Direct Response Advertising
If you watch television at all or listen to the radio, you have probably heard some advertisement urging you to buy a new product by calling a toll free phone number. You are also probably told that the product is not available in stores, and that you are given a chance to either get a special price or get two products for the price of one if you call within the next hour.
This is one kind of direct response advertising. There are many more approaches to direct response advertising, including a postage-paid response card or a coupon to cut out of a newspaper or magazine and mail in. You are also likely to be familiar with television and radio advertising that ends with a request to you to call a toll free number to place your order. With the growth and expansion of the Internet, you might also be asked to click on an image or a link to learn more or place an order.
Direct response advertising is generally defined a means of advertising or promoting a product or service in which you, the intended customer, are given the opportunity to respond directly to the seller. The nature of direct response advertising is very clear in the following example:
You receive a letter in the mail that announces the publication of a definitive new book on a popular subject. After describing the book, providing a brief author or editor biography, and adding a few endorsements of the book from people you are likely to respect, the letter concludes, “available September 1 from your favorite online or local bookseller.” This is not direct response advertising.
You also receive a letter in the mail announcing the upcoming release of a new film directed by Mike Nichols and boasting an amazing all-star cast. The brochure shows images of a few scenes from the film, provides a complete listing of the cast and concludes, call this 800 number to reserve you advance copy on DVD or Blue-Ray or visit this web site to view the extended trailer and place your order. This is direct response advertising.
The second example incorporates all of the definitive components of direct response advertising:
1. The advertising piece or ad makes a clear offer.
2. Sufficient product and sale information to allow you to make a decision about responding.
3. An explicit call to take specific action (often for a limited time).
4. You are given at least two ways to respond.
Direct response advertising is popular with sales and marketing people because it has a built in measurement mechanism. The number of responses and purchases tell the marketer how effective the advertising campaign was.
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