The DRTV Centre, the UK’s specialist direct response TV advertising agency, shares eighteen vital secrets of effective DRTV advertising. 

DRTV (direct response television advertising) includes any TV ads that encourage viewers to respond directly to the advertiser, by calling an 0800 number, visiting a web site or sending a text message. Most UK DRTV commercials are 60 seconds or less – called “short form” in the US. 

DRTV can attract instant new customers and yield high returns. There are many pitfalls, however, and failure can be costly. 

#1. For the most effective DRTV script, follow the advice of the DRTV expert who recommends that it should follow a proven formula. He knows what he’s talking about. Many clients who are new to the medium want to break the rules – more often than not their products fail.

#2. The viewer’s attention must be captured immediately; the message has to be clear, relevant and quickly followed by a call-to-action (“phone now” for example, or “visit our website).

#3. A problem/solution scenario often works well – with the advertised product being the solution to the problem, naturally.

#4. Highlight the most important product benefits by featuring prominent titles on screen. Advertising agency creatives hate these - but they work.

#5. You might be tempted to use humour to capture attention. Don’t. Humour hardly ever works.

#6. Make it clear what response you want from the viewer. This is the call-to-action. Repeat it.

#7. Show and speak your 0800 Freefone number very early in your script and keep it on screen until the end.

#8. Crucially, use the most memorable 0800 numbers available. Response rates can be 50% higher for easy-to-remember numbers.

#9. TV spots - experiment with different lengths of commercial. For some products a 30 second commercial will pull response just as well as a 60, at half the cost.

#10. Branding can be a side effect of DRTV commercials but should never be the primary objective. Concentrate on maximising response. Brand awareness will result later, directly from DRTV success.

#11. Avoid peak time spots. Lots of low rating spots in cheap daytime will produce a steady response at lowest cost per enquiry.

#12. DRTV results are accurately measurable; take the advice of industry media experts with respect to analysis. Such analysis will tell you which TV stations are performing well, what time length is best, what time of day and day of week are most cost-effective.

#13. Note DRTV and PPC (pay per click advertising), when used in combination, are often significantly more effective than DRTV or PPC used alone.

#14. Never feature Twitter hashtags in DRTV commercials – they dilute response.

#15. Recognise that DRTV is a science. Identify winners using response statistics. Stick with your winners and ditch your losers immediately.

#16. Testing a new product or service on-air will provide more reliable guidance than focus groups.

#17. In judging success beware of emotional decisions. Base conclusions purely on facts.

#18. Test, test, never rest! Even modest improvements to the script or media plan will keep raising response rates.

David Pearson of The DRTV Centre stresses: “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. There are tried and tested ways to increase your chances of DRTV success. Use them.”