The Avalanche Blog

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

Irene is coming and there's panic in the city. New York had an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week. Folks are evacuating and all I can think about is what will I do without the internet if we lose power? In times like these I have to re-humanize and realize that we are not what we tweet, text or blog. We are what we are in non electronic fashion. So, Irene, I only ask you, please be kind to us, but you do remind us of what is really important in life.

I wish all our East Coast friends a dry, safe and peaceful weekend. My thoughts and prayers to all and fingers crossed for minimal damage and no power outages.

Small Business needs a voice in Washington, DC

2011-08-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Small business accounts for over 50% of the hiring in the U.S. Small business represents the very essence of what made our country great. Small business can grow into large business, but they need the resources and the advantages that large businesses have in order to do so. Why does my small company pay more taxes than GE? Why do I not get the tax breaks that Exxon does? Why are the banks not lending money to small businesses who need it most? Why are none of the nincompoops in Washington paying any attention to small business? It's because we do not have a voice.

We can have a voice. And our voice should loudly and clearly be our votes. Based on the sham that Washington has become, we should vote out every single incumbent regardless of party and start fresh. That way, our voice is heard.

If Washington took a fraction of what they spend in foreign countries and allocated funds for U.S. small business incentives to create jobs, there would not be a 9.2% unemployment rate. Maybe it is time we all got more involved.

Products that sell in a recession

2011-08-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Direct marketers should not fold up their tents and go home. If anything, a recession is a time that many products can flourish. Categories of products that will work strongly in a recession are as follows:
1. Pet Products: people are going to vets, dog trainers and other professionals less due to finances. Products that help train pets or help solve problems such as pain, coat health, skin issues, infestation, etc. can do very well now.
2. Health Products: people are not going to Doctors as much, due to a large percentage of the population being uninsured or underinsured, so topicals, ingetibles and other types of natural solutions are growing in popularity. Over fifty per cent of Americans currently take some sort of vitamins or supplements, a huge increase over several years ago.
3. Beauty Products that solve specific problems: Less people are able to get medical treatments to solve beauty problems like thinning hair, skin damage, even issues such as lines and wrinkles. Therefore, more people look to less expensive solutions for these issues. While the beauty category in DRTV is over saturated, products that solve specific issues with a twist can do well.
4. Home Do It Yourself Products: With home prices on a precipitous decline, consumers are losing equity in their homes. The expensive projects they had considered are being replaced by smaller, do it yourself projects to add value to the home. This is a category that should see explosive growth!
5. Cooking Products: Always a great category, with folks eating out less due to the bad economy, they will seek ways to make cooking at home quicker and more enjoyable. Bring on the cooking gadgets!
6. Financial Products: People need extra money now. Any LEGITIMATE product that can help someone make additional money, save money, or sell things to make money should have a chance of doing well. I am not talking about the make millions while you sleep schemes. I am talking about realistic and honest programs to teach people how to do something that can make them or save them SOME money. NOT MILLIONS!!!!

So, here are six categories that I predict will show strong growth despite the bad economy.

How does the infomercial in Washington impact DRTV?

2011-08-01T09:17:00.001-07:00

The infomercial pitchmen in Washington who have been posturing for the past several months, not with upsells and shipping, but with our very financial health, have lost the trust of a large percentage of the American public. I wonder if the public now trusts infomercials more than Washington. I would venture to say yes. However, with consumer confidence at an all time low, and spending down, how are we going to get consumers to buy DRTV products? The answer is simple. Offer value. Offer products and services that save people time, save them money, solve every day problems. Doctor visits are down. Offer non medical alternatives to conditions people suffer from. Home prices are down. Offer ways to make the home more appealing and adding value to the home on limited resources. Professional services are down. Offer people empowering ways to help make their own decisions about important aspects of their lives. Let's win the public by offering them things that will help them feel smarter, more attractive, healthier, more fit, more financially savvy, etc. Let's create powerful advertising that can win them over by showing them another way to help solve problems. Let's be better pitchmen than the fools in Washington who have lost our confidence and let's offer up great products and services that people can believe in.

Will Direct Response Save Advertising? | TalentZoo.com

2011-06-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

As a consumer I want advertising to be more relevant. But as a marketer, I wonder if this complex fight for relevance will be our industry’s next proving ground. And, if so, will direct response experts, armed with ever sophisticated technology, emerge as the most capable marketing professionals to lead this battle?

Will Direct Response Save Advertising? | TalentZoo.com

New Venture Seeks to Make DRTV Products More Like Impulse Buys

2011-06-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

New Venture Seeks to Make DRTV Products More Like Impulse Buys
TVGoods and Delivery Agency Will Let Consumers Use Remotes, iPhones to Purchase Items Pitched in Infomercials
(Published: June 10, 2011 AdAge)

It's about to get much easier to buy such things as Yoshii Blades, Snuggies and Shake Weights.

The TVGoods website with CEO Kevin Harrington.

Direct-response marketer TVGoods, fresh off last week's acquisition of direct-response megasite AsSeenonTV.com, is partnering with Delivery Agent to launch a system that later this year will let people in 20 million U.S. households buy products pitched on infomercials with a click of their TV remotes, without having to head to their computers or deal with telephone operators standing by.

In some cases, they'll also be able to buy stuff they see on regular programming -- say the sweater a character on a TV show is wearing -- the same way as when they get a pitch to do so via ads overlaid on the bottom third of their screens.

SEE REST OF ARTICLE HERE

The media seems to focus on the negative side of DRTV

2011-06-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Why does the media latch onto the dark side of infomercials and how they can be misleading, when the majority of infomercials out there are on the up-and-up and not “bottom feeders” described in sensationalized news shows? At a time when the economy is stifling, and media rates are rising, we need to support and encourage marketers and entrepreneurs to keep creating new, inventive and unique products and services that US consumers want to hear about. With all the crooks on Wall Street, why can't the media leave hard working entrepreneurs alone?

There are many examples of how infomercials and other DRTV outreach can help both businesses and consumers and they are not sleazy or scammy. Doing legitimate infomercials are still a great way for the entrepreneurs of the world to get their products seen by millions of viewers and get the phones ringing to purchase their products!

We at Avalanche are tired of our industry being trashed and ridiculed. Please join us in providing some success stories of your own that we can take to the media to combat the negativity. Leave comments here to contribute!

Infomercials: Imitate or Innovate?

2011-05-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

Infomercials. Direct Response Television. ROI TV. What ever you call it, the world is changing and infomercials must change with it. Media rates are up, call centers are having tougher times closing sales, consumers are bombarded with negative media reports about infomercial products. Attention spans are decreasing. Discretionary income is becoming more and more scrutinized. What is a marketer to do? It is shocking to me how many marketers want to imitate what other marketers have done. Not only is this a poor tactic, it will likely confuse the public with your competitors. Why not stand out? Be different. Give the consumer something to latch onto. What is in it for them. Inform. Entertain. Educate. Sell!!!!! Package your offerings differently than everyone else. Look at Lady Gaga. Why is she such a phenomenon? It's largely her packaging. Like her or not, she gets noticed. So why hide from view? Get noticed. Take risk. Stand out. Be different. Innovate. Don't imitate.

Don't give up advertising just because one media doesn't work

2011-05-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Infomerical advertising. What has become of it? Why is there a lack of new advertisers coming to the fold? Could it be that there is currently a problem with short form DRTV? Call centers. Media rates. Fresh creative ideas. Yes. These are all problems. Serious problems. What are marketers to do? Give up? NO!!!!!! Short form DRTV marketers need to try other options. Radio. Print. Digital. Mobile. Longer format TV. If you have a great product, you need to find your audience even if it's a smaller niche , they are certainly somewhere. We have many challenges facing our industry today. We need to focus on solutions. We, at Avalanche, have been thinking out of the box for our clients for 10 years in whatever media makes sense - from guerilla tactics to more mainstream. If one way does not work, try another and another. We all need the brilliant entrepreneurs that come up with all the great product ideas. We are here for you to try to help make you money and let consumers know about your great products. Don't give up! Just try something different. It certainly has not helped that the media has been attacking the infomercial industry lately. Why don't they go after the criminals on Wall Street and leave the entrepreneurs alone! Main Street needs a voice. Let that voice be the innovative products and services that need to be brought to market in rational, cost effective and creative ways.

Dove Ad Racist?

2011-05-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

From Huffington Post: "Now making the internet rounds: a new, supposed Dove ad called out for connoting an underlying bias. (Editor's note: Dove hasn't taken responsibility for the promotion, although commenters on various sites recount seeing it in magazines.)

Via Copyranter, comes the image for the brand's VisibleCare body wash, showing three women -- one black, one possibly Latina and one blonde -- standing in front of "before" and "after" images. Copyranter's takeaway: "Dove body wash turns Black Women into Latino Women into White Women." Jezebel refers to it as "unintentionally(?) racist,"adding, "Bye-bye black skin, hello white skin! (Scrub hard!)""

What do you think?

How far will you go?

2011-04-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Having been in the ad business for a long time, I've seen agencies do all sorts of things to get an account. Dressing up as the client's logo. Eating nothing but the client's product for weeks (if it was a healthy product). Redecorating a house in the client's furnishings (thankfully they matched the wife's taste).

Going after new business occupies a fair amount of time for any agency. Pitches can be fun and exciting. It's the one time you get to just let it all hang out conceptually and creatively. We all know what happens once you get the business. But that's for another posting.

As part of a recent business pitch, our Queen Bee put her vocal talents to work. We were proposing using a certain classic song to be the theme and musical identity for the product and the company. Whenever this is done the risk is always run of the person not actually knowing the song unless they hear it. Even then they might not be able to understand how this song is right for their product and their target market.

To make the pitch as memorable as the idea being pitched, our fearless Queen Bee recently went into the recording studio and sang the new arrangement herself! Talk about vocal chutzpah.

Now that's going the extra mile for a client.

Neil

Designing The Stop Sign

2011-04-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Masked Marvel Speaks At Great Ideas Summit

2011-03-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

Attendees at ERA's Great Ideas Summit in New Orleans had the chance to hear Avalanche's Queen Bee, Ava Seavey discuss key topics facing the DR industry in the panel session entitled, "What Would Don Draper Do? How to Create Award-Winning Direct Response Creative". Of course she always brings a fresh perspective and point of view to the table, but something tells me that this year she left an indelible impression..

New DRTV Product !!!!

2010-12-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

John Travolta's Infomercial Obsession

2010-10-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ava Seavey on the inspiration behind Avalanche

2010-10-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

DRTV call center on NBC???

2010-09-07T14:09:00.001-07:00

Colin Lewis of Avalanche visits Prague

2010-09-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

DRTV advertising and production company Avalanche Creative Services has a new mascot: Apple!

2010-07-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

Avalanche Welcomes our new star actress, Apple!

HeadOn

2010-07-06T14:33:00.001-07:00

The Social Media Guru

2010-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

The Weezer Snuggie!

2010-05-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Avalanche hires security guard

2010-04-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Avalanche hires security guard (12 weeks in DRTV experience)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2010 / 3:30pm

Apple's Newswire

NEW YORK, Apr. 27

NEW YORK, Apr.27/Apple's Newswire -- Avalanche Creative Services, Inc. has hired a security guard to protect all DRTV property, project assets, and above all the Queen Bee. "Apple" descends from a long line of DRTV security specialists. But don't let her cute, adorable puppy face deceive you. She may weigh in at a whopping 1 pound, but she's a fierce guard who will literally melt your heart away.
Apple not only roams and secures the halls of Avalanche, but probably knows more about DRTV than most of the consultants out there! Visit Avalanche to meet Apple and feel free to ask her all your DRTV questions!

-------------------------

As Seen on TV - a tribute to doing it wrong

2010-04-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

No - these aren't Avalanche spots, but this IS a funny compilation of people "doing it wrong" in DRTV.

New Tiger Woods Ad - Manipulative?

2010-04-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

See the new Nike ad featuring Tiger and... his death father scolding him! Do you feel that this ad is manipulative? What are your thoughts?

The Origin of Babyman!

2010-01-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

Many of you have asked where we got that strangely alluring Babyman icon that has been seen in our Avalanche website, advertisements and all over town. This blog is here to dispel all the rumors.

Avalanche opened shop right after 9-11 when other shops were leaving the city. We were formed by creative entrepreneurs with the same philosophy: LET’S KICK SOME ASS. And since 2001, that’s what we’ve been doing, taking on clients in such diverse categories such as ingestibles, gaming, housewares, personal care, nutricueticals, beauty, and fitness, just to name a few. And we needed an icon to celebrate the fact that we were a young company but with the muscle of experienced creatives who have been successful in the advertising business for decades doing print, radio television, and web. Hence, BABYMAN was conceived! He's quirky, strangely alluring, even a little weird, but he ALWAYS gets a reaction. So love him or hate him, he's part of the Avalanche family...

RIP Billy Mays

2009-06-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

My TV is changing?

2009-05-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

All this chatter about television going digital next month has a lot of folks in a panic. There is really no need to worry. How many reading this still use rabbit ears or non cable or satellite delivered TV? The answer is most likely zero.
The changeover simply means stations will no longer be broadcasting analogue signals over the airwaves. Cable and satellite customers are already in place for no difference in service. If you do still rely on over the air reception, you can buy a small cheap converter bx from any electronic retailer to hook up to your rabbit ear device to change the signal to digital. Other wise take a deep breath, pick up your remote, and happy channel surfing.
Stay tuned here for other technical posts. If you have any technical questions about anything TV related feel free to ask and I will post an answer!
Uh no I can't fix you new plasma TV that just fell off the wall LOL.

Has Twitter "Jumped the Shark"?

2009-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

"Jumping the Shark" is a colloquialism used to denote the point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations. This usually corresponds to the point where a show with falling ratings apparently becomes more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak. The phrases origin is from an episode of Happy Days, wherein the Fonz wearing swim trunks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a confined shark while water skiing. The phrase has been used more recently outside the realm of popular culture, representing anything that has reached its peak and has declined in quality. If one thinks a stock or a sports team or a subcultural phenomenon has reached its peak, for example, one can say that it has "jumped the shark."

My American Idol man-crush

2009-05-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Adam Lambert is the most daring and talented singer the show has ever had. Check him out doing Led Zeppelin:

singing rock boy @ Yahoo! Video

Save me from the Pitchmen

2009-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I was extremely embarrassed for everyone in the DRTV industry when I was unfortunate enough to view that terrible show called The Pitchmen. Not only does it completely denigrate the evaluation and creative process of professionals in our industry, but it creates the impression that people that create DRTV commercials are nasty, irreverent buffoons. I guess that media has always been attracted to sleaze. That is why gossip is so huge. I guess it would not make as interesting a show to show what really happens behind the scenes in DRTV because it would not provide as much cringing and slapstick. Also, since women are the primary purchasers of DRTV products and services, it is particularly disturbing that the media only focuses on men in the industry. I guess us women are too busy making money for our clients to pay alot of money to PR people to get us on TV. I'd rather put the money on the screen for our clients. Also, in case people in the industry have forgotten, the product should be the star, not the pitch person. I hope this pitchman fad ends quickly as it is truly distasteful and annoying and a dreadfully monotonous and lazy way to present new products to the American public. Fresh approaches and new creative in necessary in this industry. We need to constantly come up with ideas. There is no idea in someone screaming and yelling and throwing things around and, ultimately, the only one left screaming will be the client who is no longer getting any orders as people have tuned out.

I am sick of hearing about the economy

2009-05-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Marketers, don't let the economy give you an excuse to not sell products and services. You can sell plenty if you focus on the value proposition. I don't mean squawk and yell and cheep cheep cheep. I mean enlighten your customers and give them a reason to buy. Make them understand the benefits and by all means blow your own horn. It does not have to sound like a fog horn, it could be a french horn. A bad economy does not mean lowering yourselves to look like a commercial from the 1950s without a shred of decency, it does mean being smart with your messaging and helping the customer believe your are offering a valuable solution to a problem that is unique.

Somewhere between 28:30 and :120 lies paradise

2009-05-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

I've been ranting and raving for years about having new media lengths in television advertising as many clients don't need to spend the money to do an entire 28:30 infomercial, but some products and services are too complex to fit into a two minute spot. Well, my rants have been answered, as there is now a plethora of five, four and three minute media slots available and Avalanche has taken the lead creatively to produce commercials in these lengths with great results.

In this economy, it is wise to conserve production dollars as well as media spend to get the best ROI possible.

It is a brave new world, thanks to You Tube and social networking sites. People are busy and can't commit an entire half hour to you and your products any more. So, why not take a chance and try these new media lengths. You can always cut down to a two minute if you chicken out, but don't be afraid. Stand out! I would love to hear comments about this topic.

The 3 Legged Dog

2009-05-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

I was leaving the office the other day, feeling a bit beaten up from the stress of the business that day. Maybe feeling a bit sorry for myself that I was leaving the office at 9 PM……it was cold, I was tired, I felt like I had no life…..and I saw someone walking a dog….I did a double take. The dog had three legs. It’s right front was completely GONE….but it was wagging it’s tail and seemed so happy and content. It’s owner was at a red light. When the light turned green, the owner walked along and the dog walked briskly right along, wagging his tail and seeming very content with the world…..it made me stop and think. How lucky I am to be working till 9 PM at night. How lucky I am that I was walking with both legs to my car and that I would be warm soon and that I would be driving home to a house where I had food. It’s really tough out there, and this happy little dog made me feel happy too.
-Queen Bee