A Muscular DR Campaign

CelebDirect has begun a direct response print, online and infomercial campaign for the Muscle Flex exercise system.

It's starting with half- and full-page ads in martial arts magazines like Black Belt, Fight!, MMA Worldwide, Ultimate Grappler, Inside Kung-Fu and Tapout. Online ads will also run on the publications' companion Web sites, according to Danny Alex, the Beverly Hills, CA firm's CEO.

“These ads are part of a yearlong campaign designed to create awareness and sales. We'll be expanding our marketing into television in one- and two-minute short form and 30-minute infomercial spots,” he adds.

Alex has modest goals for the promotion's initial phase: “If we can get a few hundred units out there we'll be pretty happy.”

Ads use the muscleflex.tv Web site and a toll-free number as response devices.

“Print can be a trial precursor to the infomercial format since we have a product that will work well with the martial artist or anybody who requires a stretching-based program,” Alex notes. “Creating a solid base in the martial arts industry prior to releasing an infomercial felt like a really strong idea in terms of getting exposure.”

Just the same, he concedes CelebDirect went with the DR space ads first because it seemed a little easier: “For targeting men, it was our path of least resistance. Martial arts [practitioners] obviously know what stretching means because that's a primary requirement [of the martial arts discipline].”

There were other reasons why CelebDirect wanted to hold off on the infomercial portion of the campaign for some four to six months.

“It's the question of the elections and how much they're going to take away from people's attention,” Alex says. “So we thought the first part of 2009 might be the best time to capture a television audience. We'll have to see.”

He denied that the current economic downturn played any role in postponing the infomercial launch.

“There's a twofold thing with the recession,” he notes. “People tend to stay at home more, so they'll be predisposed to buy a product that's going to entertain them. I also believe when you advertise and build your base during a recession, when you come out of it people are more aware of you. They have disposable income, and you're the first one they think of.”

When the infomercials roll out next year in North America they'll be targeted mainly at 24- to 36-year-old women.

“We'll do 30-minute infomercials and test one- and two-minute short-form spots,” Alex says. “We're also going to see how a combination of 30- minute and short-form infomercials work.”

The Muscle Flex system's introductory price is $299. Other price points will be tested when the infomercials begin to air.

On another front, Alex says CelebDirect has had discussions with the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness to help promote Muscle Flex.