Direct response TV, or DRTV, is a TV ad built to make people act now: call, visit the website, book. Brand advertising builds how people feel about you over time. DRTV wants the phone to ring tonight.
Most ads should do a bit of both. But if you need a measurable response, the ad has to be built for it from the first line of the script.
What a response ad needs
- The problem in the first few seconds. Not the logo, not a mood. Optegra’s ad now opens on “Struggling to see without your glasses or contacts?” Viewers know straight away whether it’s for them.
- A clear reason to act. An offer, a free consultation, a brochure, a quote. Something worth picking up the phone for.
- The number and web address, big and on screen long enough. We animate the phone number as the voiceover reads it out. It sounds obvious. Plenty of ads still hide it in the corner for three seconds.
- A voiceover that does the work on its own. People are making tea when the ads are on. If they only hear it, they should still know what to do.
- Repetition. Say the number twice. Show the web address at the end. It isn’t elegant, and it works.
The Optegra rebuild
Optegra’s original ad was shot in Malta and London and looked lovely. In the 60” version you couldn’t tell what it was for until 22 seconds in, and the call to action barely registered. Calls weren’t coming.
We kept the location footage and rebuilt everything else: a new script that opens on the problem, faster music, a re-briefed voiceover, a few new shots, a bigger logo and info bar, and the phone number and web address animating as they’re said.
Calls went up 19%, website goal completions 22%, and consultations booked 164%.
How DRTV is bought and measured
DRTV airtime is usually bought for response: daytime and off-peak slots on channels where your audience is watching and has time to pick up the phone. It’s often cheaper than peak.
Every ad gets a tracked phone number or web address, and the response is matched to when the ad aired. That tells you which channels, days and times are paying back, and the media buyer moves the money to them week by week.
Is DRTV only for cheap products?
No. Most of our response work sells big-ticket things: conservatory roofs, glass verandas, garage doors, eye surgery. The higher the price, the more the ad needs to build trust as well as make the ask. That’s where production quality earns its keep.