The Growth of DRTV

Sieglinde Friedman, VP of communications and strategy at the Electronic Retailing Association, has followed the growth of DRTV and infomercial advertising. "The Geicos and Procter & Gambles are using the actual methodology of direct response – basically, wrapping content around anything in a compelling way with a call to action: 'Come to my Web site!'" Friedman says.

Observes Koeppel: "Consumers who view direct response television appear to be more engaged consumers. And, because of that, marketers are able to develop more of a relationship with those consumers, because they're going to the Web and doing research, or they are talking to a customer service person. It's more of an interactive relationship."

Even in today's fragmented media world, consumers still turn to direct response television. Marketers are integrating multimedia approaches into their strategies, while embracing the essential elements that have made DRTV so effective for so long