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Who has the guts to break away from the pack?

dpotter | 26 January, 2006 15:47

My picture!

Selling means getting the order now. This is the primary job of a DRTV commercial. The role of marketing is to building a relationship with consumers. It takes time to create a positive attitude toward the brand in order to establish a meaningful long-term business beyond the DR base.

As a proponent of short-form DRTV and one who has a strong a belief that the ultimate goal for a product is to gain a place on retail shelves, I submit that most marketers in the industry suffer from a severe case of tunnel vision. Sure, everyone wants to get sales in a minute or two, but the reality of the marketplace suggests that most spots require a couple of airings in order to break through the clutter. So, the commercial has to be able to sell and have marketing legs, too.

My observation is that the names, packaging and, of course, the commercials for many DRTV products are hokey and have an aura of cheapness -- not the stuff that successful branding requires. Few have a sense of quality or present a product personality that might be considered friendly. This “feeling” comes through loud and clear to the TV viewer. Spend a few hours watching typical DRTV time slots on broadcast channels or anytime on the cable networks, and see what I mean.

Where is it written that people who buy from DRTV are hard of hearing, yet like fast- talking announcers? Who decided that schlock sells? What is the rationale for promoting a laundry list of features rather than concentrating on the benefits consumers will derive from using the product? After all, some style can be found in even the most functional of products.

While the ERA and the FTC may have something to say about claims, who’s taking a stand for taste, for writing and producing better advertising, for looking at the marketing opportunity from the consumer’s perspective? Those who do are bound to reap the rewards, but it takes guts.


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