As Seen on TV Product News

Bare Minerals

2008-05-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Bare Minerals' products are changing the face of of the cosmetic industry, literally. Unlike traditional cosmetics that are full of preservatives and other chemicals, Bare Mineral's amazing line of products are all made from 100% pure minerals and can actually improve the skin's texture over time!

Bare Minerals may look like a powder but it actually provides coverage like a cream foundation leaving skin feeling fresh and natural and flawless. It also contains SPF 15 and provides adjustable coverage, ranging from light to full.

Click here to view Bare Minerals' full product line.

Must Go "Green"

2008-05-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today, there is a growing opportunity for brands to gain new customers by introducing more environmentally-friendly products and business practices. Recent surveys are showing that an overwhelming majority of consumers around the world feel their government is either not doing enough, or do not possess the capabilities, to significantly improve the global climate change problem.

As consumers lose faith in their governments they turn to look to businesses to step up and take some responsibility by making the necessary changes in their practices to help improve climate conditions.

This is a world-wide trend. Surveys conducted around the globe have shown that an overwhelming majority of people would prefer buying from companies they know are actively taking measures to reduce their footprint on the environment, and they are willing to pay a premium for it.

This trend applies to businesses across all industries whether it be car manufacturing or banking. Increased attention to the deteriorating state of the environment and it causess have led consumers to try "going green" in every aspect of their lives.

Businesses must take note of this and begin implementing strategies throughout all operations in an effort to reduce their impact on the environment in order to maintain customer loyalty and increase market share.

Eliminate Unwanted and Smelly Pet Hair

2008-05-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Pet Groom Pro is a grooming brush designed for cats and dogs of all sizes. It uses the same technology as ionic air purifiers to clean and condition your pets' coat while also eliminating any unwanted smell and allergen-producing dander.

And don't worry about spending forever trying to clean the brush by trying to pull out all the hair. It's extremely easy to clean with its' pop-off 'Snap 'N Clean' plate.

The Pet Groom Pro Features:

*Cleans, conditions, and deodorizes your pets
*It's pop-off plate collects the matted hair for super easy cleaning
*Has extra firm bristles that glide easily through messy pet hair

Amazon Fights New York State Tax Law

2008-05-07T13:22:00.001-07:00

New York recently passed tax legislation requiring online retailers to collect a sales tax on items shipped to the state, this applies specifically to any online retailers with affiliates in New York. Estimates of how much revenue will be generated as a result of the new law are as much as $50 million.

In response to the new law, Amazon.com has sued the state of New York making two claims. First, that the law violates the Commerce Clause U.S. Constitution by collecting taxes from out-of-state entities. And second, that it is in violation of the Equal Protection clause since it directly targets Amazon and has even been referred to by some state officials as the "Amazon tax". Amazon has also made the argument that it's affiliates in New York function completely independently of Amazon and do not generate sales for them.

Aqua Globes

2008-05-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Introducing Aqua Globes, the ingenious solution to the daily hassle of watering your household plants. With Aqua Globes you no longer have to worry about the chore of plant watering or what do with your plants when on vacation.

Simply fill the hand blown glass bulb with water and place in the potted plant's soil. When the soil is dry it releases oxygen into the Aqua Globe which then allows for water to flow from the globe into the soil. It's so easy and the decorative globe adds a an attractive sparkle to your household plants.

Features:

*Automatically waters your plants for up to two weeks
*Great for indoor and outdoor potted plants
*Set of four Aqua Globes deliver the right amount of water every time!

"But Wait There's More!"

2008-04-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Ron Popeil is a famous inventor and marketing personality who also founded the Ronco Corporation, a direct response marketing company. Popeil appeared in numerous infomercials for products such as the "Showtime Rotisserie", and is know for using such infamous lines as: "But wait, there's more!" and "Now, how much would you pay?" - followed by a series of prices all markedly higher than the offer price.

In 1993 Popeil was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize (a parody Nobel)in Consumer Engineering for recognizing him for "redefining the industrial revolution" with his products and infomercials.

Popeil may be most well-known for the Chop-O-Matic and Veg-O-Matic that signaled his introduction into television. The product was so great at chopping vegetables that it was inefficient for salesmen to carry around the vegetables with them on demonstrations. Popeil saw that the solution was to tape the demonstration and broadcast it as a commercial.

Some other great-selling Popeil products are:

-The Solid Flavor Injector

-Inside the Shell Egg-Scrambler

-Popeil Pasta Maker

"DRTV Management Boot Camp"

2008-04-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

June 9-11th the CEO of the Direct Response Academy, Greg Sarnow, will be leading a DRTV Management class in New York that will focus on nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products. Greg Sarnow is well-known in the industry for his success in launching and managing many nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products.

Products in this industry are often able to do very well in infomercials, however there are many complex rules and legal issues that have a significant impact on the products. The class aims to analyze the effects of these rules on advertising for these products and the direct response television campaign in general.

The class will be over the course of three days. A few main topics to be discussed are as follows:

-Creating persuasive offers
-Effective Lead Generation
-Solutions for campaign roll-outs
-An in-depth look at details of a DRTV advertising campaign
-Vendor Accountability
-Telemarketing Strategies
-Customer Service
-Financial models

..and many more

For more information on how to participate in the course you may visit the Direct Response Academy website.

FCC Fines Analog TV Retailers $3.9 million

2008-04-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Seven major retailers were fined a total of $3.9 million by the FCC for not alerting consumers that some analog television sets they sell are not equipped to deal with the transition to digital-only broadcasting, which Federal law calls for to occur next February.

Current law requires retailers to inform consumers if the analog television sets they are selling do not have the digital converters, which means owners of those TVs will have to purchase a separate converter or pay a service fee (such as cable) to be able to use the sets starting next February.

The FCC stated in its charges that some stores, such as Circuit City had been warned as many as 32 times to comply with the law. After the warnings, follow-up inspections revealed that 25 of their stores were still not properly disclosing that their analog TVs were not equipped with digital converters. The store was then fined $8,000 per set that was not marked.

Sears Holding Corp. received the largest of the seven fines totaling $1 million. Other major retailers fined were: Target Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Fry's Electronics, Comp USA, and Best Buy Co. All the retailers have 30 days to pay or appeal the decisions.

So, beware if planning to purchase a television and check to see if it comes with a digital converter to avoid having to purchase one later.

PoundSky: Interactive Radio and TV Broadcasting

2008-04-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

The company SkyClix announced today the launch of it's newest service PoundSky in southern California. PoundSky turns regular broadcasting into an interactive platform where broadcasters and advertisers can directly connect to consumers at no cost. The service allows consumers to immediately receive information through their mobile phones about advertisements and on-air content from the radio and/or television. It is the first service of its kind in the world. It's also free and carrier agnostic, meaning it works on nearly any kind of mobile telephone service.

Here's how it works: while listening to the radio or watching TV a consumer simply dials #SKY (#759) on their mobile phone and holds it up to the sound of the radio or TV for 15 seconds. Within a minute the consumer receives information about what they are listening to and they can choose what they would like to do, for example they can download coupons, enter a contest, call the radio station and more.

The service is great because it allows consumers to receive the information they want as soon as they want it. Broadcasters and advertisers benefit from being able to instantly reach consumers instead of just trying to make a lasting impression on them through advertisements and hope they remember them later.

Jack LaLanne Power Juicer

2008-04-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Jack LaLanne, also known as the "godfather of fitness" has created the LaLanne Power Jucier, a high-powered, pulp-catching juicer. It's innovative design creates up to 30% more juice, vitamins and nutrients per glass! And the best part is you don't have to waste time slicing up your fruits and vegetables, you can simply drop in whole fruits and the juicer does all the work, it even catches all the pulp so you're left with the pure delicious juice.

The LaLanne Power Juicer features:

* Dishwasher safe.
* 16" tall. 6' cord. UL listed.
* Includes two FREE bonuses, Accessory Pack and Recipe Guide ($20 value) with purchase.

23% of US Cell Phone Users View Ads On Their Phones

2008-03-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

According to a report by the Nielsen Company, 58 million Americans have reported viewing advertisements on their mobile phone in the past 30 days. About half of them (28 million people) explained that they responded to the ad in some way.

The study focused on consumers' attitudes and responses to a variety of advertisements in the form of non-voice mobile data services. These included: banner ads on mobile web pages, SMS text message ads, video ads and more.

Some findings of the study:

-An increase of 38% in the number of people who recalled having seen an advertisement over their phone

-Of those, teens were the most likely age group to remember; and African-Americans and Asians were overall more likely to remember

-The most common type of response to an ad was to send an SMS message (26% of the 58 million did so)

-32% of those studied explained they would be open to receiving the ads if it meant a decrease in their overall monthly mobile bill

Consumers' reactions to mobile ads are important for marketers and advertising researchers to understand so that they can identify which types of mobile ads consumers' are willing to engage in and which ones they are not. What is apparent from the study is that there is an increase in of ability and willingness of consumers' to recall and interact with the mobile ads.

SOURCE: Nielsen Mobile Advertising Report, The Nielsen Company

Free Bonus with FoodSaver purchase

2008-03-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Now you customers can receive a FREE multi-purpose FoodSaver® Canister with the purchase of any FoodSaver® product!

Simply enter coupon code: B8FEAAA at checkout.

Visit the FoodSaver page for more details and purchasing information.

Branded Entertainment on the Web

2008-03-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

In today's world where viewers are equipped with the ability to fast-forward through commercials with DVR, companies are trying to find new ways to target a niche audience in the most cost-efficient way. In an effort to do so, "branded entertainment" which has typically included event sponsorships and paid product placements in movies and on television by large companies has developed a new marketing technique. Companies such as Reebok International have developed 30 minute TV show format "webisodes" starring famous athletes in a new effort to reach young consumers.

Reebok launched "Framed" in November 2007 which is actually a series shown on the Independent Film Channel. Each 30 minute show stars an athlete who choses a person to be their interviewer for the duration of the program. The chosen interviewer is then in charge of "directing" a short film featuring the athlete. For example, one episode starred Allen Iverson and rapper Nelly as his interviewer just chatting while riding on a private bus. The shows have a sort of reality show feel as they provide the viewer with a behind the scenes look into the life of the athlete. And of course, all of the stars of the show wearing Reebok.

While the total effectiveness of this type of advertising is still not known, branded entertainment is expected to demonstrate double-digit growth through 2012. Just this past year spending on this type of advertising has risen 15% to 22.3 billion, a whopping 8% of all advertising spending.

New Privacy Guidelines Enacted for Interactive Advertising

2008-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

At the Interactive Advertising Bureau's (IAB) annual meeting this past February 24-26, the organization developed a new set of rules to ensure a user's control over their personal information while using the cost-free online content provided by interactive advertisers. The rules also strive to guarantee that the delivery of relevant marketing communications to consumers continues to improve.

The new guidelines are said to be a bit more flexible than those that had been previously suggested by the Federal Trade Commission late last year. They have been altered to strike a better balance between protecting the consumers' rights to privacy and protected personally identifiable information, while enabling the industry to continue to provide free online services and content.

There are five basic Privacy Principles the IAB members must follow:

1) Consumers must be informed of any information gathering and storing by all companies that do so for interactive advertising purposes.

2) Consumers shall be given choices regarding the collection and use of their personal information, including information on how to opt-out of the information collection process.

3) Business that collect information for interactive advertising must provide proper security for that data

4) Businesses should provide a means for consumers to express their opinions and concerns regarding these principles.

5)Business should continue to communicate the benefits of interactive advertising to consumers.

Click HERE for a full list of IAB members.

Pop-Up Ads are not just for the Internet anymore

2008-02-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

Pop-up advertisements such as those traditionally found on the internet, interrupting your web surfing, are making their way to television. Recently the St. Petersburg Home Shopping Network has been experimenting with a slightly tweaked version of the pop-ups in an effort to draw more consumers to their network.

How it works is HSN airs a regular 30-second ad for the Home Shopping Network on another channel such as the Food Network. During the ad a graphic appears on screen that says "Press SELECT now to view HSN". The viewer can then simply press the select button on their remote and the channel immediately switches from the Food Network to HSN.

The goal of the pop-up ads is to take advantage of a consumer's interest as fast as possible, the moment it happens instead of the viewer trying to find HSN later or simply forgetting about it. The ads provide HSN with increased viewers and potential customers while also benefiting the cable and satellite companies such as the Food Network who are able to generate more revenue from extra fees paid by the advertising company such as HSN.

Switching channels is not the only feature appearing in these new interactive ads. The number of different types of these ads has been increasing as cable and satellite television companies are investing millions in developing and implementing them into their programming. The new interactive features are designed to give viewers more control over how they view television and allow them do things many different things such as sign up for contests or order brochures for products during live programming.

Toshiba's HD DVD backs down to Blu-Ray

2008-02-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Toshiba recently announced it will be dropping HD DVD altogether, first by immediately reducing shipments to retailers and then completely stopping by the end of March. The decision came after another announcement from Warner Bros Entertainment explaining that it will be joining Sony Pictures, the Walt Disney Co, and Twentieth Century Fox by releasing their movie discs in Blu-Ray format only.

The battle between the two technologies began in 2002 when HD DVD was first introduced. Toshiba believed in the technology proposed that it would be the replacement for existing technology. It became the main producer for HD DVD players and gained support from the DVD Forum who approved the technology. This action initially made it seem that HD DVD could emerge as the preferred technology over Blu-Ray.

Meanwhile, Blu-Ray supporters created their own forum to govern the development and implementation of the its technology. Backed by Sony Corp., Pioneer, and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co (producer of Panasonic, as well as five major Hollywood studios, Blu-Ray has managed to emerge victorious over its rival HD DVD.

Both of the technologies offer clear picture and sound that is far superior to exisitng video technology. However, the two differ in price and power; HD DVD is known for being cheaper while Blu-Ray has a larger capacity for recording. The two are also completely incompatible with one another and the older DVD players.

In the end, Blu-Ray was had better marketing and management, and that paired with its larger group of supporters has allowed it succeed over HD DVD.

Toshiba has tried to calm the nearly one million consumers who have already purchased the HD DVD players, explaining that they will do their best to provide continued HD DVD support.

"Winning The Media Game"

2008-02-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

The Direct Response Academy has introduced a new course titled "Winning The Media Game". The course is the first of its kind to teach the best practices of buying and managing DRTV media. The course leader, Greg Sarnow, possesses extensive expertise in the field who throughout his career has successfully purchased and managed over $1 billion in DRTV media.

The course provides media and financial management tools to benefit everyone from ad agencies and entrepreneurs to the most established companies. And by having the ability to properly manage media buys, companies can increase their ROI by as much as 20%!

The topics addressed in the course include:
1. How to choose and manage a media agency
2. Building a financial foundation for media buying
3. Testing and roll-out tactics
4. How to save and make money through improved analysis
5. Understanding media trends and their impact on future media buying

For more information on the "Winning the Media Game" course and how to enroll please visit:

The Digital Television Only Age

2008-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

The end of analog TV as we know it begins February 2009 when the FCC requires the end of analog television broadcasts. The FCC is trying to avoid a backlash from the some 15.5 million Americans who still rely on the traditional analog broadcasts by mandating that broadcast station owners run at least four and as many as twelve 30-second public service ads a day to inform the public of the tranisition to digital-only television.

However, broadcasters have another idea in mind that would allow them more flexibility in deciding when they air the public service ads. Their proposal is that the local stations will voluntarily air at least twelve announcements a week and two weekly ads for the "Big Four" and Spanish-language networks. The alternative plan has been gaining support with the Republican FCC members, but has yet to win the Democrats who see the need for more frequent announcements.

For those whose television were manufactured before March 2007 when all TVs were required to have a digital tuner, they may need to purchase a set-top converter box that will enable the older televisions to play digital signals. Congress is also trying to make for a smooth transition by allocating $1.5 billion to consumers who need to purchase the converters that are expected to sell for $50-$70 each. Congress' plan allows for those who need to purchase the converters to apply for a $40 coupon.

Bring on the Future of TV Ads

2008-01-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

Backchannelmedia recently conducted a survey to better understand the wants and needs of today's U.S. consumers. The survey revealed that 40% of consumers would participate in interactive television offers such as the one Backchannelmedia has developed. Backchannelmedia's belief is that the traditional method of television advertising is becoming less and less effective, especially with DVR technology that allows people to fast-forward through all advertisements that air during their favorite programs. So, they have created an interactive opt-in television advertising model that will more efficiently target consumers.

How does it work? With the simple click of their current remote control consumers can forward a product or content of interest that they see on TV to an e-commerce site. Market Wire, in an article regarding the new technology provided the example of a consumer who is watching a musical performance by a popular artist and decides that they want to buy the song. The consumer would be able to simply forward a link to download the song from a digital music site.

Backchannelmedia's patent-pending technology will allow consumers the convenience of shopping from their TV without being annoyed by disruptive ads. The recent survey conducted shows much hope for this technology; 60% of the 2,288 participants indicated that they would click on the TV advertisements to have coupons sent to their email, and the survey "projects close to 43 million early adopters out of the 196 million U.S. daily television viewers." (Nielsen Media Research)

When can we expect to see this innovative advertising method? Beginning the second quarter of this year Backchannelmedia will launch a closed-air trial on a select few television stations. Depending on the outcome of the trials, we will see when this technology will hit television sets across the United States.

http://www.backchannelmedia.com/newsletter/articles/16642/New-Research-Shows

Who is Billy Mays?

2008-01-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

Who is Billy Mays? And where did he come from? It is difficult to turn on a television and not see at least one commercial or infomercial featuring Billy Mays demonstrating amazing cleaning products such as "OxiClean" and "OrangeGlo". He is known for his enthusiasm and opening line "Hi! This is Billy Mays with (product name). While some reviews of his approach have been poor, nobody can deny his success in promoting these products which has lead to the company OrangeGlo International to being named one of the "Top Ten privately growing companies from 1999 to 2001 by Inc. magazine,".

Today Mays is the CEO of his company Mays Promotions Inc., where his services are in high demand

3 Great Ways to SAVE on Top Products

2008-01-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

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Other products included in this offer:

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Mattress Genie Bed Lift
Cloud Mattress Toppers

Direct Response Advertising: No one is immune

2008-01-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Many people believe that they are not influenced by the hundreds of advertisements they see everyday. However, evidence seems to indicate otherwise. Direct response advertising is a $250 billion dollar business (something that no one could ignore). Pioneered by Bob Francis, creator of "8-minute Abs", DRM is one of the most effective marketing tools today. With the major objective of going to retail with a product, one needs only three criteria to succeed with DRM.

1. A product to appeal to a wide-range of comsumers
2. Low cost of production
3. Made as an offer no one can refuse (2 for 1...)

Save on Rosetta Stone Holiday Offer!

2007-12-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

Another great holiday offer for Rosetta Stone Language Learning Software: Click here to check it out!

Save 10% - plus FREE shipping!

FoodSaver orders will be shipped FREE

2007-12-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

A great new holiday promotion: see the Foodsaver page to order!

FoodSaver orders will be shipped FREE with the use of code LINKAFFFR4

Save 25% off Hooked on Phonics

2007-12-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a great new deal for Hooked on Phonics!

Customers can save 25% off on all products purchased from 12/3 - 12/12 (use code SAVE25 at checkout) and 20% off for the rest of the month (use code SAVE20 at checkout). Also, purchases made from 12/13 through 12/19 will receive 2nd day shipping at no additional charge!

Visit the Hooked on Phonics page for more details.