While TV ads aren’t suitable for every product, you need to look no further than brands such as Proactive, the Magic Bullet, or George Foreman to understand how longer advertising segments – also known as direct response television (DRTV) – can educate and engage audiences.

Reframing personal case advertising as education:

Trademark DRTV tools such as customer testimonials, before and after footage, and tutorials all educate your customers rather than strictly selling to them. We know that customers crave this type of content based on the deluge of YouTube tutorials and channels dedicated to trying, showcasing, and testing personal care products. And long format TV ads were the original platform for beauty “vloggers,” so why stop now?

Longer TV ads are valuable when building awareness about your products and helping potential customers understand something new. For personal care advertising, this is especially important because you are asking customers to switch brands or interrupt their current personal care routine. According to a recent Nielsen report, price and quality are two of the biggest factors that influence a consumer to switch brands. In both cases, DRTV can more thoroughly educate your audience and demonstrate value or pricing than shorter media options.

Getting the best band for your beauty buck:

Infomercials are also a great place to test market segments and messaging. Because long format ads run after major programming dies down, the cost of this media is, well, cheap. But that doesn’t make it invaluable. A traditional 30-second television slot during primetime can cost an average of five million dollars, depending on the channel; so if you’re going to advertise during peak hours, your messaging better be on point. Infomercials allow you to test audience response and gauge the effectiveness of your content without blowing your budget. Once something works, you can take it to primetime.

But don’t assume that the “graveyard shift” can’t give you a real return on investment from any testing you do run. The US market for infomercials is slated to exceed $250 billion, making it more valuable than network cable, coming in at only $97 billion. Direct response television has a surprisingly large audience, covering a wide genre of viewers, age brackets, and demographics. It’s okay: we’ll admit we secretly watch late night TV ads if you (and the rest of the country) do.

If your goal is to build a brand, understand your audience, and refine your marketing mix, DRTV might be a good option to supplement your other advertising outlets. In many cases, you can use DRTV ads to send potential customers to your website and social media accounts, expanding your sphere of influence and customer engagement. For ideas on how TV ads can help your business regardless of your budget, contact us or click here to learn more about our services. We believe that the best marketing strategies blend old and new media together to find unique ways to communicate with your audience.