Information about Direct Response Marketing

Direct response marketing is a form of marketing designed to solicit a direct response which is specific and quantifiable. The delivery of the response is direct between the viewer and the advertiser, that is, the customer responds to the marketer directly. This is in contrast to direct marketing in which the marketer contacts the potential customer directly.

One common form today is infomercials. They try to achieve a direct response via television presentations. Viewers respond via telephone or Internet, credit card in hand. Noted infomercial personalities include Cher, George Foreman (with the George Foreman Grill), fitness guru Jack Lalanne, inventor / salesman Ron Popeil, Billy Mays, and Tony Robbins.

An offshoot of the infomercial is the home shopping industry, which includes such home shopping channels as HSN and QVC. In this medium, a home shopping host will showcase a product directly to the viewer, and encourage them to purchase the item. Noted pioneers in this industry include Bob Circosta (first ever home shopping host), Bud Paxson (who, along with financier Roy Speer, founded the first home shopping channel HSN), and Joseph Segel (founder of America's most successful home shopping channel QVC).

Other media, such as magazines, newspapers, radio, and e-mail can be used to elicit the response, but they tend to achieve lower response rates than television.

Mail order is a term, seldom used today, that describes a form of direct response in which customers respond by mailing a completed order form to the marketer. Mail order is slow and response rates are low. It has been eclipsed by toll-free telephone numbers and the internet.

Direct response ads like infomercials can be contrasted with normal television commercials because traditional commercials normally do not solicit a direct immediate response from the viewer, but instead try to brand their product in the market place.

In direct marketing (such as telemarketing), there is no intermediary broadcast media involved (which is why it is called direct). In direct response marketing marketers use broadcast media to get customers to contact them directly. It is direct response marketing because the communications from the customer to the marketer is direct, and this differentiates it from direct marketing in which the communications from the marketer to the customer is direct.

Direct Response Advertising is characterized by four primary elements: 1. An Offer 2. Sufficient information for the consumer to make a decision whether to act 3. An explicit "call to action" 4. Means of response (typically multiple options such as a toll free number, web page, and email.)

It is fair to say that the better the offer the stronger the response. So improving the appeal and uniqueness of the offer is a first step for lifting response. Of course, an offer must be targeted such that its appeal is relevant to the wants and/or needs of the audience. This is why the choice of media or list carries similar importance as the perceived value of the offer.

There are many other best practices and techniques used to achieve results including but not limited to the use of urgency, clear and compelling copy, graphics and design which reinforce the message, etc.

Like Direct marketing, Direct response seeks to elicit action. It also is inherently accountable since results should be tracked and measured. Furthermore, Direct response campaigns perform best if the underlying strategies and tactics are highly competitive.

While certain media, as mentioned above, are commonly used in Direct Response campaigns, in fact, Direct Response is media neutral. Provided the campaign comprises the four main elements of Direct Response, is classifies as such. Furthermore, Direct Response is Organization neutral, which is to say that it is practices by organizations of all types and sizes, regardless of industry.

External links

• Electronic Retailing Association Trade association for tv, radio and online retailers
• IMSTV.com Infomercial Monitoring Service.
• Managed Response Marketing Variable Data Response Marketing Solutions.
• Direct Response Marketing Applied Online