Response articles from January 2004

Response archives from January 2004

The New Year brings new challenges, opportunities for those with resolve.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... While standing in the seats of the Rose Bowl's south end zone, watching famed composer John Williams lead the marching bands of the University of Southern California and University of Michigan in a stirring rendition of the national anthem on...

Muris' weight-loss announcement props ERA self-regulation efforts, but dumps on DRTV image.(Field Reports)(Federal Trade Commission's Timothy Muris on Electronic Retailing Association, direct response television)
January 1, 2004... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a press conference Dec. 9, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Timothy Muris announced a long-awaited set of voluntary weight-loss advertising guidelines for media companies, entitled "Red Flag: Bogus Weight-Loss...

DMA president and CEO Wientzen to retire on July 1.(Field Reports)(Direct Marketing Association)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) announces that H. Robert Wientzen, its president and CEO since 1996, plans to retire July 1. An executive search committee composed of current and former DMA board members has been formed to...

Industry execs form Andrews Marketing Partners.(Field Reports)(Andrews Marketing Partners LLC)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... SALT LAKE CITY -- Managing Partners Andy Naud and Andrew Rappl, formerly members of the Stilson & Stilson management team, have opened up a new DRTV shop called Andrews Marketing Partners LLC (AMP). The new firm offers production, consulting...

For the record.(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2004... In the Response 2004 Direct Marketing Buyers' Guide, the phone number for Tactica Intl. was misprinted. The correct phone number for the company is (212) 575-0500. The company's location--11 W. 42nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY...

DMW's BlueCross BlueShield of Texas DRTV spot tests well.(Field Reports)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... WAYNE, Pa. -- A new DRTV spot for BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (BCBS), produced by DMW (a full-service direct response advertising agency), has reportedly delivered 40 percent more leads than initial projections by the company. Following more...

Respond2 bows Songbird Hearing aid Web site, DR campaign.(Field Reports)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... PORTLAND, Ore. -- DR agency Respond2 launches a Web site for Songbird Hearing Inc. to help the company reach the hearing-impaired community with a unique disposable hearing aid offer. The transactional site, www.songbirdstore.com, is centered...

Jordan Whitney's program rankings.(Research)(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... Jordan Whitney's Program Rankings TOP 10 INFOMERCIALS RANK LAST MONTH PROGRAM HOST 1 1 Showtime Rotisserie Ron Popeil 2 3 Bowflex Tom Purvis ...

The IMS top 20 DRTV national cable rankings.(Research)(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... The IMS Top 20 DRTV National Cable Rankings LONG-FORM PROGRAMS RANK WEEKS ON CHART SHOW MARKETING COMPANY COUNT 1 566 Carleton Sheets Professional Education 411 ...

From the lab: aw, C'mon! Give it a try!(Research)(Test Marketing Group, Advertising agencies)
January 1, 2004... These days, it seems everyone's favorite thing to say about DRTV is that it's "getting harder to make things work." An increasingly popular option that marketers everywhere are trying is the "trial offer." Part II of TEST's "Offer...

REVShare Search Engine Internet Popularity Report.(Research)(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... REVShare Search Engine Internet Popularity Report RANK TITLE DISTRIBUTOR NUMBER OF SEARCHES 1 Bowflex Bowflex Inc. 139,268 2 Total Gym American Telecast ...

Naomi Judd's 'Esteem' bursts into the beauty market; with a crack team of scientists and marketing experts, the country singing star and mother of two throws herself into the DRTV world. Verheem's responseIQ is the key marketing partner.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... "As the first born, I was emotional, creative, organized, insatiably curious, and the Judd 'banner carrier'," says Naomi Judd, country music star and host of a new infomercial for her own skin-care line. "I was in and out of most of the homes...

Working up a sweat: sports and fitness products thrive in the DRTV space.(Sports & Fitness)(Direct Response Television)
January 1, 2004... To bring its new TreadClimber fitness product to market, The Nautilus Group of Vancouver, Wash., could have easily spent a year or two building brand awareness, then followed up by putting the product directly into the retail chain in an effort...

Tuning into radio success: die-hard DRTV marketers may sing a different tune once they realize the long-term benefits of integrating radio into their media mix. Cost-efficiency, high lead generation and flexibility are merely a few of the rewards.(DR Radio)
January 1, 2004... "Radio poses an opportunity for you to reach the consumer repeatedly, again and again. And that's really its strength--repetition," contends Mark Lipsky, president of Radio Direct Response (RDR), a radio advertising agency based in Media, Pa....

Technology puts the power in payment processing; in the end, there's nothing more important to your company's success than getting paid by customers for your DR products. New advances in payment processing technology have made old problems in finalizing payment easier to erase.(Support Spotlight)
January 1, 2004... Get paid. Two words that put the proverbial exclamation mark on the end of sales. Get paid--then and only then--is the sale done. Thanks to the payment processing industry's tinkering with technology, paydays for DR marketers are getting easier...

Research key to fixing those scary MERs.(Media)(media efficiency ratios )
January 1, 2004... If you're a true DRTV veteran, you'll remember the golden days of rich media efficiency ratios (MERs) of three, four, five and even higher. Those days seem long gone, as DRTV marketers accept depressing MERs in the ones and scramble for...

Mercury Media celebraters 15 years in business.(Media)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- DRTV media giant Mercury Media has reached the 15-year milestone in business, and is now recognized as among the largest independent direct response media buyers in addition to being the largest infomercial media buyer...

17 Latin American distributors form media-buying cooperative.(Media)(PanLatino TV)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- PanLatino TV (PLTV) and its 17 Latin American distributor-participants announce the formation of a new media-buying cooperative for which PLTV will serve as agency of record. The agreement formalizes several years of informal...

Projecting the dream--forecasting in the DR world.(Support Services)
January 1, 2004... Projecting the success of a direct response campaign can be a daunting process--no matter how much data you gather, no matter how appropriate your product is for your target audience, no matter how good the timing is. [ILLUSTRATION...

O'Currance finishes tech upgrade, earns another company honor.(Support Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... SALT LAKE CITY -- O'Currance Teleservices, announces the completion of a technology upgrade of its call center facilities and operations, and also reports its inclusion on the Mountain West Venture Group's list of the 100 fastest growing...

Moulton to provide fulfillment for body by Jake's AB Scissor.(Support Services)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... VAN NUYS, Calif. -- Fulfillment services for the Ab Scissor, the latest in a line of successful fitness products produced by Body by Jake Global, will be handled by Moulton Logistics Management. The Ab Scissor is a four-minute-a-day ab machine,...

Electronic marketing's changing world: looking ahead into 2004, electronic marketers need to be aware of government initiatives that directly affect the way they do business.(Credit Debit)
January 1, 2004... Every day thousands, if not millions, of card transactions occur worldwide in the land of direct response. Merchants accept payments every second from consumers interested in purchasing the latest product or gadget on the market. In the past,...

New trademark treaty may benefit direct response marketers.(Legal Review)(United States Patent and Trademark Office )
January 1, 2004... Recent changes to U.S. trademark laws may make it easier and more cost effective for marketers who distribute or market their products internationally to obtain trademark protection overseas. On Nov. 2, the United States assented to the...