Rick Petry

In October's Response, we explored the frequency of celebrity usage in advertising and noted that 43 percent of the top 50 infomercials used at least one type of the two categories of celebrities identified: famous celebrities, such as actors and sports figures, and DRTV-created personalities, or...more >>

It's the question that invariably comes up when contemplating a DRTV campaign: should we use a celebrity? Anecdotally, people play with the notion that celebrities will help get the advertising noticed, build credibility for the product, and ultimately aid its success.

At first blush, it would appear that if one joined and attended every trade organization event that surrounds the direct-to-consumer marketplace, they would have no time left to do anything else. How then does one decide which organizations to join, which shows to attend, and how to get the most...more >>

If you are an inventor who has developed a product or someone who owns the rights to one that you think is ideally suited for direct response television (DRTV), you may decide to partner with one of the many marketing companies that have made this powerful form of advertising their specialty. While...more >>

If there are six degrees of separation in the world, newcomers to the direct marketing industry will find out very quickly that, in this industry, there are zero degrees. Whether you're an inventor, an entrepreneur or a marketer who works directly for a client or their agency, once you've decided...more >>

This month, the ongoing series turns its attention to the third of the industry's principal formats.

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 to impart the necessary product benefits and features...more >>

A debate rages within the electronic retailing industry as to whether this genre of advertising and its three principal formats - infomercials, spots and home shopping - have been distilled to pure formula or whether there is room for innovation. A set of generally accepted practices does inform...more >>

Direct response television (DRTV) is capable of accomplishing multiple tasks. While it is most frequently thought of as a net for capturing direct-to-consumer sales, it can also leverage its longer lengths of time to generate awareness, to educate consumers about product benefits and features and...more >>

How much of America watches direct response television (DRTV)? Who are they? Do people watch infomercials differently than home shopping channels? These are questions frequently asked by both direct marketing professionals and those looking to get into the game, but too often the answers are...more >>