DRTV Becoming MultiChannel Mainstay

According to a recent white paper sponsored by the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA), entitled "The Evolving Role of Direct Response Television in Multichannel Marketing Execution," direct response television (DRTV) continues to grow as a marketing medium. This growth is attributable to both DRTV marketers —who are accelerating their adoption of interactive technologies as a component of multichannel execution strategies —and traditional advertisers, who have begun using the direct response model to enhance customer relationships, drive incremental sales, and ensure marketing accountability.

The Winterberry Group, a strategic consulting firm which conducted the study on behalf of the ERA, surveyed nearly 100 senior industry executives throughout North America to discover the reasons behind DRTV's increased traction. The panel for this study included representatives from "legacy" DRTV marketers (those that have traditionally used the channel as a primary promotional tool) as well as product distributors, full-service DRTV agencies, integrated marketing service providers (those "MSPs" that offer DRTV in addition to other services, such as direct mail), media buying agencies, production companies, and a variety of specialty service providers.

The report identifies five leading trends that are actively reshaping the DRTV industry"

1. Most notably brand marketers entering the DRTV space, with the growing use of DRTV to develop and nurture customer relationships rather than merely sell individual products, and the increasing use of DRTV to drive Web and retail traffic.

2. DRTV marketers will accelerate their adoption of emerging interactive channels as marketing models and metrics are refined.

3. The focus of call center activity will shift away from inbound order receipt to outbound customer relationship management (CRM).

4. DRTV agencies will develop sophisticated marketing solutions to help marketers optimize strategies around Web 2.0.

5. DRTV marketers will explore forays into branded entertainment and product placement.

Copies of the report, at $500 each, are available at the retailing.org Website (members of the Electronic Retailing Assoc. can get the report for free).