Apr 09

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

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 24

Response February: A ‘Premera’ Marketer; New Hall of Famers; and Not-That-Bad Media Billings

The February issue of Response debuted in print a couple of weeks ago and hit the Web last week. I’ve finally been able to clear some time today to give you my monthly glimpse at back story on the issue, including the cover feature highlighting Premera Blue Cross (and VP/GM Jim Havens), the new class of inductees for the DR Hall of Fame and more:

  • About four months ago, we got a call from Sean Fay of Envision Response in Seattle. Sean’s been a long-time friend of Response, going back to his days with Cesari Direct. He was really excited about the work he’d just done with Premera Blue Cross, the Blue Cross health insurance organization serving Washington and Alaska, and believed they’d be interested in talking about their campaign for some newly tweaked Medicare offerings. After I was connected with Amy Carter, a key PR player for the insurer, the story came together without a hitch. Havens, who headed up the Medicare Advantage product launch, was open and forthright about the challenges Premera faced and the work that both Envision and agency DMW Direct did to help make its multi-channel campaign a success. If you missed the link above, here it is once again: A Direct Advantage
  • Our Field Reports news section is a hearty one this month, led by the announcement of the 10 inductees selected to join the Direct Response Hall of Fame on May 1 at Response Expo in San Diego. With a nominating process headed by the Response Advisory Board, this group of inductees joins our inaugural group of nine who were inducted in 2013. Not only will the induction event happen at the Expo, but a very special panel discussion featuring six of the inductees will take place just prior to the ceremony. In sadder news, we say goodbye to one of the “As Seen On TV” industry’s founding fathers, Mike Ackerman, who passed away in January. If you missed the link above to these two big stories (and more), click here to take a look: Field Reports February
  • When I received the initial 3Q 2013 short-form DRTV media billings information from Kantar Media, the decline was eye-opening. After all, the year’s first two quarters had been a struggle for all media billings areas we cover. But these were brutal. Fortunately, the Kantar team sent a note along, not too far after the initial E-mail, with an explanation for its change in methodology late in 2012 that is playing a role in the losses it’s reported so far in 2013. So, while short-form media billings are still down — and the market is mirroring the long-form space by moving more of its dollars away from the expensive cable space — the losses aren’t as horrifying as once believed. For more on 3Q short-form DRTV billings (and Kantar’s explanation), click here: Kantar Clarifies Dour 3Q Short-Form Results
  • Finally, my Editor’s Note riffs on how healthcare marketers — forced to become more agile and more aggressive due to the new Affordable Care Act and an aging populace — are becoming the leaders in showing all vertical markets how best to become direct, digital, data-driven marketing experts. The timing couldn’t be better, coming along a month after the debut of Response‘s new look and new tagline. In addition to our cover feature on Premera Blue Cross, the issue also includes a feature on how an array of healthcare marketers are finding new ways to gain and maintain customers. For more of my thoughts, here’s the link once again: Healthcare Marketers Point the Way to Marketing’s Future

Thanks again for reading and interacting with Response!