LIVE video from Ad Tech…

April 22nd, 2009

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Couldn’t make it to ad:tech San Francisco? Don’t worry, Livemercial’s got you covered.

We are going to report live from ad:tech about the latest trends and innovations in digital marketing, and how they will affect the Direct Response industry. Throughout the conference, we’re attending breakout sessions, talking to experts, and looking for information you need to know, such as:

• Techniques and tools to increase conversion rates
• Performance-based marketing trends
• Advances in paid-search technologies
• The latest in social-media marketing


Livemercial is live at ad:tech 2009, booth 1572!

April 21st, 2009

If you’re not using Online Direct Response now, you soon will be.

To show the benefits of Online Direct Response, our $1 million Genius Bar features online demonstrations for a select number of the 100 Livemercial product offers that have exceeded $1 million in online sales – including Topsy Turvey tomato planter, Aqua Globes, and Debbie Meyer Green Bags.

To show how Direct Response is a launching pad for national retail placement, our Retail Wall of Fame display features many of the Direct Response products Livemercial has represented, helping build sales and consumer awareness prior to retail launch – including PedEgg, Aqua Globes and Strap Perfect.

We’ll also talk a little about the “secret sauce” that Livemercial offers – and how it’s delivered an average of $600,000 in online sales every day, 365 days a year, for six years (that’s $1 billion, if you’re counting).
Stay tuned for more information…


“AS SEEN ON TV” MEETS AD:TECH AS LIVEMERCIAL BRINGS ONLINE INFOMERCIALS TO DIGITAL MARKETERS’ CONFERENCE

April 21st, 2009

PRESS CONTACTS:
Patty Cox 586.817.5745 pcox@livemercial.com
Monte Doran 248.514.1458 mdoran@livemercial.com

Online Direct Response firm also introduces no-risk, pay-for-performance agreements, backed by 50 million visitors a month and more than $1 billion in online sales

SAN FRANCISCO, AD:TECH Booth 1572, April 21, 2009 – Infomercials seem to be everywhere today – from Super Bowl ads to Barack Obama’s 30 minutes to the new Discovery Channel “Pitchmen” reality TV series. Livemercial, the leading provider of online Direct Response marketing, is introducing the online infomercial to ad:tech San Francisco today, with a simple message:

“If you aren’t using Direct Response now, you will be soon,” says Livemercial CEO, Johnny Mathis, Jr. “While every other advertising and marketing sector seems to be falling, Direct Response is growing simply because it is the best method for bringing a new product to market.”

Indeed, Nielsen Company estimates that infomercials, more formally called Direct Response Television, grew to $2.58 billion, up 9.2 percent from 2007 (http://directmag.com/vendors/news/direct-response-nielsen-0316/). Infomercials are only a part of the Direct Response industry, which is distinguished as marketing that inspires instant action or immediate purchase decision. Direct Response is particularly suited for online sales, where shoppers buy a product with the click of a mouse.

Since 2003, Livemercial has sold more than $1 billion of product online, for more than 3,000 clients. More than 100 of those individual offers have exceeded $1 million in online sales with Livemercial. This line of $1 million “As Sold on Livemercial” products range from one-off innovations to global brands, such as:
- Aqua Globes watering bulbs
- CriCut personal electronic cutter
- Debbie Meyer Green Bags
- Floam modeling compound
- Hercules Hook wall hanger
- Kodak EasyShare All-in-One printer
- Topsy Turvy tomato planter
- Zorbeez multi-purpose cloth

“Today, all of these products can be found in ‘As Seen On TV’ sections of Target, Wal-mart and Bed Bath & Beyond, in part due to Livemercial’s support,” says Mathis. “We offer the quickest, most cost-efficient way to launch a new product from the inventor’s Brain to the Bank. Many of our clients have leveraged the sales success and consumer awareness created through Livemercial’s online infomercials to secure nationwide retail placements.”

Livemercial offers clients three incentives to try online Direct Response: proven microsite designs, one of the largest e-commerce networks in the industry, and no-risk pay-for-performance agreements.

E-commerce sites traditionally deliver several pages of product features and benefits before presenting a sales offer. But, in testing and development, the Livemercial team discovered that each page between the customer and the purchase decision resulted in an incremental drop in sales conversions. As such, Livemercial developed a single-page microsite template that contains the product benefits, video demonstration, and purchase opportunity. These Livemercial sites convert as high as 30 percent of traffic into sales, roughly three times the rate of shopping-cart sites such as Amazon.com. (ClickZ.com http://www.clickz.com/3628276)

Following the purchase decision, Livemercial’s adaptive technology provides added-value opportunities for the customer, such as accessories, complimentary items, or additional items at a reduced cost. Through this process, Livemercial is able to deliver transaction totals on average three times the single-item price, for example delivering an average checkout price of $60.00 for a $19.95 product.

“But, the best site in the world won’t produce results if no one can find it. The foundation of any e-commerce program is traffic,” says Mathis. “As such, Livemercial continues to develop and use the most effective tools placing our clients’ products in front of buyers.”

Livemercial markets client’s products across the largest affiliate network in the Direct Response industry. Leveraging the AsSeenonTVNetwork.com as a network hub, Livemercial drives sales to client’s products through an estimated 10,000 affiliate websites. As a result, Livemercial’s network traffic averages more than 50 million unique visitors, and peaked at 96 million unique visitors in January of 2009 – more than eBay or Amazon.com.

That reach will continue to grow in 2009, following the introduction of Livemercial’s social-media marketing platform. The Social Response Pack (SRP) helps clients connect with online communities, engage online visitors, and increase conversion through branded channels on popular social media sites including YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Blogger. With social media traffic doubling in the past 12 months, these channels have become essential tools for raising awareness, driving traffic, and promoting sales across all marketing channels.

Livemercial offers most of their online marketing and sales services on a pay-for-performance model, meaning clients will only be charged for completed transactions rather than upfront charges or subscription fees.

“We launched with a pay-for-performance model to entice clients to work with an unproven company and an unproven concept at no risk,” says Mathis. “Six years, and $1 billion in online sales later, we have proven our approach to online direct-response marketing. However, we continue to use the pay-for-performance structure because of the unique partnership it creates between Livemercial and our clients. Simply put, our success is directly linked to the success of our clients.”

To learn more about Livemercial, or to learn how online Direct Response can help you sell more products online, please visit our ad:tech booth 1572, or go to www.livemercial.com .

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About Livemercial Founded in 2003, Livemercial pioneered and is the largest provider of “instant on” streaming video for email, pop-ups, banners and direct response websites. The company leads the direct response industry in single product sales, utilizing cutting-edge technologies, social media and e-commerce solutions to design, deploy and manage strategic online marketing campaigns including email procurement, banner and pop-up placement, search engine optimization and contextual marketing.


Livemercial Reporting Live from Ad:Tech San Francisco 2009

April 20th, 2009

The Livemercial team will be reporting live from ad:tech San Francisco 2009 this week with all of the latest news and trends in the digital marketing arena. Our team will be exploring the show to bring you updates on:

* Conversion success stories and strategies to reach the increasingly elusive online consumer
* Marketing effectiveness and the necessary steps to improving accountability and returns to impact business performance
* Branding 3.0–Leveraging Digital to Drive Brand Preference
* The Secrets to Customer Acquisition—Data-Fueled Media and Lead Generation Strategies
* Trends and developments in search marketing
* And lots more!

So tune in to www.livemercial.com as we share our experiences, learnings and perspectives on the latest digital marketing trends and how these trends impact and drive direct response.

To get you a little more prepared for the excitement surround ad:tech San Francisco 2009, here’s another keynote video from ad:tech San Francisco 2008. The speaker is Jon Fine, Media Comlumnist, BusinessWeek.


DIRECT RESPONSE MARKETING REACHES PRIME TIME

April 14th, 2009

“Pitchmen” Reality Show Premiers on the Discovery Channel, April 15

VALPARAISO, IND. – Livemercial, the leading provider of online direct response marketing, has seen a dramatic changes in the “infomercial” industry. Since the company was founded in 2003, Livemercial has delivered $1 billion of online sales for Direct Response clients, the first Direct Response ad aired during a Super Bowl broadcast, and Snuggies have become a cultural phenomenon.

But, nothing compares to this.

“Pitchmen,” the infomercial industry’s first reality show will debut on the Discovery Channel, at 10:00 pm Eastern. The show follows the adventures of Billy Mays and Anthony “Sully” Sullivan, two of the most famous and successful pitchmen in history, as they search the world for inventions that could become the next Direct Response success story. In each episode, this odd couple of pitchmen partners become potential dream merchants for the inventors they discover; most of whom have staked everything they own, and then some, on their inventions.

On April 15, Livemercial is pleased to be the presenting sponsor at the premier party for “Pitchmen” in Tampa Bay, Fla., to celebrate next chapter in Direct Response marketing with Billy and Sully.

“We have been friends with Billy and Sully for a long time,” says Livemercial CEO Johnny Mathis, Jr. “in fact Billy worked at Livemercial for a while.* We’re excited to celebrate their new show, which will help tell the world that Direct Response offers entrepreneurs the quickest way to get ideas from their brains to the bank.”

Since 2003, Livemercial has marketed and sold $1 billion in online sales for more than 3,000 distinct brands, spanning categories from exercise equipment to children’s arts and crafts. Of those brands, more than 100 individual products have exceeded $1 million in online sales with Livemercial, including the Topsy Turvy tomato planter, the CriCut personal electronic cutter, and the Kodak EasyShare All-in-One printer.

To find out more about “Pitchmen” go to: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/pitchmen/pitchmen.html

To find out more about Livemercial’s Online Direct Response Work, go to: http://www.livemercial.com/

*To see the video of Billy Mays’ contributions at Livemercial, please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtHI6e_Exhc

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About Livemercial

Founded in 2003, Livemercial pioneered and is the largest provider of “instant on” streaming video for email, pop-ups, banners and direct response websites. The company leads the direct response industry in single product sales, utilizing cutting-edge technologies, social media and e-commerce solutions to design, deploy and manage strategic online marketing campaigns including email procurement, banner and pop-up placement, search engine optimization and contextual marketing.


Next Stop – Ad:Tech San Francisco 2009

April 12th, 2009

The 2009 International Home and Housewares Show definately lived up to its billings. From the exhibits to the adventures, the people, the outings…The livemercial gang had so much fun that we can’t wait for 2010. Check out the fun we had at the 2009 Home and Housewares Show.

What’s Up Next for Livemercial?

One of the industry signature events – Ad:Tech San Francisco 2009.

livemercial is headed to ad:tech sanfrancisco 2009

During the dates of April 21-23, 2009, the biggest names in Technology, Adverstising, Marketing, and Commerce will be gathering at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, CA to share, commune, learn, and show off the latest inventions and ideas for the upcoming year. The guest list include  Fox Networks, At&T Interactive, Advertise.com, and more. Keynote speakers this year include Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Digg founder Kevin Rose, and Julu CEO Jason Kilar.

To get a better idea about what this industry gala event is all about, please check out the below video from one of Jeffrey Hayzlett, Kodak’s Chief Business Development Officer discuss the evolution of Kodak during a keynote address at ad:tech San Francisco 2008.

If you are happening to attend, please check us out at booth #1572. Who knows what we plan on doing at ad:tech so be sure to check back here at blog.livemercial.com for updates on the fun and excitement we’re planning.