THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 30, 1994 TAG: 9406290069
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
DATELINE: 940630 LENGTH: Medium
Now here comes less to love or loathe.
{REST} Starting Friday on WVEC and two channels on the Cox Cable system, the Media Access Group of Virginia Beach introduces locally produced mini-infomercials called ``Hampton Roads Smart Buys.''
The 2-minute ``Hampton Roads Smart Buys'' will appear throughout the day on WVEC and the Prevue channel.
Media Access's 4 1/2-minute infomercials are scheduled for the Home Shopping Club. This new wave of cable advertising begins Friday at 7:20 a.m. with the first 4 1/2-minute infomercial on the Home Shopping Club.
``It's a powerful advertising package,'' said Michael Goldberg of the Media Access Group. What else would you expect him to say? He thought up the idea of long-form TV commercials for local advertisers.
Two-minute blocks of commercials are nothing new on television. And at times, such as during late-night programming, it's not uncommon for a run of commercials to take up even more time than that.
You can read ``War and Peace'' in the time it takes CBS to reel off commercials midway during David Letterman's ``The Late Show.''
We've grown accustomed to seeing one 30-second spot after another pop up on the TV screen - the relentless march of the traditional short-form commercial.
What Goldberg and his associates in Virginia Beach have done is to take that two-minute chunk of air or cable time and sell it to one advertiser. ``Our advertisers find the longer infomercial format ideal for promoting their products and services,'' said Goldberg.
The idea certainly works well for carpet merchants. The 2- and 4 1/2-minute infomercials give the rug people plenty of opportunity to show off their samples and fancy padding. In the infomercial I previewed, hosted by Ed Tillett of WAVY, there was even time for a big finish.
Just as the infomercial was about to end, the store manager made a surprise announcement. A throw rug selling for $79 had just been reduced to $59!
It gave me carpet fever.
Goldberg wasn't surprised.
Research showed Goldberg and his colleagues that the people who watch TV in Hampton Roads really respond to infomercials and the pitches they see on the home-shopping channels. In one month last year, Goldberg pointed out, one home shopping network sold stuff to 47,706 people in this TV market.
Goldberg gave the ``Hampton Roads Smart Buys'' a trial run last April on the the Home Shopping Club when he produced 4 1/2-minute infomercials that came on the screen at 20 minutes past the hour throughout the day from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next morning. An automobile dealer, a carpet outlet, a clothing store and a shoe store signed on.
The viewers' response encouraged Goldberg to expand ``Hampton Roads Smart Buys.''
``We've made local commercials exciting,'' he said.
As exciting as the most popular infomercials' pitches for Nordic Track, Victoria Jackson cosmetics, the Juice Tiger or the Psychic Friends Network? I'm sure the viewers will lose no time in letting the WVEC management know what they think of 2-minute infomercials inserted in ``Oprah,'' the local newscasts and other programs throughout the broadcast day.
John Rizzuti, the station's director of sales and marketing, said he was excited about bringing the 2-minute infomercials to this market.
Only a director of sales and marketing would use ``excited'' and ``commercials'' in the same sentence.
The cost of producing and airing the mini-infomercials begins at $4,500.
Because the 170-plus nationally produced infomercials generated $900 million in sales last year, it's not surprising that somebody has finally tailored the infomercial to local and regional needs.
The home-shopping networks extract millions from viewers in Hampton Roads.
``Businesses here are losing market share to television at-home shopping. We're providing a product for local advertisers to take advantage of this fast-growing trend and keep the shoppers' dollars in Hampton Roads,'' Goldberg said.
Love them or loathe them, the 2-minute and 4 1/2-minute local commercials have arrived in Hampton Roads.
Eat your heart out, Vanna White. by CNB