Following the do's and don'ts of media buying. Experts help marketers avoid the pitfalls.

By David Lustig

Direct response television. Imagine your product spilling out of the screens of millions of televisions in the local, regional or national marketplace. Glorious! In your mind, you can see rapt attention and then mad dashes to the telephone to "Order now! The first 300 callers will receive..." with people saying to each other, "How did we ever live without it!" The possibilities seem endless.

As intoxicating as the above scenario may seem, there are many ways the most exciting and well-made of products can tank with viewers, leaving your "Operators are standing by..." well, standing by, twiddling their thumbs next to silent telephones. Yes, the rewards are great, but so are the pitfalls. If nothing has a slam-dunk formula for success, perhaps you should do a little homework and listen to what experts in the business have to say about the do's and don'ts of media buying.

LEARNING FROM MISCONCEPTIONS
"The main mistake marketers make is thinking that just because their spot or show is on television, their product or service will be a big hit," says Joel Gable, media manager for Ellison Media in Phoenix, Ariz. "Placement should have some marketing rationale."

"DRTV does not have to mean 'let's just buy the remnant, cheap time and see what happens,'" he continues. "I believe that the convergence of brand and DR is upon us, and we must engage our potential customers, not beat them over the head with boring, lame 'yell and sell' copy. Placement is critical in this new thinking; you have to fish where the fish are and help them understand why they need your bait."

Robert Yallen, president of the Inter/Media Group in Encino, Calif., contends that another misconception is the limited availability of 120-second unit spot lengths.

"This is a myth," says Yallen. "We have effectively exploited the availability of 120-second spot lengths for many of our clients. With some clients, a :120 is essential because they need more airtime to effectively deliver a compelling selling message with a new or complex product or service."

"A lot of companies are shortsighted," he adds. "They only think in terms of the immediate buy. But you really need to look ahead because the advertiser may ultimately want to make the jump to retail and other channels and to do that you have to have a strong brand. You need to look beyond just cost-per-order or cost-per-head to what will build the brand most effectively."

CAN ONE QUARTER BE TOUGHER THAN ANOTHER?
The answer is yes, and it depends on whether you are talking long form or short. Compounding that is tougher quarters can change from country to country.

Roger Delaney, vice president and media director of Zephyr Media Group in Evanston, Ill., believes the second and third quarters are the most difficult.

"The obvious problem with second quarter for long form is that the stations are wanting April rates in June," he says, "while fourth quarter offers the same dilemma in reverse, with salespeople wanting December rates in October."

"For short form," Delaney continues, "second-quarter DR competes with sports and sweeps and the beginning of summer. But then third quarter is just slow and erratic on the long- form side. And, on the short-form side, you're dealing with back-to-school and new fall programming spots, and people squeezing the last few drops out of summer before fall hits."

Jake Willitts, media account executive at Kingstar Media in Toronto, Canada, says the toughest quarters always seem to be the second and fourth.

"It's not necessarily these two calendar quarters," he says, "it's more like September 15 through December 15 and March 1 to June 1."

In the United Kingdom, Digby Orsmond, CEO of ARM Direct Ltd. in London, contends that the last quarter of the year is always the most expensive, as it is a key period for major brand and retail advertisers who take up the majority of available airtime at higher airtime prices.

"The spring, around Easter," he says, "is the next most expensive quarter. Across the summer, airtime rates are cheaper but response rates suffer due to lower audiences and school holidays."

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
According to Yallen, "We've had success by thinking out of the box on where to advertise. We've tried utilizing different mediums and taking advantage of lower-rated networks that are not faced with the demand on inventory.

Another successful strategy," he says, "is for DR advertisers--whose products are also at retail to get around the increased rates during prime retail buying time--to utilize shorter spot lengths than you would normally. That keeps the brand in the market, but also minimizes the cost."

Gable says you can overcome challenging quarters by testing.

"Whether it's a monthly or seasonal issue with a station, latching onto specialized programming or shifting your buys to proven historical DRTV winners," he explains, "new creative, new CTAs [call to actions] and updated offers can refresh stale results."

Dan Zifkin, president of Zephyr Media Group, says you must pay attention and be realistic.

"Be aware of when you are buying, how much clearance to expect, the rates that you will need to pay and the dayparts that will be more effective," he suggests. "Each quarter has tremendous opportunities. This is where years of experience, relationships and knowledge come into play and can help a campaign find or keep its legs to keep moving forward."

MEDIA TESTING MISTAKES
"DR marketers don't test enough stations," says Willitts, "and are too quick to make conclusions. They don't consider all the variables that may be affecting response."

Gable believes mistakes also include not doing the homework necessary to place a high-quality buy.

"Recycling shows through owned time, placing spots in broad rotation and placing spots in areas not conducive to your target are all response killers," he says. "If you're selling motorcycle parts, you certainly wouldn't air in female skewed programming. Just watch television and see if the spot placement matches the target audience. People watch programs, not stations. You must buy media with your potential customers in mind."

Delaney says that marketers sometimes have unrealistic expectations.

"It's imperative that the agency does everything it can to prepare the client for what a test will and won't do," he contends. "We need to make sure that our clients understand what kind of information and results a test is designed to provide.

"People also tend to feel that the best place to test is in the biggest, most expensive time periods of dayparts on the biggest broadcast station or cable networks. That is usually not the case. A lot of novice clients want to air on the stations and networks they watch, even if they're completely wrong for the buy. Clients need to realize that a test is the beginning of a process, not an end unto itself. When the initial test is over, the work has just begun."

DOING THE JOB RIGHT
Okay, you've heard the pitfalls, now what can you do to give you the edge on getting it right?

"Plan your media with as much lead time as possible to get the best properties," advises Willitts. "Don't get cornered by rebooking the same media. Always keep using a percent of the budget to test new properties and having a media buyer who you can trust is looking out for your best interests."

Gable suggests cultivating relationships with stations and networks.

"Many times, it will make the difference regarding clearance, rates and show/spot approval." He also says to plan your buy and work your plan.

"Evaluate your buys in a timely manner. Whether it's daily or weekly, always know the disposition of your schedules. And be proactive; adjust your non-performing buys quickly. Use historical analysis, DRTV success, programming ratings and station strength when considering buys. Use your tools," notes Gable.

Orsmond advises to negotiate the best possible fixed price for the airtime.

"Test all times of day and days of the week to establish what is the most efficient schedule to buy," he says. "Using unique telephone numbers by station is vital. Don't restrict the daypart to just weekday time. Many products do work most efficiently in this time band; however, other products such as those targeted to young adults will work much better in late-night airtime. All responses should be analyzed in great detail to enable the business to be scaled up cost-effectively."

Yallen suggests monitoring day-to-day placement of spots on each station of your schedule, enabling quick action if something isn't working and to take advantage if something is working especially well.

"Maintain relationships with top management of key stations," he suggests. "This is a truly valuable practice because it allows you to occasionally pick up 'favors,' or to hear about opportunities that might not be circulated back out to the media buying community at large. Negotiate with desired stations to provide clients with fixed programming at no premiums wherever possible."

Zifkin sums up his advice this way: "Be prepared that if you have clearance problems for any reason, you have back-up networks that will also deliver, be clear to your clients regarding expectations and be clear to your stations of what you are requiring of them, and be aware of market conditions."

"The model of relying on a captivated viewer at 3 a.m. is evolving into how to efficiently reach your target audience while overcoming sales objections," says Gable. "The media buy is important, the message is king."

David Lustig is a contributing writer to Electronic Retailer magazine. We would appreciate your feedback. To submit comments, please e-mail the magazine at editors@retailing.org.