Response articles from March 2003

Response archives from March 2003

You have to lose the rotten eggs to savor the scent of spring flowers. (Editor's Note).(what keeps businesses going during the rough times is the promise of better times)(Editorial)
March 1, 2003... Spring is never spring unless it comes too soon. G.K. Chesteron, 1912 Is it too soon to speak of spring? I think not, especially for those of you who have spent the past three months suffering through the bitter cold in the Midwest and...

America's Collectible Network mines jewelry category: nine-year-old home shopping network records $157 million in sales during 2002. (Cable Network Spotlight).(America's Collectible Network has become the fifth-largest home shopping network)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2003... Knoxville, Tenn.-based America's Collectible Network (ACN), while growing into the fifth-largest home shopping network, has quietly become one of the nation's largest gemstone and jewelry retailers. The network was founded in 1993 by Bob...

ERA Miami event draws record crowd. (Field Reports).(the Electronic Retailing Association Spring Conference and Trade Expo attracts 500+ attendees)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Partly cloudy skies didn't dampen the enthusiasm of attendees at the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) Spring Conference and Trade Expo in Key Biscayne, Fla., Feb. 23-25. Elissa Myers, ERA CEO, opened the conference...

Jordan Whitney announces 10th annual Greensheet Award winners. (Field Reports).(infomercials)
March 1, 2003... TUSTIN, Calif. -- Guthy-Renker Corp. and Cort Howell Productions Inc. have nabbed the Greensheet Award for Infomercial of the Year award for their "Winsor Pilates" long-form DRTV program. The announcement was made as part of Jordan Whitney's...

Liberty Media withdrawing from QVC co-ownership pact. (Field Reports).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- John Malone's Liberty Media Corp. is withdrawing from joint ownership of QVC, America's largest home shopping channel, with partner Comcast. Terms of a stockholder agreement allow a 90-day period for ownership to change...

Quadrangle Capital Partners acquires GoodTimes Entertainment. (Field Reports).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... NEW YORK -- Quadrangle Capital Partners LP, a private equity fund focused on the media and communications industries, announces the acquisition of GoodTimes Entertainment, one of DRTV's most well known companies. As part of the acquisition,...

Jordan whitney's program rankings. (Research).(infomercial rankings)(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... Research Jordan Whitney's Program Rankings TOP 10 INFOMERCIALS LAST RANK MONTH PROGRAM HOST 1 3 Gazelle Elite Tony Little 2 6 Carleton Sheets Carleton Sheets ...

The IMS top 20 DRTV national cable rankings. (Research).(infomercial rankings on cable)(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... Research The IMS Top 20 DRTV National Cable Rankings LONG-FORM PROGRAMS WEEKS RANK ON CHART SHOW MARKETING COMPANY COUNT 1 523 Carleton Sheets Professional Education ...

From the lab. (Research).(video post production tips)
March 1, 2003... Post Production 101 Unless you're in production, the realm of post production is probably foreign to you. Beta vs. DV, offline, online, rendering, sweetening - what does all this mean, and what does it mean for your own production? For...

REVShare search engine internet popularity report. (Research).(infomercials ranked by searches)(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... Research REVShare Search Engine Internet Popularity Report NUMBER OF RANK TITLE DISTRIBUTOR SEARCHES 1 Coral Calcium Direct...

4Q 2002 long-form billings maintain the year's resurgence: record-low media costs again push timeslots to new levels as the year's final quarter wraps up a much better year than 2001. (Research).
March 1, 2003... For the fourth straight quarter in 2 002, long-form media billings surpassed 2001 figures. Fourth-quarter 2002 media billings improved 4 percent over the same quarter last year. In actuality; this figure should be much higher since the number...

4Q 2002 short-form DRTV media jump nearly 29 percent over 3q figures: 'housewares and appliances' category takes the lead in $24 million rise. (Research).
March 1, 2003... In step with long-form media billings, fourth-quarter short-form DRTV media billings increased over third-quarter figures. This is good news since reported third-quarter figures declined in relation to second-quarter 2002 figures. Short-form...

DRTV's crowning glory.(Vanessa Williams appears in infomercial for Proactiv Solution)(Biography)
March 1, 2003... Since earning Miss America honors two decades ago, vanessa Williams has become a stunningly successful recording artist and actress. Now, as she hosts the latest infomercial for Proactiv[R] Solution, what's next for the Grammy- and...

Removing the blemishes: DRTV marketers in the beauty and personal care category use finesse to fulfill consumers' needs for vanity-centric products.(direct response television)(related article includes)
March 1, 2003... Greg Renker knows how hard it is to go up against the likes of Estee Lauder and L'Oreal. Armed with breakthrough beauty products, unlimited research and development budgets, decades of brand recognition and well-developed retail distribution...

Assume the position: eyes on tube, hands on phone: the home shopping channels are coming in loud, clear and profitable.
March 1, 2003... Eyes on the tube, hands on the phone-it's a shopper's favorite position. It's tough to argue that they like it any other way. Even s the economy yawns, people are still watching and dialing. The home shopping industry is settling into its...

A trilogy of choices: which DRTV model fits your plan? (DRTV Best Practices Primer).
March 1, 2003... Direct response television (DRTV) is capable of accomplishing multiple tasks. While it is most frequently thought of as a net for capturing direct-to-consumer sales, it can also leverage its longer lengths of time to generate awareness, to...

Correction.
March 1, 2003... In the January 2003 edition of the DRTV Best Practices Primer a line on page 36 read. "Online penetration is nearing 90 percent in the United States." The actual figure should be 62 percent Response regrets the oversight.

The product placement frontier: now welcoming DRTV settlers. (Media).
March 1, 2003... What does the daytime talk show, "The Other Half," have in common with the Tom Hanks blockbuster movie, "Cast Away?" If you answered "product placement," you're correct. Although television commercials have historically been the backbone...

'Smoke Away' infomercial tests successfully. (Media).(Northern Lights Direct Response Television)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... TORONTO -- Northern Lights DRTV announces the successful test of an infomercial for the Smoke Away System, a product designed to help smokers kick their habit. The infomercial is a follow-up to the successful Smoke Away short-form spot and will...

Moulton to fulfill new Sylvania automotive DRTV product. (Support Services).(Osram Sylvania Inc.)(Moulton Logistics)
March 1, 2003... HILLSBORO, N.H. -- The world's largest manufacturer of automotive light sources, Osram Sylvania, announces its first-ever DRTV effort, a short-form campaign for the SilverStar line of automotive aftermarketing lighting applications. The...

NewRoads secures $30m credit line from Merrill Lynch. (Support Services).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... GREENWICH, Conn. -- NewRoads, a business process outsourcer of fulfillment and customer care services, announces the closure of a deal for a five-year credit line for $30 million with Merrill Lynch Capital, a division of Merrill Lynch Business...

Guthy-Renker renews fulfillment agreement with EDS. (Support Services).(Electronic Data Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Guthy-Renker Corp. and Texas-based EDS have renewed their outsourcing agreement designed to leverage technology to streamline Guthy-Renker's supply chain. EDS provides its customer relationship management, fulfillment...

Platinum members.(Quest Membership Services)(Directory)
March 1, 2003... Quest Membership Services is a unit of Aegon Direct Marketing Services. Quest's focus is on the marketing of AEGON Direct Marketing Services products, both membership clubs and insurance products, through multiple touch points including inbound...

The new TSR upsell regulations: class is in session.(United States Federal Trade Commission's new Telemarketing Sales Rule)
March 1, 2003... May I have your attention, students? Today's class is about how upselling is regulated under the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) new Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). We have a lot of ground to cover, so let's get started. The original TSR...

Search engine advertising leads to nearly a quarter of internet sales. (Guest Opinion).
March 1, 2003... When it comes to your Web site, you think if you build it, they will come. According to Jupiter, 23 percent of Internet consumers enter the exact Web site address (URL) at their browser when shopping. Another 28 percent enter the name of the...