in this issue Sleeping With The Enemy Connecting the Profit Dots Recognizing These limitations Places You Far Ahead of The Curve

Necessity is the "mother of invention" so marketers started to pay more attention to other ways their products would sell, and where new demands for their products made themselves known. Simultaneously, the catalog and retail people started to notice that products were selling off the shelves, or out of their magazines for mysterious reasons?

Sleeping With The Enemy

It took about 10 years before this mystery was solved! In the end, the retailers sworn enemy-the direct marketer-became his best friend. All of this really came together in the mid 1990's. Today most print and retail people will ask if a marketer has a direct response spot or infomercial airing, or plans to air one to support other areas of distribution? My how times have changed.

The direct marketer realizes that the commercials they run drives demand, or creates a sales demand in other areas of distribution. In the past, numerous stories began to emerge about people storming Bloomingdale's to buy $300 to $500 juicers for no obvious reason. Why were people buying these products, there were no ads, nothing, but suddenly these products couldn't be held in stock?

And numerous other infomercials demonstrated all of the wonderful benefits of their products. Fitness products, skin-care products, kitchenware, etc. all sorts of product categories began selling in print, retail, credit card stuffers, etc., because the public viewed product demonstrations on TV, and then bought like- products from their favorite store or catalog.

Last Week:Issue 56: Placing Spots on National Cable is a Very Tricky Process

	Connecting the Profit Dots
Marketers and retailers alike soon connected the "dots", and realized they needed each other. Additionally, a "copycat" industry developed around infomercials as well. What is known as "knock-offs" in the DRTV industry are products that sell cheaper, but similar in likeness to the popular and proven DRTV seller. The "knock-off "artists realized that TV demonstrations drove print and retail sales (before anyone else), so these cheaper products wound up in those areas well before the actual successful product ever made it into the same distribution arena!

	Recognizing These limitations Places You Far Ahead of The Curve
Today marketers' look at the DRTV part of their marketing campaign as a means to end and not an end in itself. Media costs have eroded profit margins from TV sales. Secondly, the competition has crowded the field and caused more people competing for same TV time. Third, there are more products and more offers on TV-so each offer needs to distinguish itself from the others and use smart marketing. By and large commercial producers in the DRTV world have used the same tools and sales approaches for years, and those techniques are outdated. The public tunes-out DRTV commercials unless the marketing and message is really pointed at them. That takes allot more marketing finesse. All is not doomed however! In spite of a tougher media climate and creative ad techniques that are "stale"- recognizing these limitations places you the marketer far ahead of the curve. Utilizing smart marketing, and understanding the media buying process gives you an edge. An edge that is far more reliable and powerful than any other marketing method used today. Why, because all of it is based upon results, actual customers buying your products everyday, and you can track that growth plus utilize that knowledge every minute of the day.   You Can Find Your Customer On A Map, In A City, Even Wind Up On Their Front Doorstep »

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Last Week's Newsletter:Issue 56: Placing Spots on National Cable is a Very Tricky Process Issue 33: Using Scientific Research in the Art of Commercial Production

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