An executive summary for
managers and executive
readers can be found at the
end of this article
Infomercials becoming
increasingly popular
Infomercial elements
examined
468 JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002, pp. 468-480, # MCB UP LIMITED, 0736-3761, DOI 10.1108/07363760210444850
Infomercials and advertising
effectiveness: an empirical
study
Brett A.S. Martin
Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University of Auckland
Business School, Auckland, New Zealand
Andrew C. Bhimy
Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University of Auckland Business
School, Auckland, New Zealand
Tom Agee
Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University of Auckland
Business School, Auckland, New Zealand
Keywords Advertising, Effectiveness, Surveys, New Zealand
Abstract Despite their increasing use by advertisers, little research has examined the
effectiveness of infomercials. This study explores the influence of infomercial
advertisement design elements, such as the use of customer testimonials or expert
comments, and consumer characteristics, such as level of prior interest in the advertised
product, upon perceptions of advertising effectiveness. With the assistance of the New
Zealand division of an international infomercial marketer, we conducted a survey of
consumers who had bought products in response to viewing an infomercial. Based on 878
respondents, our findings indicate that infomercial advertising is more effective when
employing expert comments, testimonials, product demonstrations, the use of target
market models, celebrity endorsers, product comparisons, and bonus offers. Age also
impacted how consumers view infomercials, as did the type of product purchased.
Introduction
Long regarded as a form of advertising targeting the gullible and naõÈve
(Chapman and Beltramini, 2000), infomercials have recently experienced a
surge in popularity. Not only are infomercials increasingly popular
(Edwards, 2001) but they are also attracting well known brands such as
Apple, Nissan, Mercedes, Microsoft, Land Rover and Cadillac to advertise in
this format (Edwards, 2001; Guilford, 1999; Wellner, 2000). Yet despite this
increase, little research has examined infomercials. While recent research
has examined the infomercial clearance process at television stations (Wicks
and Abernethy, 2001) and the perceptions of the advertising profession
towards infomercials (Chapman and Beltramini, 2000), there is a lack of
research examining infomercial effectiveness. The exception is Singh et al.
(2000) who used an experiment of student subjects to compare different
advertising formats.
The purpose of this study is to examine what influences perceptions of
infomercial advertising effectiveness among a sample of actual
infomercial buyers. To this end, we examine infomercial elements (e.g. the
use of product demonstrations), and consumer characteristics (e.g. levels of
prior interest in the product purchased through an infomercial) across six
product types (e.g. fitness machines and skin care cosmetics). The results
offer insights for marketers and advertising strategists as to what influences
consumers to regard an infomercial as effective. In other words, what
The research register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregisters
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0736-3761.htm

Value of longer commercial
formats increasingly
recognized
Insights into the decision
processes
Potential use of
infomercials to promote a
wide range of products
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002
features of an infomercial or a consumer determine whether an infomercial is
viewed as interesting, entertaining, helpful and worth watching. Next,
relevant literature is reviewed. The method and results of a survey of
consumers who have purchased products in response to viewing an
infomercial are then presented. Finally, the implications of the results are
discussed.
Literature review
An infomercial is a program-length advertisement spanning anywhere from
30 minutes to two hours, promoting an organization's product or image
through information or persuasion (Chapman and Beltramini, 2000; Donthu
and Gilliland, 1996). In recent times infomercials have increased both in
numbers and scope as marketers increasingly recognise the value of longer
commercial formats (Chapman and Beltramini, 2000), however the
effectiveness of infomercials has become a major concern. While
practitioner perceptions of infomercials have been well documented
(Beltramini, 1983; Chapman and Beltramini, 2000), there is a notable dearth
of empirical research focused on the elements of the infomercial that actually
persuade the consumer to make a purchase.
Benefits that characterise the effectiveness of direct marketing/direct
response advertising, such as convenience and choice (Evans et al., 2001;
Feinberg and Eastlick, 1997), are often seen as applying to infomercials, but
there is little evidence concerning what elements of infomercials consumers
view as effective. Likewise, although there is research assessing the profile
of the infomercial shopper relative to the non-shopper (Donthu and Gilliland,
1996), there is little evidence regarding the effect of cognitive processes and
previous purchasing behaviour on the infomercial shopper's view of
infomercial effectiveness. The objective of this study is to address these
issues, by studying the effect of consumer characteristics and infomercial
characteristics on consumer perceptions of infomercial effectiveness.
Consumer characteristics
Understanding if consumer characteristics influence perceptions of
infomercial effectiveness has several important benefits for marketers. One
benefit is the ability to target consumer groups more effectively, especially
for marketers looking to enhance production values by increasing efficiency
(Donthu and Gilliland, 1996). Understanding consumer characteristics may
also contribute to the debate over infomercial legitimacy by providing
insights into the decision processes used to purchase from infomercials.
Previous studies that have examined consumers who watch or purchase from
infomercials have commonly focused on demographics, yet the results in this
area have been inconclusive. Donthu and Gilliland (1996) found that
infomercial shoppers were demographically similar to non-shoppers in terms
of age, education, gender, and income. They concluded that this similarity
highlights the potential use of infomercials to promote a wide range of
products to all demographic categories. However, these results have not
found universal support with previous studies of infomercials and home
shopping attesting to differences in age and gender (James and Cunningham,
1987), and age and income (Darian, 1987). Further, these findings have not
been tested on different groups of infomercial buyers, raising the important
question of whether some infomercial buyers are more inclined toward
infomercials than others. For example, it is possible that buyers from
different age, income or gender groups have different purchase motivations,
resulting in different criteria for the assessment of infomercial effectiveness.
469
 Elliot and Speck (1995) found that consumers under the age of 40, and
consumers who are unmarried, are more inclined to view infomercials than
their older or unmarried counterparts. However, these results did not extend
to the examination of those who purchased from infomercials, though the
results suggest that these viewers are variety seeking and looking for new
opportunities, a finding supported by Donthu and Gilliland's (1996) profile
of the infomercial shopper. If differences do emerge, infomercial advertisers
may have to consider treating these demographic segments as unique, and
take time to consider the motivations that are driving the perceived
effectiveness for each group.
Some consumer evidence Another major area requiring research is consumer cognition, given the
suggests infomercial debate over whether infomercials should be designed to be informative or
shoppers are impulsive persuasive (Elliot and Lockard, 1996; Tom, 1996; Wiener, 1994). Yet much
of the evidence regarding the level of useful information provided by
infomercials is confined to content analysis studies (e.g. Elliot and Lockard,
1996; Seitz, 1998; Tom, 1996). Consumer evidence provided by Donthu and
Gilliland (1996) suggests that infomercial shoppers are impulsive, noting
that they often purchase products without searching for alternatives. Yet this
evidence provides only indirect clues regarding the information dependence
of infomercial buyers. Although this may imply that infomercial buyers have
little information reliance, it is also plausible that, if they find a single
infomercial sufficiently informative, they may purchase without searching
for alternatives. Regarding information, Evans et al. (2001) found that
consumers believe that direct marketing techniques should provide
consumers with information and remind them of their needs. Hawthorne
(1998, p. 52) puts it more bluntly: ``The more you tell, the more you sell''.
Mitchell and Boustani (1994) suggest that consumers will search for less
alternative product information if an advertisement provides a high level of
certainty that the product will be satisfactory, and that there will be minimal
negative consequences. It is plausible that some infomercial formats may
provide such a level of certainty. Thus, we consider the influence of
infomercial elements, such as comparisons with other products.
Perceived effectiveness An avenue that has been less well explored, and which is also addressed in
varied this study, is the possibility that consumers may be looking to be engaged by
the infomercial rather than simply informed by it. Objective assessments of
information content from content analyses tell us little about how effective
consumers believe this information to be, or whether they even care about it
at all. In fact consumers may often base their engagement with infomercials
on affective cues, and ``may be predisposed to an impulsive purchase when
affective advertising cues are present'' (Donthu and Gilliland, 1996, p. 72).
In a study of direct response radio commercials, Verhoef et al. (2000) found
that perceived effectiveness varied between products, and attributed this to
different levels of involvement. Likewise, it is well recognised that different
products are differentially effective in the world of infomercials (e.g.
Hawthorne, 1998), and it may be that differences in product involvement or
interest are responsible for this. Thus, rather than examining the information
level of infomercials as in previous studies, this study will focus on whether
infomercials that engage the consumer are viewed as more effective than
those that do not.
Influence of past viewing A third area of interest regarding consumer characteristics is behavioural
habits patterns, such as infomercial viewing and prior purchasing behaviour. An
area that has received some attention has been the influence of past viewing
habits and past exposure to the infomercial on perceptions of infomercial

470 JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002


Potential benefits for
advertisers
``Documercial'' format
Perceptions of effectiveness
across different products
examined
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002
effectiveness. Elliot and Speck (1995) found that consumers are more likely
to be heavy infomercial viewers if they have the opportunity to view
infomercials and are interested in learning about new products. Thus we
might expect a positive relationship between amount of infomercial
viewership and perceptions of infomercial effectiveness. Likewise, prior
exposure to the advertisement may also influence perceptions of
effectiveness, given that the consumer may not consider their need for a
product until after they have seen an infomercial initially, and may be more
susceptible to making a purchase during later exposures. Prior purchasing
patterns are another area of interest to marketers ± are infomercials perceived
as more or less effective by those who have previously bought from
infomercials, from mail order catalogues or from regular TV advertisements?
Positive results in this area would suggest the potential for cross-media
marketing strategies, perhaps using catalogues to ``prime'' the consumer,
then the selling power of infomercials to close the deal. Our study explores
these areas and their impact on advertising effectiveness.
Infomercial characteristics
As a marketing vehicle, infomercials have a number of potential benefits for
advertisers. These include the ability to present a detailed product story, to
make an emotional connection with the consumer, and to drive sales through
other retail and direct marketing channels (Hawthorne, 1998). Although such
guidance is useful for marketers looking to achieve certain promotional
objectives, how these benefits can be used to maximise their effect on
consumers is questionable.
Elliot and Lockard (1996) have noted that the typical infomercial comprises
a program segment and a direct response segment. These infomercials can
have a number of different formats, focusing on product demonstrations,
expert or celebrity testimonials, a ``documercial'' format taking on the
appearance of a documentary or newscast, a talk show format emphasising
entertainment value, or a dramatisation using a slice-of-life format to
demonstrate everyday product use. Elliot and Lockard (1996) found that
infomercials using product demonstrations and testimonials had the greatest
number of information cues, and the talk show and documentary formats the
least. Given the general belief that more information is better, it might be
expected that product demonstrations are positively and significantly related
to perceptions of infomercial effectiveness, but there are no empirical data
available to support this supposition. Likewise, customer testimonials should
be well received by infomercial buyers.
Another area that may influence the variables perceived to be effective in
infomercials is the type of product being advertised. For example, Seitz
(1998) found that direct response advertisements for perfume and women's
apparel tended to be image-based, whereas direct response advertisements
for cosmetics contained a more balanced mix of image-based and
information-based content. Seitz (1998, p. 273) concluded that ``image based
advertising is often employed when there is little difference in brands'', but
that ``reason comes more into play in the description of product benefits for
cosmetic brands''. Although these findings were developed in the context of
direct response magazine advertisements, they have suggested that
infomercials for products with little perceived difference may focus on
image elements, whereas products with major differences may focus
on emphasising unique benefits through a detailed description and
demonstration of the product. In this study, we examine buyer perceptions of
infomercial advertising effectiveness across six different products allowing
471
 insight into the influence of product type. We also explore the influence of
infomercial content ranging from product demonstrations to the presentation
of payment information.

Method
Almost all infomercials Data were collected by means of a survey sent to customers of the New
produced in New Zealand Zealand division of a major international infomercial marketer. In
were for the USA New Zealand, almost all of the infomercials are produced in or for the US
market and are televised with only the price and ordering information
modified. Thus, we surveyed 2,670 customers who had bought one of six
different products across a two-week time-frame. These products were:
(1) a strider (i.e. similar to a skiing machine for aerobic fitness);
(2) a rider (i.e. providing resistance for all major muscle groups while
seated);
(3) an exerciser to reduce the buttock area;
(4) a facial cream program;
(5) a multi-media children's reading program; and
(6) a memory improvement course provided in a set of videotapes.
A total of 60 percent of the infomercials were televised weekdays,
8 a.m.-12 noon; 28 percent midnight-1 a.m.; and 12 percent
Saturday, 8 a.m.-12 noon, which is consistent with world-wide practice.
Response rate exceeded The survey consisted of questions covering perceptions of advertising
recommended guidelines effectiveness, the type of purchase decision, as well as information on
consumer characteristics such as amount of previous exposure to the
infomercial, and how often the respondent watches infomercials.
Respondents received a covering letter, a prize draw incentive, the
questionnaire, and a postage paid reply envelope. An additional survey was
sent approximately two weeks later with an additional prize draw
opportunity to improve response. This resulted in 878 respondents and a
response rate of 32.8 percent, which exceeds recommended guidelines of
30 percent (Cooper and Emory, 1995). Table I presents a summary of sample
characteristics.
Perceptions of advertising effectiveness related to seven items such as ``I
found the infomercial interesting and informative'', and ``The
demonstrations of how the product worked were very helpful in making my
decision to buy''. Respondents were asked to indicate their degree of
agreement with statements related to the above, measured by a five-point
scale with anchors 1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree. The sections of
the survey relevant to degree of planning consisted of questions relating to
the following: the degree of planning given to the TV purchase; previous
interest in the type of product purchased; previous exposure to TV
advertisements for the product purchased as well as similar products; amount
of thought given to the TV purchase. For example, whether the purchase was
an impulse or planned decision was measured by the item ``To what degree
would you say your decision to purchase was planned in advance?'' (1 = not
at all ± just a spur of the moment impulse, 5 = very much ± had planned to
buy the next time I saw the advertisement). Likewise, predisposition toward
purchasing a product similar to that advertised included questions such as: ``I
had seen TV advertisements for other products like this before'', ``I had
realized I needed a product like this before I saw the TV advertisement, but

472 JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002

 Demographics Frequency Percentagea
Gender
Male 162 18.5
Female 716 81.5
Age
< 20 38 4.4
20-29 257 29.6
30-39 299 34.5
40-49 150 17.3
50-59 79 9.1
60-64 18 2.1
65 + 26 3.0
Household income
< $20,000 130 15.9
$20,000-$29,000 107 13.1
$30,000-$39,000 134 16.4
$40,000-$49,000 120 14.7
$50,000-$59,000 108 13.2
$60,000-$79,000 98 12.0
$80,000-$99,000 63 7.7
$100,000 + 58 7.1
Education
< High school graduate 363 42.0
High school graduate 145 16.8
Technical or trade qualification 97 11.2
Other tertiary qualification 153 17.7
Some college 25 2.9
College graduate 81 9.4
Marital status
Single 168 19.4
Married/living together 589 68.1
Divorced/separated 83 9.6
Widowed 25 2.9
Ethnicity
White 676 78.0
Maori descent 132 15.2
Pacific Island descent 19 2.2
Chinese/other Asian 18 2.1
Other 22 2.5
Total sample size 878 100.0
Note: a Percentages based on totals of each characteristic
Table I. Summary of the characteristics of respondents

had never really looked for one'', and ``I had been looking around for a
product like this, even before I saw the TV advertisement.'' The amount of
thought that went into the purchase decision included statements such as: ``I
thought a lot about the infomercial before I decided to buy'', ``I thought a lot
about similar products I had seen in shops or on TV'', and ``Before I decided
I thought a lot about whether I might benefit from the product.''

Factor analysis performed
on the data
Results
We first performed factor analysis on the data for measures containing three
or more items. As the items loaded on to single factors, six indices were
created (see Table II) for:
(1) advertising effectiveness;
(2) comments and demonstrations;

JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002 473

 Factor Loadings Eigenvalue
a
Advertising effectiveness 3.24
I found the infomercial interesting and informative 0.77
I found the infomercial entertaining and fun to watch 0.82
The demonstrations of how the product worked were very
helpful in making my decision to buy 0.77
I could relate to the people in the advertisement who tried
the product 0.72
The host or celebrity in the advertisement made me feel
the product was a good one 0.65
I often check TV listings to see when infomercials are on 0.54
Comments and demonstrationsb 3.64
Testimonials from satisfied users 0.84
Comments by an expert 0.77
People like me in the infomercial who seemed to benefit
from using the product 0.64
b
Payment information 1.33
Easy payment plan with credit card 0.71
Money back guarantee 0.69
The amount of information provided 0.63
Buying at home, free number 0.60
Recognition, comparison and extrasb 1.08
Someone I recognized from TV or the movies talking
about the product 0.75
Comparing its benefits with similar products 0.43
Additional items included in the TV offer 0.73
Previous interest in the productc 1.48
I had seen the TV advertisement for the product I
purchased before 0.70
I had seen TV advertisements for other products like this
before 0.62
I realized that I needed a product like this before I saw
the TV advertisement, but had never really looked for one 0.56
c
Pre-purchase thinking 2.94
I thought a lot about the infomercial before I decided to buy 0.83
The infomercial made me think a lot about the
product before I decided to buy 0.83
I thought a lot about the reasons given for buying it 0.83
Before I decided I thought a lot about whether I might
benefit from the product 0.71
a
Notes: All factor item endpoints: 1 = agree strongly, 5 = disagree strongly.
b
All factor item endpoints: 1 = very important, 5 = not important at all.
c
All factor item endpoints: 1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree.

Table II. Summary of the factor analysis results

(3) payment information;
(4) recognition comparison and extras;
(5) previous interest in the product index; and
(6) a pre-purchase thinking index.
Perceptions of what makes Next, multiple regression was used to see what factors influence consumer
an effective infomercial perceptions of what makes an effective infomercial. Therefore, a multiple
regression was performed with advertising effectiveness as the criterion
variable. This resulted in a significant regression model (p < 0.001), that
explained 30 percent of the variation in the data (adj. R-square = 0.30). As
displayed in Table III, variables that had a statistically significant positive

474 JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002


Strider fitness machine had
highest satisfaction ratings
40-plus age bracket viewed
infomercials as more
effective
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002
Variable Advertising effectiveness beta
Infomercial elements
Comments and demonstrations 0.20*
Recognition, comparison and extras 0.20*
Consumer characteristics
Pre-purchase thinking 0.14*
Prior exposure to advertisement 0.12*
Amount of infomercial viewing 0.23*
Product type
Strider fitness machine 0.08*
Skin care cream 0.09*
Demographics
Age: < = 29 years 0.17*
Age: 30-39 years 0.17*
Diagnostics
R-square 0.34
Adjusted R-square 0.30
Standard error or estimate 2.93
Durbin-Watson statistic 2.10
Note: * Beta significant at p < 0.01
Table III. Multiple regression results
association with advertising effectiveness (6 = highly effective to 30 = highly
ineffective) were: comments and demonstrations (p < 0.01), recognition,
comparison and extras (p < 0.01), pre-purchase thinking (p < 0.01), prior
exposure to the advertisement (p < 0.01), and amount of infomercial viewing
(p < 0.01).
Significant positive associations were also evident for product type regarding
the strider fitness machine and skin care cream products (p < 0.01), where
the butt reducer product served as the referent category. Given that higher
index ratings reflect unfavorable perceptions of advertising effectiveness,
this indicates that consumers who bought the butt reducing exerciser had
more favorable views of advertising effectiveness than those who bought
either the strider or the face cream. To investigate whether buyers of the butt
reducer actually had higher satisfaction scores with the actual product, a
one-way analysis of variance performed on satisfaction (1 = low satisfaction
and 7 = high satisfaction) revealed a significant product type effect
(F(5,762) = 6.15, p < 0.001). Specifically, the strider fitness machine had the
highest satisfaction ratings (mean = 5.45, s.d. = 1.61) of all products, above
that of skin care cream (mean = 4.71, s.d. = 1.93) and the butt reducer (mean
= 4.96, s.d. = 1.68).
Likewise, for age, a positive association was revealed for consumers less
than or equal to 29 years old, and also for consumers aged 30 to 39 years,
where consumers aged 40 years or more served as the comparison variable
(p < 0.01). This suggests that consumers in the 40-plus age bracket viewed
infomercials as more effective than consumers in the younger age categories.
Discussion
Our study examines what factors influence perceptions of infomercial
advertising effectiveness among a sample of consumers who have purchased
products in response to infomercials. The findings suggest that infomercials
are more likely to be seen as effective by consumers who value expert
comments, demonstrations, product comparisons, and bonus offers. Age also
475

Demographics offered little
insight
Study indicated a number
of future research areas
Testimonials do positively
enhance perceptions of
advertising effectiveness
476
impacted how consumers view infomercials, as did the product type
purchased. For age, consumers in the 40-plus age bracket perceived
infomercials as more effective than younger consumers. This is of interest,
given the youth focus in many advertising campaigns (Carrigan and Szmigin,
1999). Thus, infomercial marketers should consider using models of this
older age bracket where appropriate in their advertising.
For product type, purchasers of the butt reducer perceived infomercials as
more effective than did purchasers of the strider fitness machine and skin
care cream products. This did not appear to be related to consumer
satisfaction as purchasers of the strider reported higher satisfaction with the
product they bought than the butt reducer purchasers. Of course it may be
that buyers of the butt reducer did not gain the anticipated benefits from
using the product, in altering their figure to a trimmer shape. Thus, while less
satisfied with product performance than strider-buyers, they admitted that the
infomercial had been effective in getting them to buy the product. An
interesting avenue for future research would be to examine levels of repeat
purchases amongst infomercial buyers with differing levels of satisfaction
and perceived infomercial effectiveness.
Further, consumers who think about the product as a result of viewing the
infomercial, consumers who purchased the product on the first exposure to
the infomercial and people who view infomercials frequently also view them
as an effective means of advertising. Intriguingly, whether consumers
viewed infomercials as effective or not was unrelated to their previous
interest in the product, the payment information displayed on the screen, the
type of the product being advertised, or their level of experience. Results also
showed that whether consumers purchased a product in response to an
infomercial, TV advertisement or mail order catalog, had no bearing on their
perceptions of infomercial effectiveness. Nor did whether the infomercial
purchase was of a planned or impulse nature. In addition, with the exception
of age, demographics offered little insight into this issue.
A limitation of the present research is that the distribution of respondents is
skewed towards females. Yet given that we were conducting a survey
rather than experiment, this is considered acceptable and it does reflect a
sample of actual buyers. Our study indicates a number of future research
areas. For example, given that pre-purchase thinking is of value,
researchers could examine individual differences in how people are
predisposed to thinking about information. One avenue that would offer
promise in this area would be need for cognition (Cacioppo and Petty,
1982) which measures how predisposed people are to engaging in, and
enjoying, cognitively demanding tasks. Another avenue would be to further
investigate the age differences to see whether they reflect differences in
attitudes towards advertising in general, such as scepticism or the perceived
level of informativeness provided by advertising, or some other inherent
factor.
Overall, these results suggest that, while celebrity hosts may initially ``hook''
the viewer who happens on the advertisement while surfing, it is the ability
to create persuasive arguments based on product demonstrations,
testimonials from satisfied users and experts that is the key to an
infomercial's success. Interestingly, recent articles in the popular press have
debated whether the inclusion of customer testimonials is of benefit to
infomercial advertisers (e.g. Beardi, 2001). Our study, based on the findings
for six different products, suggests that testimonials from satisfied customers
do positively enhance perceptions of advertising effectiveness. Other
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002
 infomercial advertisement design elements which are beneficial include:
expert comments, using models representative of the target market, using a
celebrity, adopting an element of comparative advertising where brands are
compared, and including additional extras, such as extra products, if the
advertised product is purchased. Regarding consumer characteristics, our
results suggest that the more an infomercial makes consumers think, the
more effective it is perceived to be.
Thus, advertisers may wish to consider ways to mentally engage consumers,
such as offering rhetorical questions or figures in their advertisements
(McQuarrie and Mick, 1999).

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&

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 This summary has been
provided to allow managers
and executives a rapid
appreciation of the content
of this article. Those with a
particular interest in the
topic covered may then read
the article in toto to take
advantage of the more
comprehensive description
of the research undertaken
and its results to get the full
benefit of the material
present
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOL. 19 NO. 6 2002
Executive summary and implications for managers and
executives
Infomercials work ± official
Direct marketers have always argued in favour of long copy. Time and again
we have demonstrated that giving the consumer more information increases
the likelihood of them buying. Yet managers from other marketing disciplines
still try to argue against such an approach.
The ``infomercial'' is the TV equivalent of long copy. What the infomercial
producer does is to answer more of the potential questions that a likely buyer
would raise. Instead of a fleeting glimpse of the product wrapped around
with pretty pictures and fancy words, the consumer sees the product
demonstrated, hears from satisfied users of the product and can answer
questions about its cost, size and functionality.
Martin et al. investigate the effectiveness of infomercials as an advertising
approach by surveying the buyers of products advertised using this method.
What sort of product does the infomercial suit?
Products that are complicated, require detailed explanation or
demonstration seem those most likely to benefit from promotion using
infomercials. However, even simple products can be sold using the method,
as anyone watching a plain gold chain being sold on QTV will know.
Put simply, the infomercial allows the advertiser to develop their offer ± to
make the full sell. Such an approach is not possible where time is limited.
Infomercials also allow the product to be sold from one advertisement, since
the viewer can make a more complete assessment of the benefits of owning
the product.
Who buys from watching an infomercial?
Martin et al. open their article with the observation that infomercials are
regarded `` . . . as a form of advertising targeting the gullible and naõÈve''.
Now this is a little unkind, since the viewer is clear about the purpose of the
infomercial. Nevertheless, this viewpoint is prevalent among those who want
to ``protect'' other less capable or aware people. As we all know, a case
could be made that argues for all advertising being targeted at the gullible
and naõÈve!
The wider use of the infomercial by big companies selling expensive products
(Martin et al. list Apple, Mercedes and Cadillac as infomercial users)
suggests that not only are infomercials effective but they also appeal to
up-market individuals with high disposable income (which is not to say that
rich folk are not gullible).
Martin et al. find that, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, infomercials are
liked best by consumers `` . . . who value expert comments, demonstrations,
product comparisons and bonus offers''. These are the folk who want to be
well informed before they make a purchase decision and are happy for that
information to come directly from the people selling the product.
Martin et al. also find that the only significant demographic variable is age
with older consumers seeing infomercials as more effective than younger
viewers. Martin et al. rightly suggest that producers of infomercials should
consider carefully the age of the models and demonstrators they use in the
advertising.
479
 What elements work within an infomercial?
Martin et al. consider the elements within an infomercial and discuss what
appeals most and is most effective. It is interesting to note that many of the
effective techniques ± the celebrity as a ``hook'', the use of customer
testimonials, comments from independent ``experts'', comparative
advertising and extra product incentives ± are the same techniques that work
well in long copy direct marketing. The methods developed for successful
direct mail (long copy, testimonial, repetition of the key message,
highlighting points and endorsement, to mention just a few) should be
transferred in concept to the production of infomercials.
Significantly, Martin et al. suggest that it is making the consumer think that
is the key to infomercial effectiveness. The infomercial needs to ``. . . create
persuasive arguments based on product demonstrations, testimonials from
satisfied users and experts . . . '' to really succeed.

Using the infomercial effectively

The infomercial is, in its essence, a method of direct response advertising.
We want people to buy directly as a result of seeing the advertisement. Given
this it is important that analysis of infomercial effectiveness uses direct
marketing methods.
Assessing whether a direct response ad works requires an understanding of
advertising costs, details of product margins and a robust system of
recording sales by advertising source. Given these elements, the analysis
becomes a simple calculation of cost per order (CPO) ± the lower the CPO,
the more successful the advertisement.
Infomercials are, for the right product, a useful addition to the direct
marketer's portfolio of response generating media. There are questions
about the buying of time for such advertising but, with the growth of digital
television, the opportunities for advertiser produced material being
scheduled are likely to increase considerably. Moreover, the purchase of
broadcast time for direct marketing requires different techniques from the
purchase for brand advertising. Direct marketers are concerned about
response levels set against cost rather than the size of the audience. Direct
response advertising can prove very effective at times that traditional TV
advertising buyers would avoid (the early hours of the morning for example).
Those selling airtime will need to consider their pricing in the light of this
development.

(A preÂcis of the article ``Infomercials and advertising effectiveness:

an empirical study''. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)

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