Maybe it goes without saying, but promoting an inferior product will do much more harm than good.  DRTV remains an affordable advertising option for many companies during a looming recession. In fact, the low cost of creating a DRTV spot has even spurred mainstream companies to allocate advertising dollars for DRTV spots.

Successful DRTV campaigns artfully combine testimonials, product/technical descriptions and a call to action. Many infomercials receive thousands of orders within minutes of airing the ad.

Fortune 500 companies are running brand commercials and adding an 800 number and or website in order to purchase media time more cost effectively, which is why infomercials can be so effective for these type of advertisers.

It’s true. Both broadcast and cable networks are able to sell DRTV slots well below normal rates. Sometimes these spots can be bought for less than one-third of the regular rate – especially if the network is motivated to fill any unsold slots.

Tobe Berkovitz, a Boston University professor, makes an interesting observation about the economic climate’s effect on DRTV: “It seems there’s a direct correlation…the worse the economy is, the more active DRTV becomes.”