these sites to tap into the potentially immense purchasing power of their members.
Peter Koeppel is Founder and President of Koeppel Direct, a leader in DRTV direct response television, online, print and radio media buying, marketing and campaign management. With a Wharton MBA and over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience, Peter has helped Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and entrepreneurs develop direct marketing campaigns to increase profits.
Peter started Koeppel Direct in 1995 and has built it into one of the leading direct response infomercial media buying firms in the U.S.
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10.01.07
Posted in Uncategorized, drtv, media buying at 6:58 pm by Administrator
A iProspect study noted that all ranges of age, income and online tenure reported that conducting search engine queries has become more important to their use of the Internet over the last year. Since users report that the activity of searching is growing more important to them, then businesses need to make sure that their website is found by searchers. Exposing your target audience to your ads and url in multiple mediums will enhance their ability to find your website.
Not surprisingly, television drove the highest percentage (37%) of online users to perform searches, according to the iProspect study. Even in today’s more fragmented media environment, the power of TV remains strong and the influence of TV on online purchase behavior is growing. We have found that anywhere from between 30% to over 90%+ of customers make their purchase via the web, when they’re offered both an 800 number and a website in a direct response television ad. Why is this happening? Many consumers feel more comfortable making a purchase via the web than through an in-bound telemarketing service. Also, over 50% of people are simultaneously surfing the web while watching TV, so it’s easy for them to log onto your site when they see your TV ad.
The bottom line is that if you’re not using a combination of DRTV, print and radio and online ads to reach customers, you’re missing a huge share of potential revenue. Companies that rely solely on one advertising medium are missing the mark. It takes a combination offline and online advertising to make a true impact on today’s consumers. So leverage your marketing dollars by using the synergy of DRTV and online ads to maximize the impact of your campaign. When you do, you will see your company’s bottom line results improve.
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