Video is video is video. People are going to consume it on all sorts of devices. They’ll watch on their widescreen TVs, on their desktop computers, on their laptops, on their phone—but watch they will. Why? This text tells you what I think, but only a video really clues you in to how I feel.

You know better than most that people buy from people. If buyers can’t touch it and feel it, they want to watch somebody else touch it and feel it. They want to see how heavy it is, how luxurious it feels, how it looks on a chain. They want to hear—and see—people talking about it. And they can via video.

So think of every video you make as content for the website. Then pay attention to see who is interested enough in the product to watch. It’s surprising how useful that information can be for upselling, cross-selling, product improvement, product extension, and, well, don’t get me started.

I just wish you could see how excited I am about this!

Register for Wednesday’s LiveEdit Lab in Santa Monica where you can pick Jim’s brain in person!

Jim Sterne is president of Target Marketing and Chairman of the Web Analytics Association.

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If so, I hope that you’ll join me for a day of discussion and debate at the Electronic Retailer LiveEdit Lab in Santa Monica, Calif. on January 30th.

This one-day event will deliver targeted working sessions on how to successfully integrate your online/offline sales through various marketing initiatives. If you want to learn how to effectively compete, join me for key discussions with industry experts. Topics to be addressed include web analytics, search engine marketing, behavioral targeting, online video, e-mail marketing, social media marketing and mobile marketing.

The LiveEdit Lab is being held beach front in Santa Monica at the Hotel Casa Del Mar. The learning and fun won’t stop when the LiveEdit Lab comes to a close either. Join me afterwards at ERA’s Networking Happy Hour where we can discuss the issues at hand in a more relaxed setting. I’ll see you there!

More Information/Registration

-Pat Cauley, eMedia editor, Electronic Retailer Magazine

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A key to successful infomercial production involves having the right balance of entertainment and selling. An entertaining infomercial production can be instrumental in gaining the consumer’s attention and getting them to stop and watch your show. However, infomercial marketers need to make sure their infomercial production isn’t too entertaining and doesn’t do a good job of selling your product. A call-to-action (CTA) is the key-selling segment of an infomercial, during which the product benefits, offer and price are revealed to the consumer. Some infomercials do not reveal the price during the CTA, and this type of offer relies on the telemarketing firm to reveal the price and sell the product. This is referred to as a soft offer. Recent research has shown that by including more CTAs in an infomercial production an infomercial marketer can generate a better level of consumer response. Since consumers have so many media options to choose from, they are likely watching infomercials for shorter periods of time, so that’s why it’s important to provide them with the ordering information contained in the CTA more often throughout the infomercial production.

Before-and-After Photos, Product Demonstrations and Continuity Programs

Make sure before-and-after photos and infomercial product demonstrations are believable and represent what the product can actually help you achieve. Today’s consumer is more sophisticated than ever and can detect deceptive product representations. In addition, make sure you work with an experienced FTC lawyer to ensure that your infomercial production complies with all FTC rules and regulations. Many successful infomercials include a continuity program, where the consumer authorizes the infomercial marketer to ship a product to them on a regular basis. This can provide the infomercial marketer with an ongoing stream of income. Work with your telemarketer in establishing a continuity program that complies with all FTC rules.

Peter Koeppel is founder and president of Koeppel Direct

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Growing up I had the pleasure of attending both public and Catholic school. I went to public school for kindergarten through third grade, and switched to Catholic school from third grade through high school. In second grade, I recall crystal-clear memories of coloring in pictures of dreidels and menorahs for Hanukkah along with Christmas trees and stars. What a difference a year makes.

It’s 1993 and I’m sitting in an uncomfortable desk as Sister Mary Clifford commands attention from the front of the classroom. “Sparkle Season,” is all she could muster from her mouth as a tight grimace formed across her face. She took a deep breath, and then explained to us that she was disgusted with the city of Pittsburgh for its crusade against Christmas with the marketing campaign for Sparkle Season. My holiday run-ins didn’t stop there. I still remember being on student council in 8th grade, planning for the big school dance. Since it was in October, one would think that a Halloween theme was an obvious route. Well, not for our bishop. That year, I had a great time dancing to the Macarena at our “Fall Harvest.” Avoiding Halloween decorations like the plague at Party City became somewhat of a laborious task. It seemed fickle to me that they’d want to control the marketing messages of retailers for one holiday, while completely striking another from the record books.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Catholic school upbringing as much as the next guilty-conscious Catholic you know, but all these debates about how retailers should configure their December marketing tactics are getting old. The statement “Happy Holidays” does not personally offend me much like “Merry Christmas” does not offend my good Jewish friend Molly. When groups like the American Family Association and the Catholic League decided to boycott Wal-Mart when it changed its greeting to Happy Holidays, one can see the economic impact these decisions can have on a retailer’s bottom line. The following year, Wal-Mart’s advertising was back touting the “reason for the season,” as it switched to Merry Christmas. Could everyone just lighten up and enjoy the CHRISTMAS YouTube video at the top of this post?

Do you think it’s fair that marketers must walk the tight rope of including all Americans while trying not to offend Bill O’Reilly?

-Pat

Electronic Retailer’s eMedia editor Pat Cauley gets in the holiday spirit with his Jewish friend Molly.

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Welcome to the Electronic Retailer Blog! I’m glad to have you here. In the picture above you’ll see Moulton Logistic’s Tony Sziklai, member-chair of the blog, Pat Cauley, Electronic Retailer’s eMedia editor, and Peter Howson, ERA’s director of marketing.

Check back often…your mug shot may be up next!

-Pat, eMedia editor

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The Electronic Retailer blog is an idea whose time has come. It is the perfect companion to a magazine that focuses on the intersection of technology and marketing. As Member Chairman of the blog, my role will be to help Pat Cauley and the Electronic Retailer Media Group team tap the full potential of this dynamic medium, including encouraging magazine readers and industry members to post articles and keeping the content fresh and engaging.

I am a big believer that blogs should be fun, provocative and even controversial. The Electronic Retailer blog will be all of the above—and more. It will be about the people in our industry, their opinions, successes, failures and lessons. It will be about lively discussions and debates (called “threads” in blog speak) that allow everyone to participate.

Stay tuned for some great content. And be on the look out for photos from industry events—you might be in them. Think of the new Electronic Retailer blog as your live, always-on connection to the industry, one that you can access from any web browser to get your daily fix.

-Tony Sziklai, President, Moulton Logistics

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  The purpose for creating this blog site is to encourage visitors and industry professionals to engage in a community dialogue. The Electronic Retailer staff would like to hear what you have to say about hot industry topics, as they pertain to marketing on television, radio, in print and online. Think of this site as your online forum for weighing in on industry news events, posted topics or for providing counter viewpoints to opinions expressed by fellow bloggers.

We are certain that this blog will be a valuable resource tool for Electronic Retailer magazine readers. In fact, we believe this is an extension of the editorial that we provide in our print publication and e-newsletters. However, in order to make this blog site a success, we are counting on your support and participation.
Therefore, please feel free to jump in and get your feet wet. We look forward to starting this online dialogue!

Vitisia “Vi” Paynich
Editor-in-Chief
Electronic Retailer Magazine

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