Sponsored Content WEBINAR: ELECTION 2008: E-mail Tips from a Political Insider   WEBINAR: Becoming the Illusionist: The Magic of Using "Brand" to Drive Response without Results Disappearing in the Process   WEBINAR: Score and Win Through Cooperation   TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Holiday's are prime-time for email marketing - maximize your ROI by getting to the inbox   ON DEMAND WEBINAR--MASTER CLASS: High Performance Online and Off-line Strategies for Large Scale Customer Acquisition   FREE WHITE PAPER - Direct Mail and the Internet Find any supplier you need - agencies, CRM, fulfillment, lists, e-commerce, paper, printers, telemarketing, and more. Featured Categories Lists and Data Telemarketing Database Marketing E-commerce Web Marketing Agency & Creative Services Print, Production & Paper Lists and Data Processing :: view all categories Get free access to more than 50,000 list data cards - one of the most comprehensive databases in the industry. >> Search Now DIRECT Buzz Blog Webinars Buyer's Guide Calculators JobZone ListFinder Promo Calendar Research Store E-Newsletters Print Magazine This Month in Direct Magazine Bare Bones Postal reform works. The rate hike that takes effect May 12 is the lowest in memory: an average of 2.88%. And some mail classes are getting even less than that... See Full April Issue

When David Savage graduated from college in the early 1990s and landed his first job — at a PR firm working with clients like Guthy-Renker and Anthony Robbins — DRTV was seen, in his words, “as the purview of slicer-dicers.”

Today that has changed dramatically, says Savage, executive vice president of DRTV media buying agency Cmedia.

“There are some things that remain constant. Entrepreneurs can get into this business and find it lucrative if they have a great product that strikes a chord with the American public. That remains true,” he says. “But now we've seen a migration of mainstream marketers in the business. Now it's used by financial services companies for lead generation, by car companies to generate dealership visits, by product manufacturers to drive not only direct but retail sales. People use it as part of their integrated marketing strategy.”

Indeed, about 30% to 40% of DRTV orders are placed online, due in large part to prospects going to the Web to look for more information after viewing a spot on television.

“I think in general consumers are taking control of their buying, in terms of more active research,” he says. “You need to be sophisticated about how you make your products available online, because people are looking for both credibility and an easy ordering process.”

Some marketers, like Pharmavite and Eight O'Clock Coffee, are using DRTV to encourage consumers to go online to download coupons and ultimately drive store traffic. Sony BMG is doing this to boost retail sales of new CD releases.

To track DRTV results, companies are still using the tried and true, such as different 800 numbers and unique URLs for different stations. The latter can be difficult, says Savage. Companies try URLs such as “tvoffer/lifetime” but often the consumer winds up at a main splash page instead of the channel-specific page and offer.

Savage, who runs Cmedia's Philadelphia office, was previously a vice president of the National Infomercial Marketing Association (the predecessor of the Electronic Retailing Association), and also spent time with American Telecast Agency Services, which merged with Cmedia in 2005. Cmedia's clients include Bare Escentuals, Total Gym, Go Smile and Humana.

“You don't want [imitators] piggybacking on your media,” he says. “We want people to find our client, as opposed to our client's competition.”

DRTV metrics are judged in a variety of ways, according to Savage. Some companies take the long view. An institution offering educational loans, such as JPMorgan Chase, needs to look at the leads generated — but that's just the start of a longer process with many steps. A firm that wants to sell a product direct simply looks at the cost per order. When an organization like Sony tries to drive retail sales over a period, that takes more time to evaluate. A pop in retail sales is expected a week or two after the media runs, at which time the company can make a judgment.

Despite the growth of niche cable channels, the importance of broadcast hasn't diminished because it can draw a wide audience.

“Look at the success of ‘American Idol,’ ‘Desperate Housewives’ or ‘Grey's Anatomy,’” he says. “These programs are delivering huge audiences. So even as television is becoming more fragmented, [such] programs are becoming more important.”

Savage, who runs Cmedia's Philadelphia office, was previously a vice president of the National Infomercial Marketing Association (the predecessor of the Electronic Retailing Association), and also spent time with American Telecast, which merged with Cmedia in 2005.

The popularity of long-form vs. short-form infomercials varies from year to year, says Savage. “This year, we've seen more billings on the long-form side because of our client base. And obviously there's a finite amount of long form available on national cable, and more on local.”

Short form on local and national cable has worked very well, he says, as well as time on syndicated programs shown on local channels and national programming such as “The View” and soap operas.

“You have to be able to work the seasonality of the business,” Savage adds, noting that if the general TV ad market is hot, availability is naturally tighter for DRTV.