Stage 2 - Direct Response Advertising

Direct Response Advertising is designed to generate an immediate response from consumers, where each consumers response can be measured. Where Direct REsponse Advertising differs from other forms of advertising is the non-use of a retailer, the sale is primarily between the buyer and seller. The process is established through the seller contacting the buyer directly to purchase products or services.

Direct-response advertising is throughout Direct Response TV (DRTV), radio, mail, print media, telemarketing, catalogues, and the internet.

The classic process of direct response marketing the presentation of an offer to the consumer, iforming then why they need it, and telling them where to get it.

Advertisement 1: Proactiv - Jessica Simpson

About the ad

Proactiv is famous for it's infomercials and celebrity endorsements. The company typically spends $12 - $15 million annually on celebrity endorsements; the celebrities used include Katy Petty, Justin Bieber, and Avril Lavigne. However, one of the first celebrities Proactiv used was Jessica Simpson. In 2005, the pop singer endorsed the product on a half-hour DRTV advertisement. The ad was comprised of Simpson opening up emotionally on her battle with acne, her thankful attitude toward Proactiv, and a brief history on the product.

Opinion

When this advertisements released, I was 14, the primal target audience for the product. The advertisement reached peers at school who would stay up late, after time everyone was talking about this acne solution that was endorsed by an A-list celebrity at the time. Even people who hadn't seen the commercial definitely were aware of it. The advertisement made the product very popular and ended up shaping the brand for future advertisements. In present, the use of the younger celebrities mentioned earlier has given the target audience someone they can further relate to, increasing brad awareness even further.

Advertisement 2: Virgin Money - Life Insurance

About the ad

In an advertisement for Virgin Money. A couple is talking about life insurance, in a traditional setting, the female is voicing her need for life insurance and the male is giving reasons not to. After half a minute of debate the male is convinced of the simplicity and benefits of the service, and picks up the phone himself to set up life insurance.

Target Audience

25-54 year old males and females

Opinion

The advertisement is very simple and easy to absorb, giving life insurance a very different perspective than some may have. The advertisement successfully presents all the issues of life insurance throughout the advert and provides simple solutions if one were to choose Virgin Money. I find the advert very successful, it made me want to get health insurance and I am not in the target audience. The success of this advert spawned several other similar ads, expanding their target market, including younger mothers and singles.

Journaled Article 

(1992) Connie L, John Miglautsch, 'A Conceptual Definition of Direct Marketing', Journal of Direct Marketing, pages 7-17. Viewed 16 September 2013

About the article

The article inspires critical thinking of distinguishing what direct marketing actually is, and therefore dividing it into their sub-groups with examples. The article discusses problems as to why direct marketing is incorrectly defined, and presents new ideas into the subject matter.

Relevance

The article touches on subjects such as code tracking, individual feedback, relational marketing, direct mail, and direct selling. All of these subjects best defines the examples of advertisements above. The following diagram is an example of direct marketing from the journaled article. 

(1992) Connie L, John Miglautsch, 'A Conceptual Definition of Direct Marketing', Journal of Direct Marketing, page 9. Viewed 16 September 2013