Executive Briefs

How Direct Response TV “Raises All Boats”

If you’ve ever been at a marina when the tide comes in, you’ll see the incoming surge of water raise all the boats, regardless of size. Think of the surging water as Direct Response TV (DRTV) and the boats are other advertising tactics and channels, such as print, search, banners, direct mail, retail, etc.

Why Retailers Love “As Seen On TV” Products

Manufacturers who have consumer products we talk with often ask us “aren’t retailers annoyed when a manufacturer runs an infomercial and sells direct-to-consumer (DTC)?” Our answer is always a resounding “no” followed by an extensive explanation. Here are the highlights:

Are You Embracing Second Chance Marketing?

Right now, “retargeting” is a hot topic in online acquisition circles. And we’ve seen very good results with our clients in this area. We’ve also toyed with “abandonment popups” and other methods to reach consumers who have been to our clients’ websites. And email has been used for a very long time to nurture prospects and convert them to buyers

All of these fall into a category we call “Second Chance Marketing” (SCM). SCM didn’t really exist before the Internet: when you run a print ad, air a TV commercial or drop a postal mailing, either consumers responded or not.

Are You Dealing With The Reasons Why Consumers Shop Online?

If you’re an online etailer or a traditional store or both, you’ve got to address a litany of reasons why consumers prefer shopping online vs. in stores. If you’re an etailer, it means capitalizing on these reasons. If you have a store, it means combating them. Either way, they can’t be ignored.

Google’s Paid Ad Position Changes Will Have a Major Impact on Direct Marketers

Google's paid ads: What will the impact be for marketers? Dorothy Weaver, VP of digital marketing services at Acquirgy, and Tej Shah, VP of e-commerce and marketing at Blue Soda Promo, weigh in.

Tracking DRTV Orders Leads to Smarter Media Placements

With 300-plus direct response TV campaigns under our belt and more than 15 years of experience in online customer acquisition, I believe there's nothing more important than wrapping one's head around the critical roles of websites and search in DRTV campaigns. They are all so tightly intertwined and as a result impact your DRTV media planning and buying in a major way.  

It’s Time To Change Your DRTV Mindset

What do Ginsu Knives, Pocket Fisherman, Power Juicers, Thighmaster, Woks and “Stop The Insanity” have in common? They are the “old school” of infomercials and short-forms, popular last century and, quite honestly, their late night country fair style of hawking has left a somewhat negative impression of our industry.

Search Alert: Acquirgy’s POV on How New Bing Changes May Affect Marketers

About a month ago, we opined (http://D4K.acquirgy.net) about how Google’s major announcement would affect marketers. Recently Bing (Microsoft) announced several changes to their adCenter, so today we present our POV on them.

Are Excessive Shipping Costs Costing You Sales?

Here’s an online shopping experience that recently happened to me, one that is played out, mostly likely, millions of times every single day. And it’s costing etailers untold hundreds of millions per year in sales and profits. And it wreaks havoc with all of the acquisition campaigns – DRTV, search, display, social – where significant dollars are invested, only to be wasted when customers abandon their online shopping carts due to excessive S&H costs.

“We Do Fundraising and Friendraising” A Lesson From the Non-Profit Sector for Marketers

The other day I overheard a conversation between my wife (who heads up fundraising efforts at a regional medical center) and a potential donor. What captured my attention was the phrase she used to summarize her philosophy.

It’s a pretty nifty unique selling proposition and the more I thought about it, the more I realized it can apply to us capitalists selling products and services.

“We do fundraising and friendraising” pretty much says it all, and it presents both opportunities equally and succinctly. People she talks with can either give money or become friends of the hospital and see where that goes. Two good choices, ideal for someone ready to give or someone ready to learn more.

A Lesson From The Streets

My wife and I were in New York City this past weekend, and we stumbled upon the 3^rd Avenue street fair, a collection of vendors selling a wide range of goods and purveyors of a wide range of foods.

The Internet is One Big Double-Edged Sword

It’s been some 15 years that I’ve been involved in online customer acquisition, having started my journey in 1996 in the “Wild West” days of the ‘Net. I’ve seen technologies and platforms come and go and have learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn’t.

If there’s one overriding lesson, it’s that everything you do online is truly a double-edged sword. If you do it right, the rewards are great. If you do it wrong, the results can be disastrous. Consumers can praise you as well as diss you, and they can do both fast and easily. Here are a few examples to illustrate this point.

Search Alert: Acquirgy’s POV on How Major Google Change May Affect Marketers

Marketers are wondering how Google’s recently announced (11/2/11) change is going to impact their paid search programs. Unlike tweaks that have no major impact, the announcements by Google could have a significant impact on SEM programs.

Our search team has been studying this change. Continue reading for our POV on it.

Why All Marketers Need to Think Like Direct Marketers

In this day and age where CEOs are demanding that CMOs produce ROI-based results, and where customer acquisition is more important than ever, a marketer’s mindset may be in need of a tune-up.

Are You Paying For Consumers Who Go To Competitors’ Web Sites?

Right now, this minute, you could be spending on catalog and/or postal mail drops, DRTV commercials, print ads or any number of advertising tactics, and you could be losing potential customers to competitors on your dollar. Surely this is not something you want to hear, but it’s something you need to address.

Are You Aware of This Little-Known But Critical Advertising Metric?

We live in a world where data, technology, analysis, measurement, tracking, metrics and profitability have taken center stage. In recent years, there has been an explosion of analytical tools to measure key metrics. Advertisers and their agencies have been using them with great success.

5 Reasons Why DRTV Is, And Always Will Be, The Most Dominant Direct Response Medium

Yes, liking, tweeting, Googling and stumbling get all the press these days. Yet Direct Response TV (DRTV) keeps on growing and growing and remains the #1 medium for many direct response marketers. While not appropriate for every product or service, DRTV has emerged as the workhorse, powering exponential growth and building brands in the process.

What is the Single Most Important Thing You Can Do to Grow Your Business in 2012 and Beyond?

Before I answer that question, humor me for a minute to give you an analogy. I’m a big NY Giants football fan, and every Sunday at our tailgate, I ask fellow Giants fans the same question: “What’s the single most important thing the Giants have to do to win today?”

How Steve Jobs Impacted My Life Every Day For 30+ Years

Back in the late 70’s to early 80’s when I was a young man, I owned a small ad agency. One of my accounts was the Stonehenge Computer store in Summit, NJ, and I fell in love with the Apple computers they sold. I ended up bartering ad services for my first Apple II, and wrote a handful of books about the impending “computer revolution” as I called it.

Humanology: Do You Have The Right Balance?

We coined this word to describe the right balance between technology and people in our paid search practice. The thought practice behind this concept applies to just about every other technology that is out there.

SEM Survey Highlights 6 Opportunities for Advertisers

Internet Retailer’s SEM Survey (August, 2011) gives us numerous clues as to how paid search programs can be expanded, optimized and enhanced to produce more sales (or leads), revenues and profits.

What Do Marketers Have in Common With NBA Championship Teams?

The great NBA championship teams have a lot in common with our philosophy in terms of the design of acquisition programs for our clients.

The Search Continuum: 4 Consumer Expectations That Must Be Met for Success

Successful paid search campaigns are built around four interrelated steps that must be in sync with each other to generate maximum conversions. When any one (or more) of these is irrelevant, the entire process breaks down.

A Big Idea For Manufacturers That Sell Through Dealers or Retailers

An easy-to-implement four-part plan can put manufacturers way ahead of their competition if they embrace it...but in danger of falling behind if they don't. Learn why.

Do The Math: Compensating Your Search Agency

Is the lowest price SEM agency the best way to go?

Algorithms Gone Wild: The Role of Rules in Paid Search

You need to know when they make sense and when they can do damage to your paid search program.

Executive Briefs

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