Tag Archives: Housewares Show

Apr 13

Response March: Vistaprint’s Vision, Housewares Galore and a New Spotlight

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Forgive me for my tardiness, but the March issue of ResponseResponse Digital March went live less than a week before my wedding and 2-week honeymoon to Fiji — so, honestly, getting this post up took a pretty deep back seat to all of that. When I returned to work a little more than a week ago, it was right into the teeth of planning for next week’s Response Expo. However, late this afternoon, I had a chance to dig into the issue for my regular look at some of the back story behind some key pieces in the issue.

  • This month’s cover feature on Vistaprint, the now well-known online business services provider, came to us via our link with media agency Havas Edge. For years, the presenting sponsor of Response Expo‘s keynote address, Edge and its leader, Steve Netzley (a member of Response‘s Advisory Board), are not only key partners for us but also one of the leading media agencies in the direct, digital and data-driven world. Netzley connected me directly with Peter Tardif, Vistaprint’s director of North American channels and markets, in fall 2014. His company’s story of utilizing offline media to drive response to Vistaprint’s website is one that’s becoming more and more familiar to readers of Response. Next week, Expo attendees interested in hearing more about Tardif’s work at Vistaprint will have the opportunity to see him as part of a panel discussion on Wednesday, April 22 at 3 p.m. If you missed the link above, here it is again: Getting Down to Business
  • As usual, our March issue was timed out to take part in bonus distribution opportunities at the International Home+Housewares Show in Chicago — as well as our very own DRMA reception during the event. With housewares continuing to be a crucial category for marketers and service providers in our world, we took our annual look at what’s hot and happening in the space — from both a product and a method standpoint. Not surprisingly, digital continues to expand its influence among housewares marketers big and small. If you didn’t click the link above, here’s another chance to read the story: Moving Housewares
  • The March issue also marks the return of our DRMA Spotlight section after a few months off, as DRMA member Swipe Payment Solutions joined us for a Spotlight Update Q&A. Now chief operations officer for the payment processing company, Curtis Kleinman is well-known in the direct response space for his tireless networking efforts. If you missed the link above and want to catch up with what’s new at Swipe, click here: DRMA Spotlight: Processing the Right Answers for Clients
  • Our monthly direct response TV and radio media billings update focuses on third-quarter 2014 DR radio results, which were shockingly good. With a 50-percent jump over 2013’s 3Q numbers — pushed mainly by the network radio outlet and the “Drug and Toiletry” category — these third-quarter results were the best in the DR radio market since the middle of the past decade. For a deeper dive into 3Q 2014 DR radio media billings, click here: 3Q 2014 DR Radio Media Billings Spike 50.3 Percent
  • As noted in last month’s blog post, February marked the debut of for our new exclusive research page provided via a partnership with DRMetrix. I’m of such a strong opinion on the power of this new research that I decided to cover it once again in my Editor’s Note column this month. For years, research in direct response television has been hampered by a number of blind spots and a lack of technology. DRMetrix truly takes some major strides in shining a light on some of those long-term dark spaces. In case you missed the link to the piece, here it is once again: Introducing the ‘Metrix’ System: New Research for All Marketers Using DR

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!

Apr 09

Response March: Puck’s New Baby, Billick at Expo, and My Kind of Town

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The March issue of Response has been available online for a couple of weeks now, but with Response Expo less than three weeks away, you can imagine how crazy things are around the office! The good news is that I finally found a few quiet moments today to give you an inside look at the issue, including the cover feature highlighting Wolfgang Puck’s new pressure oven, the announcement of Response Expo’s latest top-notch keynoter and more:

  • In late 2013, one of the best PR folks in the biz, Andrea Pass of Steinreich Communications, let drop that she may be able to finagle a cover story for us on Puck, the celebrity chef best known for his legendary Spago in Beverly Hills. Working with Tim Pearson at Direct Holdings Global (formerly Time-Life), the Puck team was about to debut a brand new item, never seen in the housewares world: a combination pressure cooker/oven. Skip ahead to the morning of February 4, and I found myself inside Spago, watching the photo shoot for our cover and waiting to interview Puck for one of the more interesting stories I’ve worked on in some time. Puck was thoughtful, personable and funny — and very well-informed about the business — during our 20-minute chat over an iced green tea (him) and a cappuccino (me). Between the chef (who is also one of HSN’s most decorated product purveyors), Pearson and brand new media U.S.’ Patrick Raymond, who produced the video assets for the DR campaign, this is one of the more well-rounded cover stories I’ve been able to put together in some time. Oh, and the turkey you see Puck pulling out of the oven when you click through to the story? Cooked perfectly — 14 lbs., in just 55 minutes! And quite tasty. If you missed the link to the story above, here it is once again: Puck’s Housewares Masterpiece
  • Once again, our Field Reports news section is a hearty one this month, led by a special Q&A with 2013 DRMA Member of the Year Kristy Pinand-Dumpert of Concepts TV Productions in Boonton, N.J. Additionally, the section includes the announcement of our Response Expo 2014 keynote speaker: former Super Bowl-winning football coach and current analyst and speaker Brian Billick. We’re so thrilled to have Billick, a spectactular speaker on teamwork, team building and turning your staff into something greater than the whole of its parts, kicking things off in San Diego on Tuesday, April 29. It’s just one more reason to attend the Expo! If you missed the link above to these two big stories (and more), click here to take a look: Field Reports March

  • Housewares fell on St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Chicago.

    There’s no doubt: 2013 was a down year for direct response TV and radio media billings results. Third-quarter DR radio results continued the trend, slipping a little more than 5 percent from the same quarter a year ago. The key: a drop in spending on the top 10 campaigns. Only an increase in spending on lower-end campaigns helped keep the floor from falling out. For more on 3Q DR radio billings from Kantar Media, click here: 3Q 2013 DR Radio Media Billings Slip 5.4 Percent

  • Finally, my Editor’s Note leaned heavily on the industry’s long-term successful work in the housewares space. After all, March means two things to long-time readers of Response: a visit to Chicago’s International Home + Housewares Show, and a great time at our annual DRMA Chicago Reception. The housewares market, much like the healthcare market we covered in February, is clearly one of the verticals that has embraced the combination of direct, digital and data-driven marketing methods with great success. For more of my thoughts, here’s the link once again: Housewares Finds Plenty of Green Using Direct Concepts

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!

Feb 22

Response February: Eyes on the Prize, Party Time in Chicago, and HOF Inductees

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RES0213_CV1The February issue of Response is now available online. From an intriguing look at an old-school direct marketer that’s transitioned with the digital times to the announcement of the inaugural class of the DR Hall of Fame, let’s take a look at some of the key pieces to the issue!

  • Our cover feature on one of direct marketing’s longest running success stories — Publishers Clearing House — saw its genesis from a meeting request at last October’s DMA show in Las Vegas. Let this be a lesson, vendors and agencies (or PR reps of vendors and agencies): if your clients are willing to powerful success stories, Response is interested in helping tell them! Of course, most everyone knows PCH today from their legendary “Prize Patrol” TV spots, where a giant check and some crazy balloons are presented to an unsuspecting sweepstakes winner at his or her front door. What you may not know is that PCH has ridden its history in direct mail and DRTV to massive heights in the digital direct response space, thanks to the work of Josh Glantz and his team. Here’s the link again, if you missed it above: PCH Wins All Day Long
  • There are two items of note in our Field Reports (aka, news) section this month. One is an exclusive Q&A with Mercury Media CEO John Barnes about his company’s recent addition of iMarketing, a full-service digital agency, under the Mercury umbrella. The other is the announcement of our annual DRMA Chicago Reception, during next month’s International Home + Housewares show. The event is slated for Monday, March 4, at the Vertigo Sky Lounge, and, yes, contrary to the printed information, there’s still time to RSVP. Check out these stories and more DR news here: Field Reports February
  • In other DRMA news, Los Angeles-based Dial800 is the subject of this month’s DRMA Spotlight feature. We’ve been working with Scott Richards and James Diorio, the powerful duo behind this DR technology leader, for a few years now. They combine wisdom, work ethic and passionate belief in the services they’re providing professionals in the DR industry. To watch the video Dial800 has provided to go along with the Spotlight story, click this link: DRMA Spotlight Video on Dial800 or check out the print story here: Cracking the Code
  • Our latest analysis of the DR industry’s quarterly media billings results circles back to short-form DRTV billings’ 3Q results. Mirroring its long-form counterpart, while third-quarter was by far the weakest quarter of 2012 so far, the real story is that results stayed even with the same quarter of 2011, helping the overall outlook for 2012 remain solid. Since DRTV media in 3Q faced a huge Summer Olympics, as well as a building presidential campaign, there was some fear of a big drop. With a decent fourth-quarter performance, 2012 should end up as a second consecutive year of growth for direct response television media. For a full look at all the categorical and outlet results, here’s the link: Short-Form DRTV Billings Battle to Break Even
  • Finally, my Editor’s Note breaks the story of our newest addition to the Response family: the Direct Response Hall of Fame. With nine inductees in the initial class selected by the Response Advisory Board, myself and our publisher, John Yarrington, the group represents the best of the past, present and future of direct response marketing. You will have the chance to salute these industry greats on the afternoon of Thursday, April 4, at the Induction Ceremony on the Expo Hall Floor at Response Expo. Don’t miss it! And, if you missed the link to my the column above, here it is once again: Welcome to the Inaugural Inductees of the DR Hall of Fame

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!