Direct Response TV – Top 10 Ways to Fail in 2025
While the direct response TV industry is rife with experts offering their insights about how to succeed in 2025, Scott Kowalchek, CEO of DirectAvenue in Carlsbad, CA, is offering the opposite advice – ten ways to fail in 2025.
“I see so many advertisers make the same mistakes when they launch their first campaigns,” said Kowalchek. “So to both inform and entertain advertisers, I decided to take a lesson from Thomas Edison.” Kowalchek was referring to Edison’s response when a reporter asked him about his 1,000 failed attempts to invent the light bulb. If historical references are accurate, Edison said “I have not failed 1,000 times; I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT invent the light bulb.”
To help advertisers learn from Edison’s philosophy and the mistakes often made by TV advertiser, Kowalchek offers the following top ten ways to fail with DRTV advertising in 2025.
10) Fail by focusing a commercial on what makes a product/service different (instead of what makes it good)
Every company naturally wants to focus on what differentiates their product or service from their competitors’. But in DRTV, that’s usually a bad idea. Highlighting what makes your product unique is important, but consumers first need to understand its core value.
9) Fail because of a Weak Call to Action
Many campaigns shy away from direct selling, creating ads that highlight benefits but lack a strong call to action. Without a clear CTA and visible URL, even great products or services won’t convert—leaving potential sales on the table.
8) Fail by ignoring what works just to be different
I have worked with clients who want to save money by hiring their friend/family member to complete production. In the end they may have experience producing although they do not have the DRTV experience needed to create the commercial that will drive a great ROI. You pay for what you get so work with the experts in the space. Creativity is great, but skipping tried-and true DRTV methods often leads to failure. Hiring an experienced DRTV team ensures success.
7) Fail by Not Developing a Marketing Plan
A marketing plan helps you design your product and service to fill a market niche, identify your target audience, and then see what you need to do to get your target audience to buy your product or service.
6) Fail by Not Planning a Marketing Budget
You need to spend money to publicize, market, and advertise your business to make it successful. As a general rule of thumb, you may spend at least ten percent of your revenue on marketing efforts. Essentially, these costs keep your company going and your products selling.
5) Fail by Not Targeting a Specific Target Audience
No matter what product you have, not everyone is going to want to buy it. So, decide your target demographic and use appropriate media outlets to reach that audience.
4) Fail by Believing Your Product will Sell Itself
Many companies assume their product is so exceptional it will sell itself. However, without marketing, potential customers won’t even know it exists. Word-of-mouth and referrals help although you need advertising to drive awareness and sales.
3) Fail by Not Diversifying Your Media Mix
Viewers have hundreds of different networks/channels to choose from just on TV(linear and CTV). Media today is very fragmented, so you need to reach your audience through more than one outlet. A multi-channel strategy maximizes reach and conversions.
2) Fail by hiring an advertising agency that’s inexperienced in DRTV
Many advertisers get swept up in a media agencies pitch and forget to verify experience—always ask for at least three references, ideally from the agency’s case studies. In DRTV, daily monitoring and adjustments are essential to maximize ROI. “DirectAvenue is an agile collaborator committed to continually improving performance”- Babak Azad, previously CMO/SVP Marketing & Communications, GoodRX.
1) Fail by Not Having a Back End Revenue Program Upsells, continuity programs, and subscription models drive long-term profitability. Without them, customer acquisition costs can outweigh revenue.
By avoiding these mistakes, advertisers can improve their chances of success in the competitive DRTV landscape.
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