20-year celebration is really a coronation of DR as a leading marketing method.

In 1984, the federal government ignited the growth of the modern infomercial industry by deregulating cable airtime, opening up huge slots for purchase by marketers looking to sell products with a 28-minute, 30-second television program. Twenty years later, it seems that the industry that ruling

Now, though, that fight appears close to over, and DRTV is the leading edge of what has become something bigger. While there are still those troubled souls who seem to enjoy taking people's money for a bogus product flitting about the far edges of this industry, the fast-growing involvement of corporate America--traditional advertisers and major retailers--speaks to the direct response marketing method's true strength.
That's right--direct response marketing, not DRTV. Yes, television is still the hub around which this industry's spokes spin. However, it seems that wheel becomes more and more crowded each year. While DRTV created a special niche during the last two decades, what appeared to begin 20 years ago was, in actuality, an additional form of direct advertising that joined other existing outlets.
After all, for nearly a half-century before the 1984 ruling, direct response had seen its beginnings on radio, and then expanded in the early days of TV. And, all that time, print direct marketing was a force for sales of millions of products and services. Then, in the mid-1990s, the Internet began revolutionizing the world's way of communication, not to mention direct sales.
But the primacy of television as the pervasive communication device of the late 20th century put DRTV into a highlighted role among direct marketing methods and, in the end, led to its spot as a leader of a new style of marketing that has taken its place among the irrefutably accepted methods. Direct response marketing, while still revolving around television advertising as its centerpiece, can now be safely said to also include radio, print (including catalog, mail and other outlets), the Internet, and retail outlets, among others. If your DR campaign doesn't include planning for at least four of these five areas, it's likely that your product is destined to be, or already has become, a failure.
During this meteoric rise to the top, we at Response are proud to have been the direct response market's publication--one that has served as a leader throughout our 12 years of publication. With that in mind, this issue includes a look back at the growth of direct response marketing and Response's place in it.
However, as always, the magazine also maintains its forward-looking vision, offering the always-anticipated annual state of the industry report and a look at retailers not only selling products originated in DR, but also now utilizing the marketing method to sell themselves.
Congratulations on 20 years, direct response!
Thomas Haire, Editor-in-Chief

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