The Importance of Direct Response (DR) Variations in Advertising
How to Increase Your ROI with DR Variations
Television remains one of the most powerful and effective ways to communicate with consumers. The reach of television advertising is second-to-none and with the way people watch tv evolving, so is the way we advertise. One problem frequently discussed is in attribution. How do you know which ads are the most effective and getting the largest return-on-investment?
Buying fixed network dayparts allows advertisers to get a discount, but they have little control over when a spot runs or which programs they air within. If you are running multiple spots within a short period of time across various networks, you may be unable to determine which advertising is yielding the best response. The solution is Direct Response Variations.
A Look at the Metrics
A five-year study conducted by AdSphere looked at television advertising spend, including the problem of attribution. The study concluded that many top brands have ads running within minutes of each other on different networks, without using some kind of variation to distinguish the ad, it becomes impossible to tell which spot the consumer connected with. DR variations help to determine which campaigns are the most successful allowing for more effective marketing.
What are DR Variations
Direct Response variations are unique call-to-action variants that allow networks to track consumer response. Some common DR variants include:
- Web-based promotion codes
- SMS codes
- Differing web, SMS or phone number variants
DR variations make television spots aired on multiple networks measurable. According to the AdSphere study, one of the most significant increases in national ad spend campaigns have been web- and mobile-based companies. In previous years, many web- and mobile-based companies feared that television could not adequately measure and track the success of campaigns. Direct response variations calm this fear as they allow companies to “better track the performance of their campaigns in real-time as well as optimize TV buys to produce the highest level of return-on-investment (ROI).”
Traditional VS Direct Response TV Advertising
As we continue to look at trends in television advertising, it is essential to discuss the difference between traditional and direct response advertising. Some commercials have no direct call-to-action to the consumer and are used purely for branding. Brand advertising is directed to inform a consumer about a product or service or to create an emotional connection.
Direct response television commercials entice consumer action, whether the call-to-action includes calling a phone number, visiting a website, or downloading an app. According to the survey, national ad spend campaigns that ask a consumer to take action were up 16.96% over the previous year. Of the over 4,000 brands that used direct response advertising, over 40% utilized “traditional direct-response techniques such as the use of DR variations.”
Contact Amicus Today to Learn More About Direct Response Advertising
Direct response advertising and utilizing DR variations have been around for decades. Amicus Media Group helps law firms understand and capitalize on direct response advertising by synchronizing campaigns across multiple platforms. Learn more about how Amicus is Transforming the Business of Law™ by calling our case acquisition specialists today at (888) 700-1088.
This blog post does not contain legal or financial advice. Author and publisher disclaim any and all warranties, liabilities, losses, costs, claims, demands, suits, or actions of any type or nature whatsoever, arising from or any way related to this blog, the use of this blog, and/or any claim that a particular technique or device described in this blog.