Increasing the Reach of Google's Advertising

Google is looking to become the dominant player in mobile advertising, just like they have been the leader in online advertising. Google hopes that making it easier for consumers to access the web from their cellphones and making the experience more like that of a personal computer will increase the reach of their advertising. Google said it will likely share ad revenue with the wireless carriers, according to the Wall Street Journal (11/6/07).

Energizing the Mobile Industry

"Just like the iPhone energized the industry, this is a different way to energize the industry," stated Sanjay Jha, COO of Qualcomm (NY Times). Mr. Jha also said Google's efforts will bring more Internet features to moderately priced phones. By allowing outside software developers access to their Android software platform, Google also hopes they will create new types of devices that have both cellphone and wireless Internet capabilities. "As a result of the platform, you'll be able to do amazing things on your phones that you've never been able to do before," says Google CEO Eric Schmidt. (USA TODAY 11/6/07)

Diversifying their Revenue Base

Google is going up against some strong competitors, but they certainly have the clout and resources to gain a significant foothold in the mobile marketplace. Google's surging stock price clearly indicates that Wall Street and investors anticipate that Google will be able to diversify their revenue base from new businesses outside of online advertising. In my opinion, mobile advertising has the potential to be as big as online advertising for Google. It will be interesting to see how Google's venture into mobile plays out over the next few years, since it has the potential to transform the industry.

Peter Koeppel is Founder and President of Koeppel Direct, a leader in DRTV direct response television, online, print and radio media buying, marketing and campaign management. With a Wharton MBA and over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience, Peter has helped Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and entrepreneurs develop direct marketing campaigns to increase profits.

Peter started Koeppel Direct in 1995 and has built it into one of the leading infomercial direct response media buying firms in the U.S.

How To Market to Baby Boomers

Boomers were the first generation to grow up with TV, so it makes sense that they still prefer this medium as they age. In fact, on average, Boomers watch 22 minutes more TV per day than younger people, according to Nielsen Media Research. And since TV viewership increases with age, as the Boomers mature, their TV viewing time will continue to rise. What does this mean for infomercial marketers?

Focus on the right type of programming. Boomers tend to watch programs that center around life stages. For older Boomers, shows like CSI and Law and Order are favorites. Older Boomers also prefer news programs and are less interested in reality TV. For younger Boomers, shows like Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives are popular. Additionally, science fiction programming is popular with all Boomers, perhaps because this generation watched so much of the genre while growing up. Therefore, if you want your TV ads to reach Boomers in the most cost efficient manner, you have to place them during the shows that Boomers watch.

Boomers don't multi-task. While younger TV viewers are likely to be online while watching TV and may even interact with the program via online voting, text messaging or chat rooms, don't count on that with Boomers. They tend to focus on one media at a time. For media buying experts, that means Boomers won't likely type in your displayed web address while watching your commercial spot. Rather, they'll pick up the phone and call the toll free number you display or go to your website after they finish watching a TV show.

Help Boomers identify with your ads. Since Boomers are not in their 20s and 30s anymore, make sure your ads reflect the needs, wants, and images of older Americans. A 20-year-old perfectly airbrushed model touting an anti-wrinkle cream won't speak to the Boomer market. Go for more mature spokespersons and really do your homework to determine how your product or service helps Boomers. The big categories or "hot buttons" for boomers are security, longevity, money management, wealth transfer, lowering their bills, and travel.

Is the DVR the Demise of TV Advertising?

The Leichtman study predicts that the number of U.S. households with DVRs will grow to over sixty million by the end of 2011. Does that mean that drtv advertisers will have a harder time reaching people who can fast-forward through the commercials? Not necessarily.

The study also points out that while eighty-four percent of DVR owners rate the ability to skip commercials as very important, only eight percent of DVR owners say it is the greatest benefit of having a DVR. Additionally, forty-five percent of DVR owners record five or fewer programs per week, again pointing to the preference for live TV.

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

Infomercial DRTV

Infomercial DRTV is the leading web site for cutting edge information about infomercials. The site is designed to answer all your questions about infomercial marketing. Infomercial DRTV will help explain the entire infomercial marketing process, including evaluating infomercial products, determining the optimal price points, measuring infomercial ROI, understanding the infomercial target audience, infomercial production, infomercial media testing, campaign rollout, infomercial back end sales, the role of the Internet in infomercial marketing, and taking infomercial products to retail, among other topics. Inventors, entrepreneurs and infomercial marketers rely on Infomercial DRTV for the most comprehensive information on infomercial marketing.

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The Expanding Influence of the Googlopoly

An article titled Googlopoly in the July issue of MEDIA magazine explores Google's expanding media empire and how it might affect the drtv ad industry. Google has gained a foothold in the TV, radio, newspaper and online ad businesses, and they now own the largest online video site. Here's how Google's media assets are allocated among the various mediums and how those assets were created over the last year:

They purchased dMarc to establish a presence in the radio industry and also formed a relationship with Clear Channel to gain inventory on 675 radio stations.

- Their acquisition of YouTube for $1.65 billion establishes them as a leader in the user-generated video business.

- They formed a partnership with EchoStar (Dish satellite TV), which provides them with access to the ad serving and viewer research from Dish's 13 million+ TV households.

- They are partnering with major newspapers to offer print media to their advertisers.

- They are attempting to purchase DoubleClick, to help them dominant the online display advertising business.

Peter Koeppel is Founder and President of Koeppel Direct, a leader in DRTV and direct response television online, print and radio media buying, marketing and campaign management. With a Wharton MBA and over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience, Peter has helped Fortune 500 companies, small businesses and entrepreneurs develop direct marketing campaigns to increase profits.

Multichannel marketing fuels DRTV growth

By adapting interactive media and using direct response television for nontraditional purposes, multichannel marketers are growing the DRTV industry as a marketing medium, according to a new study from the Electronic Retailing Association, called The Evolving Role of Direct Response Television in Multichannel Marketing Execution. The report, conducted by the Winterberry Group, attributes the growth largely to DRTV marketers who are accelerating their adoption and customization of emerging technologies, especially in the interactive sphere of the Web.

"The consumer is in charge - that is the big message here," said Sieglinde Friedman, vice president of board and strategy at the ERA. "It used to be all about the call to action call, right then and there: 'Call this number: We're having a 75 percent sale.' That's an old model in a way, because the consumer is finding its product in many different ways and DRTV recognizes that. [Marketers] are much busier now than [when consumers were just driven] from an 800 number."

The report shows that the DRTV industry is being reshaped by the increasing number of brand marketers in the DRTV space, the growing use of DRTV to develop and nurture customer relationships rather than merely sell individual products and the increasing use of DRTV to drive Web and retail traffic.

"This study helps to reinforce that direct response is really coming to prominence and more and more marketers - larger marketers, brand marketers, marketers looking to drive retail and looking to drive their Web traffic and sales - are going to be adopting and considering direct response," said Peter Koeppel, president and founder of Koeppel Direct, a direct response media buying agency in Dallas.

"It also helps to reinforce what we've been trying to sell to marketers - Fortune 1000 marketers - who haven't maybe entered the space yet: that DRTV does really have value," Koeppel added. "In today's more fragmented media environment you have to understand different media channels and how they are going to impact on your sales and work together to build sales or build brand or drive retail."

The study aimed to understand the rationale behind the perpetual success of DRTV and involved interviews and surveys with about 100 senior industry executives in North America.

source:dm news