Americans are buying less. Personal spending slipped again. Gas prices are up; home prices are down, unemployment looms at a very high rate. What is a DRTV marketer to do to increase their bottom line, lower up front marketing costs, and sell more products in an increasingly challenged economy? Just like consumers who are saving money by recycling, oftentimes marketers have great opportunities to recycle, too. How, you might ask? read more

As I work with clients, a common struggle is maximizing results as it relates to handling their inbound sales calls. Unfortunately, the calls center component is often the last prioritized element of a campaign's implementation and strategy discussion. Most of the attention is given to the product, marketing message, production of the spot, media buying, fulfillment, credit card processing, and the web. Once the dust clears, the realization of the need for a quality call center is brought to the forefront. read more

The organization that governs the Domain Name System, ICANN, voted recently to launch the application process enabling creation of an unlimited number of new top-level domains. The controversial decision, which has been vigorously opposed by the Association of National Advertisers and other groups, marks the largest changes ever to the Internet's Domain Name System and is dogged by objections from trademark owners and others concerned about internet security and increased costs. read more

From its humble and sometimes maligned beginnings, who would have thought that DRTV would become an appealing alternative for general advertisers seeking the holy grail of ROI? How It All Started Just a few years ago, some of the largest TV advertisers in retail and packaged goods began challenging their agencies to become accountable, for more than delivering target rating points measuring popularity. New standards of accountability meant building new models on the metrics of revenue generation as a correlation to advertising spend. But wait - wasn't there a group of marketers already using TV to sell directly, measuring the ratio of media costs against revenue generation as a driver of scheduling strategy? read more

With high definition (HD) televisions now in as many as 65% of U.S. households, DRTV marketers face a dilemma. Most DRTV still airs in standard definition (SD). So why shoot in HD? There really isn't a reason not to. While the implications of shooting in HD are the responsibility of the production company, a working knowledge of the tools used to produce your infomercial can only empower you as the producer or marketer. read more