Amid Cutbacks, ShamWow Marches On
As Downturn Worsens, DRTV 'Bottom Feeders' Pick Up Slack for Media
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- The 30-second spot may be an endangered species, even if its wake has proven largely premature and overbooked. And the 30-minute spot also has seen better days. But the 60- and 120-second spots have never been healthier, as direct sellers of everything from gadgets to personal-care products increasingly fill the breach left by an economy in retreat. Suffice it to say Billy Mays and Vince Offer of ShamWow are doing just fine, thank you.
Here's the Pitch: Making Stars Out of Hard-Selling Hawkers
How Direct Response Transformed Billy Mays, Others From Pitchmen to Pop-Culture Icons
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- What a long, strange trip it's been. Billy Mays has gone in a quarter century from gadget-hawker at fairs and the Atlantic City boardwalk to the widely reviled, impossible-to-ignore pitchman of OxiClean -- and ultimately to pop-culture fixture. But the latest twist in the story is still to come.
Wait, There's More! DRTV Is Gaining Mainstream Appeal
J&J, Church & Dwight, SC Johnson Embrace the Model
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- To find the heart of the DRTV industry -- at least of the $19.95-and-under crowd that increasingly have seared themselves into the collective consciousness in the recession -- look no further than New Jersey. There, three of the industry's biggest players, the Procter & Gambles and Unilevers of direct response, make their home.
No One-Size-Fits-All Snuggie Model Exists for DRTV Agencies
From Eicoff to Blue Moon: Pitch, Compensation, Clients Vary
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- For years, direct-response agencies have toiled in the shadows of their more glamorous peers at conventional ad agencies. Now, direct-response TV shops are finding their place in the sun as the recession darkens the outlook for most of the marketing industry.
The Law Firm That Operates Like an Ad Agency
How Nonstop TV Buyer Sokolove Law Used Direct-Response Pitches to Build a Legal Empire
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ever hear of Jim Sokolove? Let's rephrase that: How could you not? In the saturated rotation of lawyers advertising on TV, his personal-injury spots are a fixture in America's daytime living rooms, where one of his ads is seen about once every minute.
How the Amish Helped Make the Heat Surge Hot
Direct Response's Newest -- and Quietest -- Spokesfolk Have Help Drive Sales of Fireplace
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- No doubt, some Amish never imagined that one day a few of their number would be the stuff of unadulterated hype with copy like this: "Amish craftsmen are working their fingers to the bone to be sure everyone gets their delivery in time to save a lot of money." But indeed they are, as some have become the stars of print ads in Parade and Rolling Stone and in direct-response ads on TV, pitching those Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow electric fireplaces.
Marketing's New Red-Hot Seller: Humble Snuggie
After 4 Million Sold, There's Waiting List for Blanket With Arms
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- The Snuggie blanket launched nationally on direct-response TV in October, just as the economy was slowing to a crawl, so the timing seemingly couldn't have been worse. However, it turns out the timing couldn't have been better.
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