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Suppose you’re watching your favorite TV show, and an ad suddenly catches your attention. It urges you to take immediate action, whether to call a number, visit a website, or text a keyword like ‘DETAILS’ to a specific number for more information. This is direct response television (DRTV), a powerful form of advertising available on all TV types — including live, cable, and streaming — that directly connects brands with consumers to drive immediate engagement and measurable results.
The goal of DRTV marketing is simple: convert viewers into customers quickly and measurably by asking them to do something in real time. Every DRTV ad is carefully designed to drive quick conversions with a clear, direct path from interest to action. This makes it an essential tool for marketers who need to measure their return on investment (ROI) for TV and see instantaneous results.
Key benefits of DRTV marketing
Unlike traditional TV ads that build long-term brand awareness, DRTV campaigns are focused on driving instant results and are surprisingly effective at doing it. Here are a few benefits of DRTV and why it’s a powerful tool for marketers in a digitized world.
Immediate customer engagement
One of the biggest advantages of DRTV is its ability to engage customers right off the bat. DRTV grabs attention and motivates people to act now, whether with a phone number on the screen, a QR code to scan, or a limited-time offer, often with compelling incentives.
Measurable ROI
DRTV is designed to deliver precise, trackable results. Because the ads encourage specific actions — like visiting a website or calling a phone number — it’s easy to see what’s working and what’s not. Marketers can measure everything from sales to lead generation, which guides them in refining their strategies for even better results. Pairing DRTV with digital tools, like web analytics or CRM systems, can provide even deeper campaign performance insights.
Broad reach
Even in the streaming age, live TV and cable still attract millions of viewers, which makes DRTV excellent for brands needing to expand their reach. Marketers can even tailor DRTV ads to specific audiences by choosing the best time slots on the proper channels. Whether you’re targeting parents watching morning news or sports fans tuning into big games, you’ll know you’re connecting with the right people at optimal times.
Types of DRTV ads
DRTV advertising offers several formats, each suited to different audiences, budgets, and goals, whether you’re introducing a new product or driving traffic to your website.
Infomercials
Infomercials are the classic, long-form DRTV ads that most people associate with the term. These ads typically run for 15-30 minutes and go into detail on product benefits and features. They often include demonstrations and special offers to educate and engage viewers with urgent, limited-time deals. Think of the iconic “But wait, there’s more!” ads used to sell everyday items ranging from household cleaners to exercise equipment.
Short-form ads
Short-form DRTV ads are 30-second to 2-minute ads that get straight to the point with a single message or offer and a clear call-to-action (CTA) to encourage immediate engagement. Short-form ads are ideal for quick bursts of information, like promoting a flash sale or highlighting a new product. A 60-second ad showcasing a new mobile app might feature a quick walkthrough of its features, followed by a QR code or website URL to download it instantly.
Product demos
Some DRTV ads focus exclusively on demonstrating how a product works in real-life scenarios. These ads are great for showing off unique features or solving familiar pain points that make the product feel essential. A cookware brand might show how its nonstick pans make cooking and cleanup a breeze while including a CTA to “order now and get a free bonus spatula!”
Testimonials
Testimonials from real customers or experts are a great way to build trust and credibility. Hearing someone’s success story or endorsement of a product or service can help viewers feel confident about their purchase decision. A skincare brand, for example, might air a two-minute ad of a dermatologist explaining the science behind the product, along with five-star reviews from satisfied users.
Call-in contests or limited-time offers
This type of DRTV ad creates urgency by promoting a special offer or giveaway. Viewers might have to call a number or visit a website within a specific timeframe to claim the deal. For example, travel agencies sometimes air ads offering free vacations or planning kits to the first 100 callers, which helps them generate immediate leads.
Hybrid ads with digital integration
Many modern DRTV campaigns blend traditional TV with digital tools, like QR codes, social media hashtags, or links to custom landing pages. These hybrid ads meet viewers wherever they are. A fitness program might air a short-form ad with a QR code linking to their free app trial, making it easy for viewers to instantly engage.
Success tips for DRTV advertising
Creating a successful direct response TV campaign centers on messaging that resonates with the right audience, inspires action, and delivers measurable results. Here are some essential tips for a winning DRTV strategy.
Strong CTA
Every DRTV ad should include a compelling, straightforward CTA that motivates viewers to act immediately. Whatever it is, your CTA should be easy to understand and time-sensitive to create urgency, such as, “Claim this limited-time offer in the next 30 minutes!”
Multi-channel integration
Direct response TV works best when part of a broad multi-channel strategy, so you should make sure your campaign integrates well with digital channels. This can reinforce your message, help consumers engage across platforms, and drive better results.
Audience targeting
Precise audience targeting is critical to DRTV campaign success. Experian’s advanced TV audiences, developed with the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), help you connect with the right viewers to drive immediate action. These syndicated audiences are now available on FreeWheel, the TV advertising industry’s global tech platform.
With over 2,400 ready-to-use audience segments, Experian enables you to target specific groups, such as:
- TV viewership audiences: Target households based on viewing habits and preferred devices.
- In-market car buyers: Reach consumers actively searching for their next vehicle, which is ideal for driving sales.
- Holiday shoppers: Engage gift-givers, deal-seekers, and travelers during peak shopping seasons.
New TV audiences released in August 2024
In addition to these, our August 2024 release introduced several updates that further refine Experian’s targeting capabilities. Some of the audience updates in this release included:
- New retail transaction audiences: These segments offer insights into categories like children’s products, parenting, hobbies and crafts, science and nature, and sports and fitness. With high spending and frequent purchase behaviors, these audiences provide a deeper understanding of consumer preferences. Notable segments include:
- Sports and fitness high spenders
- Children’s product high spenders
- Science and nature high spenders
- Updated TV audiences: New and refreshed TV segments now reflect the viewing habits of today’s consumers for accurate insights and targeting. Examples of newly added segments include:
- Free and paid ad-supported streaming TV subscribers
- Satellite service subscribers
- Cable and streaming TV service subscribers
With these advanced targeting capabilities, your DRTV campaigns can be more effective and resonant with viewers most likely to respond for maximum ROI and engagement.
Effective planning
A strong DRTV campaign starts with defining your objectives, budgeting effectively, and identifying the right media mix. Understanding where your audience spends their time — prime-time TV or niche cable channels — will get you the most value from your DRTV investment.
Real-time tracking
Tracking your DRTV campaign’s performance in real time is critical for success. Tools that provide immediate insights into viewer responses, website visits, or call volumes allow you to identify what’s working and pivot quickly if needed.
Measuring success
Measuring success against key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rates, ROI, or cost-per-acquisition (CPA) is an excellent way to know if your DRTV campaign is delivering results. Experian’s advanced data solutions make tracking and analyzing campaign performance easier, so you can make data-informed decisions and deliver precise results to stakeholders.
Continuous optimization
DRTV marketing is an ongoing effort. Use the insights from real-time tracking and performance measurement to refine your strategy. Optimization keeps your campaign relevant and effective, whether you need to tweak your CTA, adjust your audience targeting, or test new creative formats.
How DRTV relates to advanced TV and connected TV
While DRTV has historically focused on immediate viewer actions via traditional linear TV, it’s found new relevance within advanced TV and connected TV (CTV) ecosystems. These modern formats expand the measurable, action-driven qualities of DRTV while incorporating the precise targeting and personalized storytelling made possible by digital technologies.
DRTV and advanced TV
Advanced TV enhances DRTV by enabling addressable advertising, which helps marketers deliver ads to specific households based on behavioral or demographic data. For instance, using tools like Experian’s Graph, advertisers can integrate data sets across multiple sources to refine audience segmentation and tailor messages to individual households.
Advanced TV also supports cross-channel consistency to provide a unified customer experience whether the viewer engages with linear TV, streaming services, or other devices. Additionally, programmatic ad buying plays a role in automating the ad-buying process. This helps advertisers optimize their bids and placements and get DRTV campaigns in front of the right audience at the right time, which maximizes cost-efficiency across both traditional and digital channels.
DRTV and CTV
CTV has a high rate of logged-in, authenticated viewers and provides a lot of helpful first-party data. This allows for hyper-precise audience targeting, cross-device attribution, and an ability to link ad exposure to conversions — even when purchases occur on non-CTV devices. Universal IDs like UID2 further strengthen these capabilities by creating consistent and privacy-respecting user identities across platforms.
Experian’s TV partnerships
Through partnerships with leading CTV players like Madhive, Samsung, Disney/Hulu, and others, Experian’s identity solutions integrate seamlessly to support well-timed, personalized ads across major streaming platforms. These integrations, powered by our Digital and Offline Graphs, offer a complete view of audiences to enable more controlled, effective activation across mediums, including free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels.
Using Experian’s advanced data and identity tools, advertisers can tap into the full potential of DRTV strategies within advanced TV and CTV to make campaigns more actionable, efficient, and impactful.
The future of DRTV
So, what is DRTV going to look like in the future? With the integration of digital and television platforms, DRTV is becoming more targeted, interactive, and personalized. This shift creates new opportunities for advertisers to drive conversions. Here are some key advancements that will continue to shape the future of DRTV:
- Addressable TV: Advertisers can deliver targeted ads to specific households based on demographic and behavioral data. It uses data from smart TVs, streaming devices, and third-party data providers to enable highly relevant ads based on the interests of individual viewers.
- Interactive TV ads: Interactive TV ads enable viewers to engage directly with the content through their remote control or mobile devices. Users can click on a product for more information or make purchases without leaving the TV screen and immediately convert.
- Authenticated audiences: With CTV and AI technology, advertisers can use first-party data from authenticated users to improve targeting, measurement, and campaign performance. Advertisers can create a more cohesive and personalized experience by linking viewers across multiple devices, which improves ad effectiveness and attribution.
- Branded apps with saved information: Branded apps that store payment and personal information streamline the direct response process. These apps reduce purchase journey friction and allow quicker conversions, as viewers can complete transactions with fewer steps.
- QR codes replacing URLs: QR codes are becoming a popular alternative to traditional URLs in DRTV ads. These codes provide a quick, convenient way for viewers to visit a website, access a product page, or act on a CTA simply by scanning the code with their phone.
- Better targeting algorithms: Advancements in targeting algorithms allow advertisers to serve more personalized and relevant ads. These algorithms help ads reach the right audience at the right time, which can increase engagement and conversion rates.
These innovations offer advertisers more tools to connect with audiences in a personalized, interactive, and measurable way.
Connect with Experian’s TV experts
Experian can help you achieve the full potential of your direct response TV advertising efforts with our advanced tools, precise audience targeting, and strong industry partnerships. We help brands create impactful DRTV campaigns that drive real-time engagement, audience connection, and measurable results, whether for traditional, advanced, or CTV.
Reach out today to work with us on your DRTV efforts and achieve better ROI, or explore how our expertise can transform your TV advertising campaigns.
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In the digital age, print coupons are dinosaurs, right? Not one bit. In fact, according to Experian Simmons, users of printed coupons — those obtained from newspapers, magazines, mail, etc.—outnumber users of digital coupons by a margin of almost 3-to-1. As of February 14, 2011 (the latest date for which data was available at the time of this post), 68% of all U.S. adults said their household uses print coupons, a number that has remained relatively unchanged during the past five years. 68% of all U.S. adults said their household uses print coupons, a number that has remained relatively unchanged during the past five years. By comparison, Experian Simmons also reports that 22% of all U.S. adults say their household uses digital coupons obtained from email or the Internet. That figure may be lower than the usage reported for any measured type of print coupon, including those handed out in or near stores, but adoption of digital coupons is growing: in 2005, just 12% of American adults used digital coupons. Smartphones adoption will continue to propel digital coupon use to historic highs in the months and years to come. According to an analysis featured in the 2010 U.S. Household Consumer Trend and Benchmark Report, 34% of U.S. iPhone owners use digital coupons compared with just 21% of non-iPhone owners. Interestingly, use of print coupons among iPhone owners doesn’t suffer a bit. In fact, as of February 14, 2011, 68% of iPhone owners reported that their household used print coupons versus 64% of non-iPhone owners, making it obvious that merchants should give their customers an option of using both print and digital coupons. For further consumer insights, download the 2010 U.S. Household Consumer Trend and Benchmark Report, which includes trends on economic outlook by household income, charitable contributions and planned automobile purchases.
Spiders, Rams, Seminoles, Golden Eagles, and Bulldogs. This is one way to describe the diverse collection of Cinderella teams that have advanced to the Sweet 16 in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. Four of these teams, the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Florida State, and Marquette, take their double-digit seeds to the next round in hopes of reaching the Elite 8. Butler, last year's Cinderella story, is seeking a visit to the Final Four for the second straight year. Interestingly, Richmond, VA is the home market for two of the Sweet 16 teams. These are the University of Richmond and VCU. Even more interesting is the fact that these two teams are on a collision course. With wins in the next round they would meet in the Elite 8 for a prized spot in the Final Four. With their surprise victories in the tournament so far, what these teams have in common is being labeled “bracket busters.” A more extensive market analysis uncovers other similarities, plus some notable differences. Here are highlights from profiles of the home market areas for this year's Cinderella teams using data from Experian's Mosaic consumer lifestyle segmentation system and Experian Simmons market research. The following statistics are based on the home markets of the five Cinderella teams. All four Cinderella teams hail from markets with above average interest in college basketball. Milwaukee, home of 11th seeded Marquette, has the highest concentration of adults who are interested in college basketball (28.1%). This is 11 percent relatively higher than percentage for the total U.S. Milwaukee also has the highest percentage of adults who said they watched last year's men's NCAA Division I tournament (17.3%). This is a relative six percent higher than the total U.S. The 10th seeded Florida State Seminoles hail from Tallahassee, which has the second highest percentage of adults with an interest in college basketball (26.9%). Richmond, where both 11th seeded VCU and 12th seeded Richmond are based, is just behind Tallahassee when it comes to the percentage of adults who are interested in college basketball (26.7%). Indianapolis has the lowest percent of residents who are interested in college basketball (26.3%), but that's still a relative four percent higher than the U.S. as a whole. Although interest should be very high this year, Richmond and Indianapolis (15.8% each) have the lowest percentage of adults who watched last year's tournament. Cinderella Team Market Snapshots Richmond, VA Home market of: Richmond Spiders, VCU Rams Sweet 16 opponents: Kansas, Florida State The top two segments in Richmond representing 30% of the market's households are: Metro Minority Communities (18.1%) comprised of married couples and single-parent minorities earning above average incomes from a mix of service industry and white-collar jobs in transportation, health care, education, and public administration. Urban Commuter Families (11.5%) comprised of upscale, college educated Baby Boomer families and couples living in single detached homes in city neighborhoods on the metropolitan fringe. Other interesting facts: Most over-represented segment is Metro Minority Communities (3.8 times the national average) Percent of adults with interest in college basketball is 26.7% Percent of adults who watched last year's men's college basketball tournament is 15.8% Tallahassee, FL Home market of: Florida State Seminoles Sweet 16 opponent: VCU Rams Similar to Richmond, the top two segments in Tallahassee are Metro Minority Communities (14.8%) and Urban Commuter Families (6.9%). The two segments that account for the next highest share of households are: Struggling City Centers (6.7%) comprised of young, single and single-parent minority renters living in low-income city neighborhoods. Rural Southern Living (6.5%) comprised of lower-income blue-collar couples and families living in sparsely settled mobile home communities. Other interesting facts: Most over-represented market segment is College Town Communities (6.2 times the national average) Percent of adults with interest in college basketball is 26.9% Percent of adults who watched last year's men's college basketball tournament is 16.8% Milwaukee, WI Home market of: Marquette Golden Eagles Sweet 16 opponent: North Carolina Tarheels The top segment in Milwaukee representing 11.2% of households is Urban Commuter Families (as described above). The two segments that account for the next highest share of households are: Small-town Success (10.5%) comprised of white collar, college educated, middle-aged working couples living in newly developed subdivisions outside the nation's beltways. Steadfast Conservative (9.3%) comprised of high-school educated mature singles and couples living in middle-class urban blue-collar neighborhoods. Other interesting facts: Most over-represented market segment is Successful Suburbia (3.6 times the national average) Percent of adults with interest in college basketball is 28.1% Percent of adults who watched last year's men's college basketball tournament is 17.3% Indianapolis, IN Home market of: Butler Bulldogs Sweet 16 opponent: Wisconsin Badgers There are four equal size segments that account for just over 30% of Indianapolis households. These include Steadfast Conservative (8.9%), Urban Commuter Families (7.8%), and Small-town Success (7.1%). All three of these segments are also among the top five in Richmond, Tallahassee, and Milwaukee. What makes Indianapolis unique from the other three markets is a higher percentage of New Suburbia Families (7.2%). These are young, affluent working couples with pre-school children concentrated in fast-growing, metro fringe communities. Other interesting facts: Most over-represented market segment is Successful Suburbia (2.8 times the national average) Percent of adults with interest in college basketball is 26.3% Percent of adults who watched last year's men's college basketball tournament is 15.8%
Tournament play begins this week in the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, which means office productivity is likely to take a hit as fans jump online to watch live streams of games being played during working hours. With online viewing options expanded to mobile and other digital platforms this year, fans have more avenues than ever to get their March Madness fix. In fact, according to a recent estimate by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, total online tournament viewership during work hours is likely to reach 8.4 million hours during this year's tournament. In this latest installment of Experian Marketing Services' continuing March Madness consumer coverage, we'll profile the work life of online game streamers. Is there one down the hall or in the next cube? The answer is almost certainly “yes,” but the “who” may surprise you. According to Experian Simmons, just over 5% of all U.S. adults and nearly a quarter of adult NCAA men's tournament viewers (24%) qualify as likely online game streamers. For the purpose of this analysis, likely online game streamers is defined as those U.S. adults who watched the last NCAA men's basketball tournament who also sought out sports information online or watched online video in the last 30 days. These likely online game streamers must have also visited either cbssports.com or espn.com in the last 30 days. Fully 79% of likely online game streamers are employed either full-or or part-time, with 59% working 40 or more hours a week. Department managers and IT staff-have reason to be concerned about a loss in productivity during March Madness: fully 79% of likely online game streamers are employed either full-or or part-time, with 59% working 40 or more hours a week. Don't be so quick to suspect that colleague who always shows up late and goes home early as a game streamer. A safer bet would be the guy who's always at his desk when you get in and still there when you head out. In fact, one-in-ten adults who work more than 40 hours a week (11%) are likely online game streamers, meaning they're more than twice as likely as the average adult to be checking out the game online. Remote employees who work at home often get a bad rap with office “suits” sometimes assuming their pajama-clad colleagues fall prey to distractions. Actually though, Americans who work from home are no more or less likely to be likely online streamers than those who don't work from home. Likewise, the self-employed are no more or less likely to be online game streamers than laborers who work for “the man.” Interestingly, Experian Simmons found a direct correlation between company size and a worker's chance of being a likely online game streamer. Specifically: Those who work in companies with fewer than 100 employees are 17% less likely than the average American worker to be likely online game streamers. Those who work in companies with between 100 and 499 employees are just two percent less likely than average to be likely streamers while those employed by companies with between 500 and 999 employees are eight percent more likely to be online game streamers. Employees of companies with 1,000 or more employees are the most likely culprits with the group on average being 17% more likely to be likely online game streamers. As such, it's no surprise that Fortune 500 companies are the most at risk of having offices full of online streamers during March Madness. Employees of Fortune 500 companies are fully 66% more likely to be online game streamers than those who Americans employed by a non-Fortune 500 company. Finally, the best insight into whether your office mates are streaming basketball games online instead of working is by looking at their paycheck (not that we encourage that of course). Specifically, as income rises, so does one's chance of being an online game streamer: Employed Americans who personally earn less than $25,000 annually are the least likely to be online game streamers, scoring 50% below average on this metric. Those who earn between $25,000 and $49,999 are only 15% less likely to be game streamers. If you know or suspect that your colleague earns upwards of $50,000 a year, it's a good idea to keep an eye on them for the rest of the month; workers with incomes between $50,000 and $74,999 are 33% more likely than average to be likely game streamers and those who earn between $75,000 and $99,999 are 75% more likely to be likely game streamers. Your colleagues earning $100,000 or more annually are the most likely to be streaming online, with those personally taking home between $100,000 and $149,000 being a whopping 164% more likely than the average employee to be streaming games online. And those earning $150,000 or more annually being fully 176% more likely to be online game streamers. Moreover, one-in-five adults who earn $150,000 a year or more fall into our likely online game streamers segment compared with just 5% of all U.S. adults. The first match-up to be played during the traditional workday tips off at 12:15 EDT on Thursday March 17th when West Virginia takes on the winner of the second round-one play-in game. Armed with this information, you should be able to catch-or join-your office's online game streamers in the act.