By Doug Garnett
Guest Columnist
In the old world of the three networks, TV only made sense for mass market products. But in the world of 500 channels, this is no longer true. There is now excellent niche opportunity with television.
While traditional TV is too expensive for most niche products, DRTV delivers the same powerful communication at a dramatically lower cost.
In fact, DRTV is an excellent approach for niche products—if you sell through retail channels as well as TV, stay away from old-school DRTV, and learn some key lessons from past niche success.
One great example of niche success is the half-hour show for the Drill Doctor drill bit sharpener.
The campaign has been on-air for four years and targets a market so specialized that nearly half of the purchasers own arc welders. Despite this, Drill Doctor recently passed the "two million sold" mark. Critical to this campaign’s success has been reaching out to new TV purchasers. One-third of TV sales come from people who had never bought from TV prior.
Niche product success requires new creative approaches.
Unlike the latest ab product, niche campaigns fail if they rely on common infomercial formulas.
But be careful how you break away from these formulas. Do not break away so that your DRTV feels more like traditional advertising. Rather, drop the formulas to make sure it communicates with your consumer and doesn’t feel like "yell and sell."
We’ve found that new TV purchasers stay tuned to communication that’s credible. But they turn DRTV off when they get a whiff of typical "B.S."— like classic yell and sell or beautiful, overproduced testimonials.
Niche success requires unique media buying choices. Relying on traditional media resources is the way to niche failure. So to succeed:
Don’t use big media agencies. Big agencies usually can’t put in the effort needed to make these smaller campaigns succeed.
Media-buyer databases don’t predict effective niche media. We find the stations suggested by mass-market success often don’t work well for niche products.
Cycle your media. With a niche product, a given airing may work, then stop working, then work again. So, plan to cycle your media and look for a media buyer who is willing to work in cycles.
Go daytime. Today’s DRTV is no longer an overnight medium. DRTV has finally come into the light of day.
Before Wal-Mart, there was an excellent network of specialty stores. Niche products were regularly introduced and marketed through this network because it offered consumers a valuable experience not found at Wal-Mart. The specialty network may have been overtaken by mass merchants, but DRTV can take its place and drive niche sales at mass outlets. Shouldn’t you consider building your niche success through DRTV’s specialty store?
Doug Garnett is the president of Atomic Direct, a boutique DRTV agency with a vision of how brand-name products can be advanced through DRTV. Garnett’s clients include Rubbermaid, Alberto-Culver, the Drill Doctor, and White’s Electronics. He also teaches advertising in the School of Business Administration at Portland State University. Visit www.atomicdirect.com.
