As the push for more effective and accountable advertising grows, there’s increasing interest in direct response television. Brand advertisers, many of whom have never done DRTV, are now successfully using the medium. Others are considering how best to integrate it into their existing marketing mix. With this in mind, here are answers to the 12 questions I hear most often.

A direct response television commercial is any spot that asks the viewer to respond immediately by telephone, online or letter. Short-form DRTV spots typically air for 60 or 120 seconds. Long-form-or infomercials-typically run 30 minutes.

There are several reasons why marketers should consider using DRTV:

Brand commercials are designed to stimulate interest in the hope the consumer will buy the product at a later date. DRTV spots are designed to motivate the viewer to purchase the product now (or in the case of lead-generation DRTV, to call for more info). As a result, where brand TV spots generally focus on one key benefit, DRTV spots give the viewer all the info they need to make a purchasing decision, including presenting multiple features and benefits, and providing price and quality comparisons. Most DRTV spots also include a special time-sensitive offer designed to induce immediate response.

If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, your product or service may be suitable for DRTV:

Two types of products do not lend themselves well to DRTV:

As a general rule, infomercials are more effective than short-form spots because they give you more time (28 minutes versus 120 seconds) to make a convincing case. However, if your product or service is relatively easy to explain, short-form may be more cost effective. There is also more shortform media available.

From a quality perspective, most brand-based DRTV commercials on air today are indistinguishable from brand-based commercials. As a result, many of the most prestigious brands in the country now use DRTV as part of their marketing mix, including Royal Bank, Bell Canada, Liberty Health and ING.

A short-form DRTV commercial (60 or 120 seconds) typically costs between $70,000 and $120,000. An infomercial (30 minutes) typically costs between $150,000 and $250,000.

It takes eight to 16 weeks to produce a DRTV commercial or infomercial. As with any production, variables include number of shoot days, locations and complexity of shoot. You may also want to allocate a few extra weeks (and dollars) to testing various offers and price points. Often a small change in the offer will result in a significant increase in response rates and profitability.

Other costs to consider include telemarketing, fulfillment and media buying.

One to three years, depending on creative, media weight and product cycle.

I call them the three Ps:

I hope this gives you enough information to determine if your product or service can benefit from the power of DRTV.