2014 New Year
Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. These resolutions summarise tried and tested ways to increase advertisers’ chances of DRTV success.
London (PRWEB UK) 27 December 2013
Direct response TV advertising can be astonishingly cost-effective. It is relied on by growing numbers of TV advertisers because it can produce new business almost instantly. Well-known DRTV advertisers include Viking River Cruises, Direct Line Insurance, AXA, British Red Cross, Go Compare, Disney and National Accident Helpline.
DRTV scripts include any TV advertising that asks viewers to respond directly by 0800 phone, text or web site visit. Over a quarter of UK TV commercials feature these direct response “calls to action”. The client’s desired response could range from a brochure request or other enquiry to a firm order backed by a credit card.
However, DRTV can create instant customers and produce high ROI (return on investment) only if the advertiser fully understands how the technique works best. The DRTV Centre, the leading UK direct response TV ad agency, suggests that DRTV advertisers make the following 12 New Year Resolutions which encapsulate the most important ingredients for success:
Resolution 1: Above all, appoint a specialist DRTV ad agency. Ordinary advertising agencies just don’t have the DRTV expertise to make DRTV work.
Resolution 2: Grab viewers’ attention in the first 5 seconds.
Resolution 3: Solve viewers’ problems. A problem/solution scenario often works well.
Resolution 4: Show big on-screen titles to highlight your most important product benefits. Ad agency creatives hate these but they work.
Resolution 5: Don’t play it for laughs. It might be tempting to use humour to capture attention. Don’t.
Resolution 6: Be direct and explicit. Make it 100% clear what response you expect from the viewer (this is the CTA, call-to-action). Repeat it.
Resolution 7: Feature your 0800 phone number very early in your commercial and keep it on screen until the end.
Resolution 8: Do not confuse objectives. Branding is a side effect of great DRTV commercials, not the other way around. Concentrate on maximising response. Brand awareness will result later, following DRTV success.
Resolution 9: Trust response data. DRTV results are brilliantly measurable; take the advice of DRTV experts with respect to analysis.
Resolution 10: React fast to your spot response analysis. Recognise that DRTV is a science. Identify your winners using response statistics. Cut your losers immediately.
Resolution 11: Be careful with research. Testing a new product on-air will provide much more reliable guidance than using focus groups.
Resolution 12: Judge with your head, not your heart. Beware of taking emotional decisions. Base your judgment purely on facts.
Great examples of how to “get it right” are Viking River Cruises TV commercials. They attract attention immediately, raise viewer interest, calls to action are featured strongly throughout, special offers are included and a sense of urgency is added by making the offers available only for limited periods.
David Pearson of The DRTV Centre comments: “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. These resolutions summarise tried and tested ways to increase advertisers’ chances of DRTV success.”
About The DRTV Centre:
Mission: “To create Instant New Customers for our clients.”
The agency was founded in London in 1997. It specialises in direct response television advertising.
The DRTV Centre’s service includes everything clients need to mount successful DRTV campaigns: strategies, idea creation, scriptwriting, storyboards, research, casting, location search, film/video production, music, voice-overs, Clearcast clearance, transmission copies, channel selection, TV airtime planning/booking and campaign response analysis.
For more information, call The DRTV Centre on (UK) 0800 635 9000.
