Wendi Cooper

It was 9:30 p.m., one evening in December 2003, when my office line rang. On the other end of the phone was a desperate man. He explained that he was the CEO of a company and needed help with his "successful" infomercial — so successful that it was causing his company to bleed money. I agreed to meet him the following morning.

Upon meeting him, I felt as though I had taken a ride back to 1994 in old Doc Brown's trusty time-traveling DeLorean. I looked at media reports that were sketchy at best, highly unprofessional and a bit scary.

Back in 1994, campaigns could pull a 13:1 MER solely on TV. But as much as I felt like I had gone back in time, I hadn't. After the initial shock wore off, I knew I could revive this campaign if allowed to make certain changes. In fact, I went as far to say the campaign could gross more than $65 million in 2004.

By 8:00 the following morning, I was picking the staff's brains about the campaign history. Here is what it boiled down to:

Absorbed in data, albeit inaccurate, I realized I had to change the entire infrastructure. What really baffled me though was: no Web site? Anyone could see that the campaign had huge potential just by its enormous call volume. Why, then, did the company opt for no Web site? The answer is actually quite obvious. Hopefully, you have already figured it out.

8-Month Campaign Rollout With Continuity

Fast forward eight months and — after all the changes were made: offer perfected, Web site live, and media rollout in full swing — we found the same long-form commercial and the same radio commercial maintained a solid 2.5:1 MER and put the company back on its feet with continued success through 2007 (see chart below). The chart reflects the cost savings associated with 20 percent of the total sales coming from a direct hit to the Web site or via organic search listings.

I advocate a strong Web presence that is 100-percent transparent, intelligently executed and maintained. My clients understand the key to a strong ROI is driving as many orders through the lowest cost venue possible.

Executed properly, the Web is a magical place and a gift to an industry based on quantifiable media results. As for inbound telemarketing, you may choose live or automated, as there will always be consumers who want that human touch. But today, in 2007, up to 50 percent of all orders for many products are coming from the Web. It's easy, convenient and always open. Even in the wee hours of the night when you can't sleep, you can shop ... quietly.

Besides seeking a qualified, reputable campaign manager, be sure to weave a strong Web into your direct response campaign — so you pay less to sell more.

Wendi Cooper is CEO of C Spot Run Productions LLC. She can be reached via E-mail at wendi@cspotrun.com
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