DRTV Creative That Makes The Phone Ring
Great airtime can't rescue an advert that doesn't tell people what to do. What response creative needs, what the ASA will check, and how to test it cheaply.
The best-bought schedule in the world won’t save a response advert that doesn’t make its point. In DRTV the creative and the media are one problem: the ad has to stop people, tell them what to do and give them a reason to do it now.
One offer, one action
Pick one thing you want viewers to do and say it plainly. Call this number. Visit this address. Use this code. Two calls to action halve the attention each gets.
Keep the call to action on screen
Show the number or web address for long enough to note down, ideally for most of the ad and certainly for the closing seconds. Say it out loud as well; many people are listening rather than watching.
If a viewer can’t remember the number five seconds after the ad, the airtime was wasted.
Make the reason to act now honest
Urgency works, but it has to be real. This autumn the ASA upheld complaints against an “everything free” sale where a delivery charge made “free” untrue and the “closing Sunday” deadline didn’t exist (ASA ruling). If your offer has conditions, costs or an end date, they must be genuine and clear. Clearcast will check before the ad can air, so build that in early.
Length: test, don’t guess
Thirty seconds is the standard trading unit. A 60-second ad costs about twice as much but gives room to explain a complicated product. A 10-second spot costs about half, but rarely carries enough to prompt a call. For most response advertisers, the useful test is a 30-second ad against a 20-second cutdown.
Production doesn’t have to be expensive
Response ads succeed on clarity, not polish. ITV’s free AI ad-building tool brought 16 new-to-TV advertisers on air in its first year. A simple, honest ad with a strong offer will usually outperform a beautiful one with a vague call to action.
Test cheaply
Run two versions in the same region and dayparts and compare cost per response after a week or two. Keep the winner, change one thing, and test again. See how to measure DRTV on a small budget.
The independent buyer’s view
We read every response client’s creative before we book airtime, because the cheapest spot is a waste if the ad can’t convert. Send us your ad and we’ll tell you honestly.
Independent, senior TV buying advice for UK advertisers — no unnecessary agency layers. Get a clear view of what to buy, why it is worth buying and what a fair price looks like.
Contact Matt Way
