For  the first time ever, Bikram Choudhury, the world renowned yoga guru who developed the unique brand of yoga known as “Bikram Yoga” has created the opportunity through Brand In Entertainment to offer the licensing of Bikram.

December 2010 – Special Section: A Tribute to Ingenuity

In celebration of the most quintessentially human pursuit of all—DRTV!

BY DIANE PETRUZZELLI

More than our opposable thumbs separate us from animals. It is our imagination…and our capacity to hope and dream and believe. And yes, it is also our greed—the desire to get something for nothing. Now, where do we see all these very distinctively human qualities all come together? DRTV!

What else can it be but human optimism that explains our ability to persist in hoping that there is a way to brighter or more lifted skin or firmer thighs? What better tribute is there to human ingenuity and imagination than a blanket with sleeves or a way to grow garden tomatoes without a garden? And what better proof is there of human greed than the breakaway success of the Ginsu knife and the countless imitators it spawned in adding in more products for “absolutely free?” (But wait, there’s more!)

Sure, not every DRTV “miracle” product lived up to its claims. Reality is always hard pressed to meet the expectations laid out for it by our boundless hope. But many products did come close—close enough to make us want to buy again…and again and again. Infomercials supported an entire industry of practitioners and vendors, as well as spurred the overall economy. DRTV also has enriched our lives. Seriously, From “Saturday Night Live” spoofs (remember the Bass-o-matic?) to Ellen Degeneres and Bill Maher wearing Snuggies, DRTV provided inspiration for laughter. What channel flipper among us never stopped way longer than they expected, drawn in by the smiling faces and entertaining sales patter as a man vacuumed up dirt and tacks from a carpet in front of a TV audience.

Last but not least—and thankfully for all of us, DRTV made us buy. We thank ERA and all of its supporting members who continue to make the industry what it is today. As the final installment of Electronic Retailer’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of the infomercial, Rolfe Auerbach of Brand in Entertainment and Bob Dodd of DDTV2—two renowned industry leaders and ERA members—share their thoughts about the infomercial and what the industry has meant to them these past 25 years.

Diane Petruzzelli is SVP, new business development, at Fosina Marketing Group in Danbury, Conn., and a member of ERA’s PR Committee.

Rolfe Auerbach
CEO
Brand in Entertainment

Electronic Retailer: How did you get your start in the DRTV industry?

Rolfe Auerbach: Once upon a time between 1980 and 1995, I operated television stations. I sold airtime to almost everyone in the business.

ER: What product or products changed the face of DRTV within the past 25 years?

Auerbach: TiVo. It has eliminated the necessity for viewers to watch short-form infomercials and commercials. That’s why Brand in Entertainment has developed the ability to integrate infomercial product calls to action directly into the storyline of television and films in a manner in which the spot with an 800 number and URL become an integral part of the action and can’t be DVR’d out. The call to action remains part of the show or movie for the entire life of the content and generates orders as long as the 800 number and URL are active.

ER: What is your most memorable (insightful, funny or endearing) story of the DRTV industry/or a colleague in the industry to date?

Auerbach: On my desk is still a small statue that says: “The Fire Sale Award—June 1989—Sybervision” given to me by John Cabrinha and Dan Danielson of Mercury Media.

Bob Dodd
Chief Creative Officer
DDTV2

Electronic Retailer: How did you get your start in the DRTV industry?

Bob Dodd: I was working at the old Stone & Adler in Chicago when, uncharacteristically, the agency got a TV assignment. Since I was a produced Off-Loop playwright by night, the agency management decided to give me the assignment. They figured I was at least familiar with writing for action and the spoken word. The spot was a hit. More assignments came in quickly—my career took off.

ER: What’s the biggest change that’s occurred in the industry within the past 25 years?

Dodd: The biggest change in the DRTV industry has been the evolution of media. And I say this from a creative’s point of view. When I wrote my first spot in the early ’80s, a cable buy was not an assumption. Cable coverage itself was not an assumption. The rapid advent of cable and dish revolutionalized DRTV. Now we are in the Broadband revolution, which promises to be even more exciting for the DRTV industry.

ER: Who is the most interesting person you have met through the business?

Dodd: Bob Stone personally hired me and I worked with Lester Wunderman, so I’ve had the honor of knowing some of our industry’s “Founding Fathers.” Talent? Well, there’s all the real people and they have been great, plus Yogi Berra, Tony Orlando, Deepak Chopra and Olivia Newton-John, to name a few in an eclectic mix. My favorite, though, has to be Dick Van Dyke. That whole shoot was like a section of my youth coming to life—Mr. Van Dyke from the black-and-white “Dick Van Dyke Show” performing words I had written. But what I will remember as most charming is how kindly he sat and had his picture taken with every individual on the crew. Personally, I was too embarrassed to ask to be in a picture. Thanks to our media director I do have a picture, though, and I treasure it.