ERA’s 2014 D2C Convention is set to convene next month, bringing more than 3,400 decision-makers together in Las Vegas to learn, strategize, network, and celebrate direct response television. The show means business: Some 77 percent of 2013 attendees said they walked away with at least six new leads, and more than half (56 percent) said they made a deal or signed a contract. One-quarter (28 percent) were first-time attendees, and 44 percent represented the top management at their companies.
With the theme “Branch into New Growth with Smarter Multichannel Strategies,” this year’s show will concentrate on the intersection of DRTV and the digital media. Keynote speaker Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, founder and chairman of the women’s e-commerce site Joyus, will set the tone for the conference by sharing best practices in using video to shape content and commerce. Masters Series sessions—high-level seminars geared toward seasoned executives hoping to improve revenue and cashflow, and led by top experts in their fields—will continue the theme.
Masters Series sessions begin Tuesday, Sept. 16, with a three-part primer on DR. Direct Response 101 (Part 1), “Offline: Conception to Completion,” discusses DR fundamentals, and Direct Response 101 (Part 2), “Online: Your Direct Response E-Commerce and Digital Strategy,” follows immediately with online fundamentals such as search engine optimization (SEO). Direct Response 101 (Part 3), “Omnichannel: The New Direct Response Ecosystem,” rounds out the morning with a discussion of big data.
Afternoon sessions begin with “How to Monetize Facebook: The New DR Marketing Channel You Can’t Afford Not to Be On,” in which experts offer ways to reach the social media giant’s more than 1.2 billion active users worldwide. Next, “Tapping Into the Revenue Potential of Email Marketing: From New Customer Acquisition to Ongoing Customer Engagement” discusses email marketing, which is 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in acquiring new customers. “Optimizing the Online User Experience to Increase Conversion Rate, Average Order Size, and Lifetime Value,” ends the day’s sessions, examining how to customize site visits based on time of day, IP address, previous visits, and devices used.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, “The Omnichannel Marketing Dashboard: Fast and Easy Ways to Demystify Your Data,” again takes on the big topic of big data and its use in helping marketers find dollars that might otherwise be left on the table. Next, “Reputation Management: Don’t Prevent Your Sales From Taking Flight!” will examine how to better manage and respond to consumer reviews and feedback on sites such as Yelp!, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
“Five Things You Need to Know About Online Video” helps marketers identify opportunities to develop online video assets simultaneously with DRTV preproduction. And closing the afternoon is “Multi-Touch Attribution: Learn How Customers Interact With Your Brand Across Multiple Platforms,” a look at how online menswear retailer Indochino uses attribution technology to measure and optimize its marketing campaigns across multiple channels.
On the final day of the show, Thursday, Sept. 18, Julie Coons and Jeff White will lead a special panel discussion entitled, “State of the Industry: What’s the Outlook for DR?” The leaders of ERA and Media Analytics will ask a panel of experts what recent numbers indicate about short- and long-form advertising, and how the digital landscape is affecting DRTV media spending.
Thursday afternoon, “MER Tipping Points: Top 10 Ways to Create a Break-even or Winning DR Campaign,” taps marketing expert Marina Randolph for a comprehensive campaign checklist. And finally, “Mapping Out a Winning Retail Footprint” tells how a successful multimedia campaign can help products break into retail, where the vast majority of items are sold. Each Masters Series session is followed by 30 minutes to network with the experts and fellow attendees.
And that’s not all. The Learning Lounge’s 15-minute Lightning sessions will return to the show floor when it opens Wednesday, Sept. 17, offering fast updates on topics such as Nielsen’s smart TV data, using video at the point of purchase, driving online sales among U.S. Hispanics, second-screen usage, vertical integration in the social media, and the third installment of the popular Back-End Bloopers. Visit www.retailing.org/d2c for a complete list of session topics and speaker bios.
Taking the Floor
At press time, more than 80 exhibitors had confirmed for the 2014 D2C Convention, offering everything from new products to payment processing. The Women in Business Pavilion will showcase several of DR’s woman-owned firms, and InventHelp/INPEX will introduce inventor hopefuls in its annual New Product Showcase. Inventors will pitch their products on Wednesday afternoon, before finalists take advantage of a “Pitch by the Pros” on Thursday and a winner is named.
While digital strategies and automated ad programs infuse traditional DR, there’s no replacement for face-to-face contact when it comes to making the deals that produce the dollars. Starting on Monday before the show floor opens, ERA will host the Meet & Greet Lounge, where early arrivals can take meetings. During exhibit hours, ERA’s Circle Bar on the Wynn Sunset Terrace offers a place to unwind, talk business, and grab refreshments. And free networking breakfasts and lunches ensure that attendees won’t have to leave the show floor and sessions for long.
The D2C Launch Party kicks off the show on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 6:00 p.m., with cocktails and appetizers on the Sunset Terrace. The following night offers the Wild Wednesday Party, on Sept. 17, in the Mouton 2 conference room and patio. And on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 5:30 p.m.–7:00 p.m., a Moxie Mixer precedes the ticketed Moxie Gala in Mouton 2.
The 2014 Moxie Awards Gala caps the show on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 7:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m., with ERA rolling out the blue carpet to honor the best campaigns and marketers of the year. The Gala includes music, dinner, and of course, the awards ceremony. Attendees must purchase a separate ticket or table to the Gala. For a list of Moxie nominees, see “A Win at the Wynn.”
This year’s show is set to be one of ERA’s biggest ever and showcase the best in the industry. And there’s still time to book a flight and a room for this can’t-miss event; visit www.retailing.org/d2c/content/hotel-travel for travel information and www.retailing.org/d2c/tags/registration to register for the show. Marketers serious about direct response success can’t afford not to be there.
“We attend many conventions each year, but the D2C show is at the top of our list,” says Loren Crannell, vice president of sales for Moulton Logistics. “The entire ERA team does an excellent job bringing educational topics, attendees, marketers, and vendors together, and the value we get from this show always exceeds our expectations.
Liantonio to Recieve Lifetime Achievement Award
The Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) announced that it will honor Collette Liantonio, president of Boonton, N.J.-based Concepts TV Productions, with its 2014 ERA Lifetime Achievement Award. Liantonio will accept the award during a special presentation to be held during the Moxie Awards Gala, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, at the Wynn Las Vegas.
The Lifetime Achievement Award goes to a member of the association whose work is acknowledged by colleagues and the public as having a visible impact on the industry. Past honorees include Jeffrey Knowles, Kevin Harrington, Katie Williams, Billy Mays, Earl Greenburg, Rob Woodrooffe, Tim Hawthorne, Greg Renker, Joe Segal, Suzanne Somers, Mike Levey, and Ron Popeil.
“Collette Liantonio is an innovator in every sense of the word,” says ERA president and CEO Julie Coons. “She has not only helped to elevate direct response marketing through her creative contributions, but as a highly successful entrepreneur and thought leader, she has helped pave the way for women to grow and prosper in this industry. We are proud to name Collette as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.”
A Brooklyn native, Liantonio earned a B.A. in English from Fordham University and an M.A. in Directing from New York University. Since launching Concepts TV Productions in 1983, many of her DR spots and infomercials have become legends, pitching products such as Ambervision Sunglasses, Pajama Jeans, the Contour Pillow, and the George Foreman Grill. Concepts TV ads have won more than 150 awards, and have featured celebrities such as Montel Williams, Joe Namath, Wayne Gretsky, Arnold Palmer, and Fabio. (For more information on Concepts TV’s first 30 years of pioneering DR work, see “Concept to Completion,” Electronic Retailer, April 2014.)
Liantonio was recently named among 25 Most Influential People in DRTV, and one of the Top 150 Leading Women Entrepreneurs by New Jersey Monthly. She serves on the Editorial Advisory Committee (EAC) of Electronic Retailer, and has served twice on the ERA’s Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), the Woman’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and the Women-Owned Business Enterprise for New York City (WBE).
“I am honored and humbled to be this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award,” Liantonio says. “It has been a great privilege to be a part of the DRTV revolution, and to work with so many talented clients and vendors whom I now view as family. I am proud of our history and excited for our future.”
A Win at the Wynn
The 2014 Moxie Awards will recognize the best marketers and campaigns of the year.
The 2014 Moxie Awards Gala will name the best direct response initiatives of the year, rolling out the blue carpet for a lavish banquet to close ERA’s D2C Convention. The industry’s best and brightest will gather for the event on Thursday, Sept. 18, from 7:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m. at Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, where Moxies will be awarded in more than 30 categories to celebrate the most successful marketers, best presenters, and most persuasive ads of the year. Best of luck to the nominees—already proven winners.
Marketer of the Year Euro-Pro has produced successful infomercials in the housewares category for more than 15 years, with top-selling products including the Shark Rotator Lift Away Vacuum, Shark Rocket Vacuum, and the Ninja Mega Kitchen System. Shark was recently awarded the J.D. Power Award for Highest Customer Satisfaction for upright vacuums, and has received numerous Supplier of the Year awards from top retailers such as Walmart and QVC. Euro-Pro products are widely distributed at major retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Kohl’s and Macy’s. Euro-Pro attributes its success to its effective, omnichannel DRTV/retail model.
Guthy-Renker, LLC, is one of the world’s largest and best-respected direct marketing companies, with distribution in more than 68 countries. Since 1988, Guthy-Renker, LLC, has discovered and developed dozens of well-loved, high-quality consumer products in the beauty, skincare, entertainment, and wellness categories. Known for successful productions and marketing campaigns featuring leading celebrities, Guthy-Renker has been credited with transforming the broadcast direct marketing industry in the Electronic Retailing Association for more than 25 years.
As Japan’s largest direct response omnichannel marketer, Oak Lawn Marketing International is the leader in the world’s second-largest DR market. The company’s consumer brand, Shop Japan, specializes in launching and marketing exciting new products that enrich the lifestyles of the Japanese consumer, quickly turning products into category brands and household names. The company’s omnichannel strategy includes a robust marketing and distribution network that encompasses TV, online, print, retail, continuity, and CRM channels to deliver a seamless, continuous customer experience. With more than 130 hours of TV airtime per day, you can’t watch TV in Japan without running into a Shop Japan product.
For a preview of the show please click here.