How to Build Your Online E-commerce Business Through the Power of Television

Christine Hunsicker, CEO and Co-Founder of Gwynnie Bee shares her insights on the benefits of Direct Response Television (DRTV), how it affects digital marketing, why she advocates DRTV and the resounding success it’s had on her business.Click here to see her interview with (in larger format) Script to Screen Co-Founder and CEO, Barbi Kerry. Script to Screen / Christine Hunsicker Interview With Barbi Kerry

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Why Your Multi-Channel Marketing Plan Needs Performance Based Television

INTERVIEW – DRTV AS A CRUCIAL STRATEGY FOR MARKETING

Barbi Kerry:
One of the biggest questions we get from marketers today is what channel will help grow my business, how do I choose between digital and television – I’d like you to meet Christine Hunsicker – serial entrepreneur and the brains behind the enormously successful women’s on line clothing rental service Gwynnie Bee.

Christine Hunsicker:
You know I think I come from online advertising. My previous company was in the online advertising space, and I’ve been a big believer in direct response television for many, many years. I love how measurable it is, I love that it is a very clear call to action. I have previously been sold on the fact that the web is a way to go. When we’ve been trying to grow and scale up the business, you start realizing that the number of eyeballs that you need, and the ubiquitousness of the message, actually TV is the way to go. And it’s not about one or the other, it’s about how do you bring together a comprehensive strategy that allows TV to boost your online marketing, that allows online to drive interest on your TV. I think direct response is a no brainer given that we have a call to action. The idea of combining multiple different types of channels, I think is an exciting place that we’re moving to as a company.

Barbi Kerry:
And then I asked her how will television advertising help communicate the unique offerings of Gwynnie Bee?

Christine Hunsicker:
I think our service because it’s so new and it’s so different, a static ad or a static image does not convey what we’re trying to get across. You need to hear from the women who have experienced it and why she likes it. So the format of DRTV is perfect. I can’t think of a better service for this type of format. I’ve also grown up watching and being obsessed with infomercials. I love them as a way to get people excited and understanding the different value props that a product or a service has to offer.

Everybody comes to DRTV to move product, right? So, absolutely it is about acquisition, and it’s about scalable affordable acquisition. So, what we’re hoping for is brand awareness, education of our service. It’s all great, So it’s both upper, mid, and lower funnel. We want awareness – hey Gwynnie Bee exists. We want education; hey this is what Gwynnie Bee does. And then we want the actual
conversions, which are sign up now. I think that’s the biggest thing, I mean that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for exposure that will help our online campaigns dramatically, so we’re looking for TV marketing to lower the price of what we pay online.

Barbi Kerry:
We were excited about the prospects of strategizing and creating the Performance Marketing campaign from the get go. We could sense the potential based on Gwynnie Bee’s initial success and unique product – but what was it that attracted Christine and her team to Script To Screen and M2?

Christine Hunsicker:
What was important to us on the partner side was somebody who’s got experience. We talked with a number of different firms and agencies and we really wanted somebody who had done recognizable products before, who’s had success – this is what they do. They understand DRTV, so it’s in their DNA.

So that was one of the big things we were looking for. We were also looking for somebody who gets the service, and really takes the time to understand where we were coming from. DRTV is, on the one hand, formulaic, but the words that you use and the individual choices that get pulled out, the themes that get pulled out, is really where the magic is. We really needed to work with a group that was going to understand what it was about our services that was unique, why our members loved it and we could weave that in to every precious expensive second on air.

Look, I think you always want a one stop-shop. I mean I think it just makes life so much easier. We don’t wanna be the ones coordinating all of the different pieces; it’s not our job. Our job is to deliver a service to members; that’s what we do. So we wanted to have someone else that do what they do best, and someone who was gonna think about, handle, has worked with and has rapport with all of the different constituents.

Barbi Kerry:
Christine came to us with and exciting project, a timeline we weren’t sure we could meet, aggressive CPS goals which I’m thrilled to say we actually beat, and
last but not least, a desire to win an industry award for excellence, the Moxie Award.

Christine Hunsicker:
Now we’re on to the Moxi award as a second goal and after seeing what’s been happening today, I have no doubt, we’re a shoe in! Yeh!

Barbi Kerry:
Gwynnie Bee is another example of how we’ve been able to help make a subscription-based e-commerce company successful with a performance-based television campaign.

If you’d like more information and successful case studies, visit ScriptToScreen.com.

Barbara Kerry

She’s one of the top 25 most influential people in DRTV, according to Response Magazine. She’s a pioneer in the industry and, in 1986, she co-founded Script to Screen along with her husband, Ken Kerry. Today, Script to Screen is one of the nation’s leading direct response television companies and has produced more than 600 infomercials and DRTV spots, plus generated more than $6 billion in sales for its clients. “What I love about the direct response business is that you cannot run and you cannot hide from the reality of the market place,” Barbara says, “In a very short time, you discover if you will win or you will lose, unlike conventional advertising where you know 50% of your advertising dollar is wasted, you just don’t know which 50%. In DR, you know within hours if your media dollars are working or not.” Under Barbara’s guidance, Script to Screen has been honored with over 70 awards for excellence from the Clio Awards, Electronic Retailing Association, Jordan Whitney and the New York Festivals. A list of its prestigious Clients include AAA, Bare Escentuals, Bath & Body Works, Conair, Cuisinart, Dr. Denese, Esteé Lauder, Gaiam, Guthy-Renker, Gwynnie Bee, Hooked on Phonics, Keurig Green Mountain, Laura Geller, Little Passports, Nutrisystem, philosophy, Procter & Gamble, Rosetta Stone, Rubbermaid, Temptations, Tracy Anderson, Tria Beauty, Laura Geller, L’Oreal, Perfect Formula, and Wexler to name a few. Barbara began her career in television producing programs for Southern California sports teams including the Angels, Dodgers, Lakers, Raiders, and Rams. Her education includes a B.A. in telecommunications from the University of Colorado, and an M.A. in psychology from Pepperdine University.