Hi! Ava Seavey again for the latest edition of our video blog.
Glad you could be with us today. Today we’re going to be talking about the latest and greatest way to reach the over 65 population. Great demographic.
Ready?
Wait for it.
Wait for it.
Wait for it….
…TELEVISION!
Shocking isn’t it? Yep – according to a new eMarketer report, about half of US seniors use the internet, and those who do spend A LOT less time than younger adults
And although most seniors do have mobile phones, many don’t have smartphones. And social networking is not really that big among seniors. I know you’re used to me talking about how great the internet and social media is but as far as seniors go, it’s still TV.
In fact, in Q4 2012, seniors averaged… wait for it… 220 hours and 55 minutes per month watching traditional television, according to Nielsen. That ‘s double the numbers of the 18- 24 year olds
So…
For media usage, TV is still King – or should I say, Queen, for seniors, far more so than for the younger generations. So click here to find out more on some great information about this fabulous demographic.
And PS, what are you waiting for? GET ON TV NOW! TALK TO THOSE SENIORS! Because there’s still time to get on the air for summer – GREAT time to talk to seniors!
Hi, and welcome to the latest edition of the Avalanche Video Blog. I’m Ava Seavey, the Queen Bee of DRTV. What I want to talk about today is Manti Te’o. I’m sure a lot of you have read about the debacle with his imagined, imaginary girlfriend that he met online. And I want to talk about what that has to do with direct to consumer advertising and DRTV and internet, specifically. Am I suggesting that you go out and dupe your customers and convince them to buy imaginary products? No. But what I am saying is the power of the persuasive element that could convince this high level football player that this person existed when she didn’t was a magnificent marketing ploy in my opinion. It shows how much the internet can convince people if they are passionate and they believe in it, so just translate that to the creativity of your director to consumer marketing, to DRTV, to the internet, and the power of persuasion. As long as you have the passion and the persuasion, be creative people. Get out there. Look at this man who thought this woman was real. Certainly we can do this with real products and services. Now go out there and be creative. See you next time.
In 1990, I was working in the world of Madison Avenue, but I discovered a strange medium which was later called infomercials. I loved the immediacy, the strangeness, the huge power it seemed to had. I also had to hide this love from the Madison Avenue types that were my bread and butter of that time. They made fun of me, bullied me and all but thought I was either crazy (which I am), or a visionary (which some may have believed). Then, in 1996, I discovered an even weirder phenomena, which was then called “interactive”. You could actually put things into the universe. And you could use something called email. I remember my whole company shared one email address and one person checked it. It was scarey and fun. I created a very unique gift site, run by a character that I created. And I charged people to advertise there, and some actually paid. Everyone really thought I lost my mind and my new infomercial clients thought that I was off on a really strange tangent. I was not one of the fortunate dotcommers that got a payout for an idea. I kept slogging along and wondering about the future.
So here I am today. An infomercial and DRTV producer, marketer, strategist. I am again obsessed by the next oddity: social media and what I believe to be its impending direct to consumer power to sell products and services. I still believe in DRTV with all my heart, but I also believe that we, as DRTV professionals, should be the ones to lead the way into social direct to consumer selling. We, not the brand folks, understand ROI, accountability and immediacy and that is what the future of social holds.
Read below some astounding numbers from a recent Inc Magazine article and let’s together start to monitize this genre and own it!
I am all for protecting the consumer, but for DRTV advertisers, and more and more main stream advertisers, the overarching and draconian over-regulation that we have experienced for the past several years at the hands of the current FTC Chairman has rendered many legitimate advertisers unable to say what their products or services do without risk of regulatory action.
I recently read that FTC Chairman, Jon Leibowitz, is planning to step down before the end of the year. Of course there is still time for him to file his suit against Google, fine more marketers for their claims, and in general ride ripshod over decent folks who are attempting to promote their products and services to the American people.
I understand that there needs to be some federal oversight and consumer protection, but this FTC has proven to be an overly punitive one. Is it coincidence that upon this Chairman’s appointment by President Obama in March of 2009, there has been a greater exodus of marketers from the DRTV space?
One can only hope that whoever gets elected in November will offer up an FTC Chairman who is not an enemy of business. If Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Edison were inventors today, few of their products would ever have seen the light of day because they would not have been allowed to say or show what their inventions did or how they could help every day lives. It is really a shame that the government seems to blockade innovation at every turn. Entrepreneurs and inventors are and have been the lifeblood of America. But small business does not have the deep pockets of pharma companies to fight against FTC actions so it’s likely that many products that could really help people never launch due to fear and lack of funds.
I stand and applaud product creators who have the vision, creativity and courage to bring their products to market despite this terrible climate of the past few years. It is a frightening and lonely ride for many of these folks.
So, Mr. Leibowitz, I was very happy to read that you are stepping down. I just wish you had done so much sooner. Maybe now we can experience a better and healthier atmosphere because goodness knows we need it.
The infomercial and DRTV community has been attacked by so many as perpetrating fraudulent and deceptive advertising to innocent consumers. The climate has become so challenged from a regulatory standpoint, so much so that many legitimate marketers are not even permitted to say what their products does, especially in the nutritional supplement arena. I wonder how a company as large as Glaxo can have gone under the radar for so long to deceive such a large number of consumers, when DRTV marketers are shut down over the slightest technicality.
For those of you that missed the news, Glaxo was fined $3 billion….and seems to be taking it in stride. One of the most interesting points in the article blow talks about how their stock went UP after the announcement. Go figure!
I don’t know about you, but I just LOVE infographics, especially when they contain really up to the moment and valuable marketing insights into consumer use of social media. As a direct marketer, I gobble up stats for breakfast, lunch and dinner and these are absolutely delectible! Yum. Yum. I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.
“As personalization becomes more pervasive, however, it has the potential to invisibly channel consumers who might mistakenly think they are browsing freely, limiting their experience to the views algorithms have predetermined they might like and act upon.”
This is from an article in the Sunday NY Times about e-tailing. Click here to read article. While real-time and real-experience personalization is interesting and might even be the next hot thing in marketing, the quote neglects to mention creativity.
Observe digital advertising. Study it. Peruse it. Where is the creativity? Where is the compelling copy? Where is the breakthrough visual treatment?
In talking to consumers has the moment of engagement overtaken the importance of the message? What will a marketer do when the blind belief in algorithmic efficiency leads to the personalization clutter?
Don’t ever forget the proven principles of Direct Response. They held true then and they will hold true now and into the future.
DRTV and Infomercial marketers, I know that I have been raving about how great online video is, how much people consume video and how it helps the SEO, consumer engagement, etc. In no way do I mean to insinuate that TV is going away any time soon. In fact, it is still consumed in a far greater proportion than video.
So keep your infomercials coming, as TV is still the predominant media for the masses. Below is a great article which highlights the current stats regarding online video vs. TV. This should make TV marketers happy for once! Enjoy.
Posted by georgebrianka 
