Consumer Reports magazine recently published an article which was sensationalist in tone and wildly inaccurate in its assessment of the Direct Response industry. This article was strongly responded to in a public letter by ERA President and CEO Julie Coons. You can view Julie’s defence of the industry here ERA Response to Consumer Reports 010810
ERA Europe Board member and CEO of Canis Media Group, Ed Hall, adds that an additional and extremely important point could also have been added:
“In most countries the regulator would be going after the broadcaster of the claim, and not just the advertiser. If the FTC was taking action against Time Warner or Direct TV for example then they would quickly stop selling airtime to the hucksters and shysters and the airtime would be available to more reputable advertisers with substantiated claims (like ERA members).”
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Go to the online registration form on the Electronic HomeShopping Conference website
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We couldn’t resist sharing this, an excerpt from the London Evening Standard magazine interview with Mr “take care of yourselves… and each other” Jerry Springer, on his secret passion for shopping from infomercials…
ES. What are your guilty pleasures?
GS. “Late at night in the US they show infomercials on TV where they want you to call this number and buy this new golf club or kitchen gadget. I’m terrible because I always buy it, even if it’s completely useless to me. These days when I call, the operator says ‘Oh hi Jerry, what do you want this time?’ That’s a good indicator of how bad my infomercial habit is!”
ERA Europe is proud to point out they’re not just in the US, Mr Springer – and there’s really nothing to feel guilty about! (At least in terms of infomercial shopping).
