Response articles from May 2003

Response archives from May 2003

DRTV companies light the way for charitable causes. (Editor's Note).
May 1, 2003... The effort to pick up a phone and contact a charity to ask "How can I help?" is minimal. But the resulting benefits for everyone involved -- supporters and beneficiaries -- can be astounding. In the wake of the events of Sept. 11,2001, a...

Demand for long-form DRTV shapes MarketConnect: West Chester, Pa.-based network reaches 2.4 million homes with paid-programming format. (Cable Network Spotlight).
May 1, 2003... In 1999, cable industry pioneer, H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest sold his Pennsylvania-based cable company, Suburban Cable, to Comcast Corp. for approximately $7.2 billion. As part of the agreement, Lenfest retained the rights to a channel position, which...

Thane Direct launches Magnassager DRTV campaign in Canada. (Industry Newsbites).(television advertising campaign for hand-held massager)
May 1, 2003... TORONTO -- Thane Direct, a Canadian distributor of U.S. direct response products, recently launched a DRTV campaign north of the border for the Magnassager hand-held massager. The company reported overwhelming consumer demand was found during a...

Mexico's Premiere Exclusives joins the Global Alliance. (Industry Newsbites).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... LONDON -- Premiere Exclusives, a Mexican direct response television product distributor, becomes the latest company to join the Global Alliance, a consortium of the world's leading electronic retailing companies that includes Vector...

Atomic Direct produces video for White's Electronics. (Industry Newsbites).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... PORTLAND, Ore. -- Atomic Direct announces it has produced a 15-minute videotape to be used as part of White's Electronics' direct mail customer development efforts. Based in Sweet Home, Ore., White's Electronics is a leader in the design and...

E&M inks new account. (Industry Newsbites).(E&M Advertising; Universal Technical Institute Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... NEW YORK -- E&M Advertising announces it has been assigned media planning and buying duties by Universal Technical Institute Inc. (UTI), located in Phoenix. The $7-million media account includes long- and short-form direct response television...

Infotainment, Ojo de Aqua Productions Team for 'Celebrity Paintball'. (Industry Newsbites).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... LOS ANGELES -- Infotainment Media and Ojo de Aqua Productions have paired to produce a weekly 30-minute reality television series called "Celebrity Paintball." The show will consist of well-known celebrities competing in paintball tournaments...

American Video Group's spots for Bosley begin airing. (Field Reports).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... LOS ANGELES -- American Video Group, a full-service production company founded in 1982, announces the beginning of national television and cable airings of three 30-second and three 60-second lead generation spots for Bosley, the nation's...

Response clarifies InPulse/TEST marketing relationship. (Field Reports).(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2003... In the April issue of Response, we reported the announcement of a strategic partnership between Phoenix-based InPulse Response Group and TEST Marketing Group in Costa Mesa, Calif. Under the agreement, TEST will operate as a separate, autonomous...

Electronic Retailing Association (ERA). (Transitions).(Barbara Tulipane is the new president and chief operating officer)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Barbara Tulipane is the new president and chief operating officer (COO) of the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA).

Media Logic. (Transitions).(personnel)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Media Logic appoints Laurie A. Couture as senior account executive.

E&M Advertising. (Transitions).(personnel promotion)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Christine Babiak moves up to account supervisor at E&M Advertising.

CFM Direct. (Transitions).(personnel changes)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... CFM Direct promotes Bill Aylesworth to chairman, Howard Hamilton to CEO, Michael Shutty to president and Barry Barnett to executive vice president, data resources and applications.

Hall Dickler Kent Goldstein & Wood LLP. (Transitions).(law firm serving entertainment industry)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... William M. Heberer ascends to partner at Hall Dicker Kent Goldstein & Wood LLP.

Fast Media LLC. (Transitions).(new address in Austin, Texas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Fast Media LLC is now located at 7608 Hwy. 71 West, Suite A, Austin, TX 78735. The contact number for Pascale Burton, the company's director of marketing development, is (512) 617-1337. The company's fax number is (512) 617-1396 and its Web...

Respond2 wins awards, announces new campaign. (Transitions).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... PORTLAND, Ore.--Respond2 has been honored for its work with two of the biggest stars in television history: Johnny Carson and Bob Hope. The company's work with the "Johnny Carson Collection" series of videos and DVDs earned a bronze medallion...

Infoworx takes Roomba vacuum to Canada. (Field Reports).(teamed with Koolatron)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Infoworx has teamed with Koolatron, a full-service Canadian distribution DRTV company, to introduce the Roomba automatic vacuum to the Canadian market via a targeted DRTV campaign. The 30-minute infomercial, which garnered...

Permission Interactive launches wholesale web site. (Field Reports).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SAN DIEGO -- Permission Interactive Inc. announces the opening of www.asseenontvwholesale.com, a site the company contends is DRTV's first and, only automated online wholesale marketplace. The site s mission is to expand the market for DRTV...

Jordan Whitney's Program Rankings. (Research).
May 1, 2003... Research Jordan Whitney's program rankings. TOP 10 INFOMERCIALS LAST RANK MONTH PROGRAM HOST 1 1 Barefoot Coral Calcium Kevin Trudeau 2 5 Power 90 Tony...

The IMS Top 20 DRTV National Cable Ratings. (Research).
May 1, 2003... Research The top 20 DRTV national cable rankings. LONG-FORM PROGRAMS WEEKS ON RANK CHART SHOW MARKETING COMPANY 1 27 Barefoot Coral Calcium Shop America 2 213 ...

From the lab: Is direct mail for me? (Research).
May 1, 2003... The fact is, just about every marketer at some point will consider testing direct mail as a potential enhancement to a DRTV campaign. For those of us that come upon this from, a DRTV background, there are many unknowns, including two key...

REVShare Search Engine Internet Popularity Report. (Research).
May 1, 2003... Research REVShare Search Engine Internet Popularity Report. NUMBER OF RANK TITLE DISTRIBUTOR SEARCHES 1 Coral Calcium ...

Do you believe in 'Magic'.(basketball hall-of-famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Basketball hall-of-famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson has followed his stellar NBA career with an even more uplifting and surprising second act--that of high-powered entrepreneur and philanthropist. Johnson's story is an apt lesson for anyone with an...

DRTV products: now coming to a mailbox [or in-box] near you; marketers aiming for an integrated approach branch out into E-mail and direct mail.
May 1, 2003... No businessperson likes to leave money on the table when doing a deal, but that's exactly what product marketers do when they limit the number of advertising mediums that they use. Just ask Marianna Morello, president and CEO at New York-based...

A direct response ... to community needs: DR firms' generosity shines in many ways.
May 1, 2003... Few could argue that the direct response industry lacks vision. Everyday, the industry's vision of creating a better world through free enterprise gains a clearer focus. It's a vision driven by staggering amounts of creativity and hard work....

The fundamental building blocks of DRTV--direct response sports: this month, the ongoing series turns its attention to the second of the industry's three principal formats. (Response Magazine's DRTV Best Practices Primer).
May 1, 2003... DRTV spots are commercials that typically run 60 or 120 seconds in length, although they have been known to run in other variations, such as 15 and 90 seconds. The latter lengths are less common because the one- or two-minute length allows time...

Staying the course through a time of conflict. (Media).(direct response TV and media buying industries during Iraq War, 2003)
May 1, 2003... As I'm writing this article, during the first week of April, our troops are approaching Baghdad. We have been at war in Iraq for about two weeks. By the time this article is published and you are reading it, the war will likely have concluded....

WorldLink to rep DR sales for Cosmopolitan Television Latinoamerica. (Media).(direct response representation with media sales firm)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... LOS ANGELES--According to Claudio Bevilacqua, CEO of PRAMER SCA (a subsidiary of Liberty Media Intl.), and Toni Erickson Knight, founder and CEO of WorldLink, Cosmopolitan Television Latinoamerica, a 24-hour Latin American channel for young...

FTC announces amendments to, approves petitions on TSR. (Support Services).(Federal Trade Commission; Telemarketing Sales Rule )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announces the issuance of a revised Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend its Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), adding a new section that would impose fees on entities accessing the...

AB&C Group revamps Web site to 'better showcase staff and services'. (Support Services).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... McLEAN, Va. -- The AB&C Group, a direct response processing and fulfillment service company, has revamped its Web site (www.abcgroup.com) to better present its services and communicate what it believes makes the company unique. The company...

Californians begin registering for 'do not call' list. (Support Services).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- On April 1, the state of California began registering its residents for the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) national "do not call" registry via its official Web site nocall.doj.state.ca.us. Registration is free. The state...

O'Currance Teleservices opens second facility. (Support Services).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... SALT LAKE CITY -- O'Currance Teleservices, a provider of inbound telemarketing products and services, announces the expansion of its corporate operations into a second facility, also located in Salt Lake City. This second facility will be...

ShopNBC pumps up online sales with technology. (Home Shopping).
May 1, 2003... MINNEAPOLIS -- ShopNBC's companion Web site, ShopNBC.com, has used RealOne Player technology to allow customers to tap a combination of live online programming, video-on-demand (VOD), interactive chat ability, live Web casts and expert advice....

QVC is largest purchaser of Irish goods in the United States. (Home Shopping).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... DUBLIN, Ireland -- Enterprise Ireland, a government organization charged with assisting the development of Irish enterprise, names home shopping giant QVC as the largest single purchaser of Irish consumer goods in the United States. The...

Advertisers beware: the FTC sets its sights on weight-loss products; the FTC staff often differs with advertisers over what claims consumers take away from an advertisement. (Legal Review).
May 1, 2003... Last November, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a workshop on deceptive advertising for weight-loss products. A panel of scientific experts found certain egregious claims, such as "lose 30 pounds in 30 days," to be scientifically...

Vanity toll-free numbers improve the effectiveness of advertising. (Guest Opinion).
May 1, 2003... Generally, it takes several years and millions of dollars to develop an unknown name into a branded name. That's not the case with a golden generic vanity number, such as 1-800-FLOWERS or 1-800-AS-SEEN-ON-TV. Before multiple toll-free...

ERA salutes its...Platinum members; this month's Platinum Member company Profile: QVC.(Electronic Retailing Association)
May 1, 2003... With 2002 net sales of nearly $4.4 billion, QVC, Inc. is the world's largest electronic retailer and the second largest television network in terms of revenue. QVC's first broadcast on November 24, 1986 was carried by 58 cable systems in 20...