SAN DIEGO- (March 17, 2025) – Direct-to-consumer advertisers spent over 21.4 billion on national cable and broadcast networks in 2024 according to DRMetrix, an iSpot company. To celebrate the industry’s accomplishments, the AdSphere™ Awards will honor the direct-to-consumer industry’s top advertisers and brands.
Awards will be presented to the winners at PDMI EAST 2025, where the leaders in Performance-Driven Marketing will come together in Miami Beach, Florida from April 7-9, 2025. The AdSphere™ Awards is the first awards program to be inclusive of the entire direct-to-consumer industry with advertisers such as T-Mobile, Columbia Pictures, Chime, Ro, Wayfair.com, University of Phoenix, Sleep Number, The Farmer’s Dog, Trivago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and many others being honored.
“The AdSphere awards recognize best-of-class advertisers and brands across four industry classifications including brand/direct, lead generation, short-form products, and 28.5-minute infomercials,” said Joseph Gray, founder of the AdSphere Awards and DRMetrix, an iSpot.tv company. “Direct-to-consumer campaigns achieving this level of scale demonstrate consumer popularity and best-in-class creative and media execution. The AdSphere Awards are the most inclusive award program for the entire direct-to-consumer industry recognizing over 60 honorees including all of our best-of-category award recipients.”
AdSphere monitors a universe of 160+ national networks on a 24/7/365 basis. In just over nine years, AdSphere has identified over 17,000 direct-to-consumer brands. In addition to detecting over 900,000 infomercial (28.5 minute) airings, AdSphere has detected over 170 million spots of varying creative lengths up to five minutes in duration. The awards recognize top brands across a wide range of industry categories representing all facets of the industry. AdSphere segments campaigns across over 190 major categories and sub-categories. The complete list of AdSphere Award winners is online at www.drmetrix.com/adsphere-awards.html.
About DRMetrix
DRMetrix, an iSpot.tv company, monitors over 160 national TV networks 24/7/365, tracking direct-to-consumer ads using all creative lengths including spot, 5-min, and long-form which include web addresses, mobile app response, SMS, or toll free numbers. For more information, please visit www.drmetrix.com.
Understanding 2025 TV Projections for Advertiser Types
Introduction The purpose of this study is to determine reliable projections for full-year 2025 TV airings across four key advertiser types: Short Form Products, Lead Generation, Brand/DR, and Long Form (28.5m). The projections were originally based on four-week data collected from the last week of the prior year through January 19, 2025, and historical trends from prior years (2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024).
This updated version incorporates six additional weeks of data, extending the study to cover a full 10-week period. This additional data allows for more refined full-year projections and helps identify shifts in market dynamics. One of the most notable findings is that the impact of a weaker upfront market coming into 2025 is now becoming visible, as scatter market units being purchased by performance-based-television-advertisers is up year-over-year by 6.29%. This suggests that there may be more opportunities than initially projected allowing performance-based advertisers to expand their footprint in linear TV.
Methodology
Historical Data Analysis
Originally calculated the Four-Week to Full-Year Ratios for airings for each advertiser type from 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024.
Updated the analysis using 10-week data
Excluded 2021 and 2022 due to significant deviations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Projections for 2025
Initial projection applied historical mean airings ratios from four-week data to estimate full-year trends.
Updated projection applies a 10-weeks of data, allowing for improved year-end estimates.
Stability Assessment
Analyzed the standard deviation of airings ratios across years to determine projection reliability.
Originally, ratios demonstrated improved consistency, particularly when excluding COVID-impacted years.
Now, with 10 weeks of data, standard deviations have increased across all categories
Updated Stability of Historical Airing Ratios
Key Insight: While the original study validated the stability of historical trends, the latest 10-week data shows increased variance in airings across all advertiser types:
The increase in standard deviations suggests greater early-year variability, potentially influenced by increased scatter market availability and changing media buying strategies.
Key Findings
Projected Trends by Advertiser Type
Short Form Products
Previous Projection: -7.69% decline.
Updated Projection: -1.82% decline.
Market Dynamics: Short Form Products have performed better than expected, benefiting from increased scatter inventory and reduced competition from traditional brand advertisers.
Long Form (28.5m)
Previous Projection: -3.16% decline.
Updated Projection: -3.94% decline.
Market Dynamics: Long-form advertising continues to see challenges as audiences shift toward shorter content formats and streaming alternatives.
Lead Generation
Previous Projection: -1.25% decline.
Updated Projection: +2.39% growth.
Market Dynamics: Lead Generation advertisers are increasing their presence in scatter, taking advantage of available inventory and favorable pricing conditions.
Brand/DR
Previous Projection: +11.79% growth.
Updated Projection: +12.3% growth.
Market Dynamics: Brand/DR advertisers continue to expand their footprint, capitalizing on lower scatter pricing and the decline of traditional brand ad spending in linear TV.
Brand/DR Advertisers’ Increased Use of DPI Units A recent study, “How DTC Brands are Leveraging DPI for Growth“, conducted by DRMetrix highlights a significant shift in advertising strategies, with Brand/DR advertisers increasingly utilizing Digital Program Insertion (DPI) units. The latest findings confirm:
Branded DTC campaigns are escalating their DPI unit purchases year-over-year.
In 2024, branded DTC advertisers acquired over 2.7 million National Linear DPI units, marking the highest on record.
New Market Factors Influencing These Trends
Recent industry reports suggest that traditional brand advertisers have scaled back upfront commitments heading into 2025, leading to an increase in scatter market availability. In addition, these advertisers may also be buying less scatter inventory than in prior years, further contributing to the increased availability of ad units.
Key industry findings include:
Upfront TV ad spend has declined from $19.33 billion to $18.64 billion in the 2023/2024 season (Statista).
TV advertising executives report weaker upfront negotiations, describing the current market as one of the softest in decades (AdAge).
A shift in spend from linear TV to CTV and streaming is likely relieving pressure on Q1 scatter inventory, making it more accessible to performance-driven advertisers.
Conclusions This updated study highlights several notable changes from the initial four-week projections:
Short Form Products and Lead Generation are performing better than expected, likely benefiting from increased scatter market inventory.
Brand/DR continues to show strong growth, reinforcing its position as a key driver of performance-based linear TV advertising.
Long Form (28.5m) faces ongoing challenges, with projections worsening slightly based on the latest 10-week data.
The overall increase in scatter market units (+6.29% YoY) suggests that reduced brand advertiser demand is creating new opportunities for performance-based advertisers.
The updated 10-week data provides a more reliable full-year projection for 2025, reinforcing the trends initially identified while adjusting for new market conditions. Further monitoring of Q2 performance and scatter market dynamics will be crucial in determining whether this shift is a short-term reaction or a lasting transformation within the television ad industry.
Stay tuned for more study updates throughout the year!
Joseph Gray presented these findings live as part of the PDMI’s Fearless Predictions for 2025 webinar which was held on Thursday 1/23/25 at 11AM PST. You can access the Youtube Video by clicking here.
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to make reliable projections for full-year 2025 TV airings across four key advertiser types: Short Form Products, Lead Generation, Brand/DR, and Long Form (28.5m). The projections are based on four-week data collected from the last week of the prior year through January 19, 2025, and historical trends from prior years (2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024). To improve accuracy, data from 2021 and 2022 were excluded due to significant deviations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This paper outlines the methodology using four weeks of historical data and highlights significant trends observed in the projections.
Methodology
Historical Data Analysis
Calculated the Four-Week to Full-Year Ratios for airings for each advertiser type from 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024.
Averaged the ratios across the selected years for airings to establish baseline metrics.
Projections for 2025
Utilized four-week airing data (last week of 2024 through January 19, 2025) as the baseline.
Applied the historical mean airings ratios to project full-year airings, leveraging the relative stability of these metrics across 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024.
Stability Assessment
Analyzed the standard deviation of airings ratios across years to determine projection reliability.
Ratios demonstrated improved consistency, particularly when data from 2021 and 2022 were excluded.
Minimal deviations in historical ratios further validated the reliability of this projection methodology.
Updated Stability of Historical Airing Ratios
Key Insight: Low standard deviations across most advertiser types validate the stability of historical trends and support the reliability of 2025 projections. Short Form Products remain the most volatile, with the highest variance.
Key Findings
Projected Trends by Advertiser Type
Short Form Products
Projected Decline: Airings are expected to decrease by 7.69% compared to 2024.
Market Dynamics:
Highly rate-sensitive and thrive during periods of soft network inventory demand.
During COVID, excess inventory availability benefited this category.
A stronger market in 2025, with increased competition from higher-paying Brand/DR and Lead Generation campaigns, is expected to pressure this category.
To provide some context, last year for the 4 week period, short form product advertisers cleared 41,579 units. For the same period this year, clearances are down at 36,867 units.
Long Form (28.5m)
Projected Decline: Airings are forecasted to drop by 3.16% compared to 2024.
Market Dynamics:
Increasing consumer preference for streaming and other entertainment options is reducing the time spent watching long-form television content.
We measured 8,743 clearances last year compared to only 7,977 this year.
Lead Generation
Projected Decline: Airings are estimated to decrease by 1.25% compared to 2024.
Market Dynamics:
Stable overall but facing competition from Brand/DR advertisers, which are claiming a larger share of DR inventory.
We measured 213,655 units clearing for Lead Generation campaigns last year compared to only 191,569 this year.
Brand/DR
Projected Growth: Airings are expected to rise by 11.79% compared to 2024.
Market Dynamics:
Growth driven by digitally native advertisers flooding into TV in recent years.
These advertisers are increasingly purchasing DR inventory, crowding out Short Form Products and Lead Generation campaigns.
We measured 1,547,427 units last year compared to 1,680,466 this year.
Brand/DR Advertisers’ Increased Use of DPI Units
A recent study – How DTC Brands are Leveraging DPI for Growth, conducted by DRMetrix highlights a significant shift in advertising strategies, with Brand/DR advertisers increasingly utilizing Digital Program Insertion (DPI) units. These units have been leveraged by Direct Response (DR) advertisers for decades but in more recent years DPI units are being dominated by branded direct-to-consumer (DTC) campaigns.
Key Findings from the Study:
Branded DTC campaigns with $50K or more in national TV spend are escalating their DPI unit purchases year-over-year.
In 2024, branded DTC advertisers acquired over 2.7 million National Linear DPI units, marking the highest on record.
Conclusions
This study highlights the following:
Short Form Products and Long Form (28.5m) continue to face challenges.
Lead Generation remains relatively stable despite growing competition.
Brand/DR demonstrates strong growth, driven by the increasing adoption of DPI units and the continued migration of digitally native advertisers into TV.
The methodology, supported by historical data and trend analysis, provides reliable projections for 2025 and identifies critical dynamics shaping the TV advertising landscape.
In November 2024, DRMetrix presented the article “Strategic Edge: DTC Advertisers Capitalize on Lesser-Known Linear TV Units” highlighting how top direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands strategically leveraged Digital Program Insertion (DPI) units to achieve significant cost efficiencies. This follow-up expands on those findings, analyzing 2020-2024 trends to uncover fresh insights into how DPI adoption has evolved.
The latest data reveals a significant shift: branded direct-to-consumer (DTC) campaigns with $50K or more in national TV spend have increased their DPI unit purchases year-over-year. In 2024, these advertisers set a new record, acquiring over 2.7 million National Linear DPI units—the highest ever recorded, as shown in the chart below:
DTC DPI Units from 2020 – 2024
What Are DPI Units?
To fully understand the study’s key findings, we must first define DPI units. These are a type of national linear television ad inventory that, unlike traditional national units, can be subject to cover-up in some local markets by multiple video programming distributors (MVPDs) such as Comcast, Charter, and DirecTV.
In markets where MVPDs do not insert a local ad, the network’s DPI unit is shown to consumers. Since DPI units can be discounted by up to 90%, many advertisers are finding them to be a cost-effective alternative to standard national units.
On the left side of the diagram below, a cable network transmits its signal via satellite to multiple MVPDs. Some MVPDs insert local ads during a DPI break, replacing the network’s DPI ad with a local market ad, as shown in the top example. However, in mid-to-small markets, where the MVPD may not sell a local ad, the network’s DPI ad—such as the Expedia ad shown—remains visible to viewers.
This diagram illustrates how DPI units function within the ecosystem of national and local linear TV advertising
For decades, traditional direct-response (DR) advertisers have leveraged DPI units, measuring their effectiveness through DR variations in their commercials. These variations—such as unique phone numbers, promo codes, SMS codes, and dynamic QR codes—allow advertisers to directly track responses tied to specific network DPI units.
Despite the absence of impressions or ratings from traditional measurement providers, DR advertisers have long been able to quantify the value of DPI units through their own performance-driven measurement methods.
More recently, DTC advertisers using branded call-to-actions, like vanity URLs or branded websites, have started recognizing the value of DPI units. To measure their impact, they may rely on probabilistic spike analysis, media mix modeling, and/or deterministic attribution methods.
How and Why Did DRMetrix Conduct This Study?
DRMetrix offers unmatched tracking capabilities for both traditional national and DPI Units. Since the timing of DPI breaks varies by network, DRMetrix employs specialized software that detects DPI tones broadcast ahead of these breaks.
Beyond tracking airings, DRMetrix also categorizes creatives based on their attribution methodology—whether they use DR variations (a traditional DR approach) or branded/vanity call-to-action (commonly used by DTC campaigns).
When it comes to competitive television research, DRMetrix’s ability to pinpoint where traditional DR campaigns allocate spend by network, daypart, and creative unlocks actionable insights. By leveraging decades-proven DR variation methodologies, DR advertisers precisely measure which networks, dayparts, and unit types (including DPI) are producing the best outcomes for their campaigns. DRMetrix shares this actionable intelligence to help advertisers refine their media strategies.
What is Fueling the Growth of DPI Units?
The expansion of DPI usage can be attributed to two primary trends:
Existing Advertisers Increasing Their DPI Investment
Our analysis confirms that the majority of DPI growth—89.57%—is driven by advertisers who had previously used DPI units and have significantly increased their usage in 2024. These advertisers have recognized the strategic value of DPI and are committing more resources to it. Examples include:
Moon Pod: Increased DPI usage from 13% in 2020 to 66% in 2024, with spend rising from $280K in 2020 to $2.1M in 2024.
BestFriends.org: Grew DPI from 5% in 2020 to 54% in 2024, with spend increasing from $482K in 2020 to $5.4M in 2024.
New Advertisers Adopting DPI for the First Time
While the primary driver of DPI growth is increased investment by existing advertisers, 8.97% of the growth can be attributed to brands that previously focused on national placements but have now incorporated DPI into their media strategies. Examples include:
TruGreen: Increased DPI usage from 1.4% in 2020 to 34% in 2024, which helped them lower their spend from $5.8M in 2020 to $2.2M in 2024.
QuickBooks: Expanded DPI usage from 3% in 2020 to 32% in 2024, which helped them lower their media expenditures from $35.3M in 2020 to $20.9M in 2024.
Key Takeaway
While both factors contribute to DPI’s expansion, our data shows that the overwhelming majority of DPI growth is fueled by advertisers who were already using DPI and are now scaling up their investment. However, the rise of new DPI adopters suggests that awareness and adoption continue to grow across the industry, signaling broader acceptance of DPI as a viable media strategy.
High-Spending DTC Campaigns with Strategic DPI Usage
Advertisers such as 4imprint and Grainger lead the way, combining substantial spend with respectable DPI percentages. For instance:
4imprint spent $91.2 million on national units, with 31% being DPI units.
Grainger allocated $83.2 million on national units, with 38% being DPI units.
Mid-Sized DTC Campaigns Leveraging DPI
Brands like BetterHelp and Care.com exemplify how mid-sized advertisers are embracing DPI units:
BetterHelp invested $24.9 million on national units, with 52% being DPI units.
Care.com allocated $12.5 million on national units, with an impressive 58% being DPI units.
High-Spending DR Campaigns with Strategic DPI Usage
In 2024, several high-spending DR advertisers demonstrated a strong strategic focus on DPI units. Here are some notable examples:
LegXercise: With a total spend of $43.6 million, LegXercise allocated 38% of its budget to DPI units, achieving significant cost efficiencies by purchasing 48,762 DPI units..
Nugenix Total-T: This Direct Digital brand invested $38.8 million in 2024, with 42% of its spend directed toward DPI units, leading to 23,906 DPI airings.
Bosley: Specializing in hair restoration, Bosley spent $27.5 million on its campaign, dedicating 37% to DPI units and securing 19,353 DPI airings.
PureWick: A product of Liberator Medical Supply, PureWick spent $26 million on national units in 2024, with an impressive 43% allocated to DPI units, resulting in 20,846 DPI airings.
Instaflex Advanced: Another Direct Digital brand, Instaflex Advanced, allocated 56% of its $25.8 million spend to DPI units, achieving 26,676 DPI airings and reinforcing its strategic approach.
Brands Significantly Increasing DPI Usage and Spend (2020–2024)
Analyzing trends from 2020 to 2024, several brands have dramatically increased their reliance on DPI units while also growing their overall ad spend. These advertisers represent some of the most compelling cases of how brands are leveraging cost-efficient DPI units in their television advertising strategies.
Moon Pod: DPI usage rose from 13% in 2020 to 66% in 2024 (+53 percentage points), while spend increased from $280K in 2020 to $2.1M in 2024.
BestFriends.org: Grew DPI from 5% in 2020 to 54% in 2024 (+49 percentage points), with spend rising from $482K in 2020 to $5.4M in 2024.
HomeServe: Increased DPI usage from 11% in 2020 to 51.9% in 2024 (+40.9 percentage points), while spend grew from $3.6M in 2020 to $11M in 2024.
Mortgage Modification Helpline: DPI percentage grew from 39% in 2020 to 70% in 2024 (+31 percentage points), while spend increased from $751K in 2020 to $1.2M in 2024.
American Diabetes Association: Expanded DPI from 4% in 2020 to 34% in 2024 (+30 percentage points), increasing their spend from $546K in 2020 to $2.4M in 2024.
These brands exemplify a growing trend of advertisers increasing both their DPI investments and overall ad budgets, demonstrating confidence in the effectiveness of these units.
Upcoming Innovations
In 2025, iSpot.tv plans to integrate ACR (automatic content recognition) data along with DPI signal detection software to segment and assign impressions and ratings to DPI units. This innovation will provide DTC advertisers with clearer visibility into the performance of their DPI campaigns.
Conclusion
DPI units remain a powerful yet underutilized tool in the linear TV advertising ecosystem. By analyzing DRMetrix data, we see that advertisers across numerous categories are integrating DPI units into their strategies.
Stay ahead of the curve – connect with DRMetrix today for exclusive insights on how top advertisers are leveraging DPI for maximum ROI.
When it comes to buying national linear cable TV advertising, traditional national units aren’t the only option. Many leading direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisers are turning to a lesser-known option called “DPI” units. These DPI units offer substantial savings, often discounted by as much as 90% compared to regular national unit rates. This discount exists because DPI units are subject to local market cover-up by multiple video programming distributors (MVPDs) such as Comcast, Charter, DirecTV, Dish, YouTube TV, and others. [For a more detailed explanation, please click here.]
DRMetrix is one of the only competitive television media research providers tracking DPI unit airings across more than 160 national networks. As competitive intelligence becomes increasingly critical, DPI unit tracking is a key component of strategic planning for brands. The chart below highlights 20 of the top DTC television brands that heavily invested in DPI units in 2024. For instance, DRMetrix’s data shows that 31% of 4-imprint’s national linear ad units are DPI units. Care.com leads the pack, with 58% of their total national linear units being DPI units.
It’s important to note that DPI units are not yet rated by any currency provider. However, advertisers are increasingly using a combination of deterministic and probabilistic methods to link DPI unit purchases to measurable business outcomes. This approach has gained significant adoption, with DTC television brands purchasing nearly 3 million DPI units from national cable networks in 2024 alone. Among the nearly 1,300 brands that bought national DPI units in 2024, 568 of them ran campaigns where DPI units accounted for 20% or more of their total ad placements. For more information, and to discover how many DPI units your competitors are purchasing, please email [email protected]
SAN DIEGO- (March 8, 2024) – Direct-to-consumer advertisers spent over 20.3 billion on national cable and broadcast networks in 2023 according to DRMetrix, an iSpot company. To celebrate the industry’s accomplishments, the AdSphere™ Awards will honor the direct-to-consumer industry’s top advertisers and brands.
Awards will be presented to the winners at PDMI EAST 2024, where the leaders in Performance-Driven Marketing will come together in Miami Beach, Florida from April 8-10, 2024. The AdSphere™ Awards is the first awards program to be inclusive of the entire direct-to-consumer industry with advertisers such as T-Mobile, Universal Pictures, Chime, Golo, Wayfair.com, University of Phoenix, Consumer Cellular, Sleep Number, Chewy.com, Burger King, and many others being honored.
“The AdSphere awards recognize best-of-class advertisers and brands across four industry classifications including brand/direct, lead generation, short-form products, and 28.5-minute infomercials,” said Joseph Gray, founder of the AdSphere Awards and DRMetrix, an iSpot.tv company. “Direct-to-consumer campaigns achieving this level of scale demonstrate consumer popularity and best-in-class creative and media execution. The AdSphere Awards are the most inclusive award program for the entire direct-to-consumer industry recognizing over 60 honorees including all of our best-of-category award recipients.”
AdSphere monitors a universe of 140+ national networks on a 24/7/365 basis. In just over nine years, AdSphere has identified over 17,000 direct-to-consumer brands. In addition to detecting over 900,000 infomercial (28.5 minute) airings, AdSphere has detected over 170 million spots of varying creative lengths up to five minutes in duration. The awards recognize top brands across a wide range of industry categories representing all facets of the industry. AdSphere segments campaigns across over 190 major categories and sub-categories. The complete list of AdSphere Award winners is online at www.drmetrix.com/adsphere-awards.html.
About DRMetrix
DRMetrix, an iSpot.tv company, monitors over 140 national TV networks 24/7/365, tracking direct-to-consumer ads using all creative lengths including spot, 5-min, and long-form which include web addresses, mobile app response, SMS, or toll free numbers. For more information, please visit www.drmetrix.com and be sure and download our latest direct-to-consumer industry study!
Ok, I’ll admit it – I’ve always been a bit of a technology geek. Back in 1989, I used interactive facsimile technology to send computer generated reports daily to hundreds of television stations. We didn’t have the internet back then, nor email, and AI (artificial intelligence) was a distant dream.
Stations were airing direct response TV commercials and my fledgling company was paying them based on sales generated. It may seem basic, by today’s standards, but writing software to import orders from telemarketing companies, determine which station generated each sale, and creating hundreds of custom reports to deliver overnight, via computer-fax, was the secret sauce that helped grow my first multi-million-dollar business.
The ability for computers to fax reports pales in comparison to AI, one of the most exciting and disruptive modern innovations. I thought it would be fun to start blogging about AI breakthroughs that are poised to disrupt the modern advertising industry.
For my first installment, I didn’t have to look very far since one of DRMetrix’s very own customers is using AI in exciting ways. I spoke with Eileen Fraser of Intelligent Handshake (IH) at the recent PDMI East event to learn more about their technology and how it is making a positive impact on direct-to-consumer campaigns by increasing revenue, conversion rates, and AOV (Average Order Value).
Intelligent Handshake utilizes a combination of AI, machine learning and human touch, to render and personalize a consumer’s online or phone offer. Remarkably, in the blink of an eye (as soon as a consumer clicks a link or their 800 # call is answered), Intelligent Handshake instantly crafts an offer that fits a consumer’s purchasing propensity.
In our industry, just a few single-digit percentage points can make a huge difference and Eileen shared a case study with me that illustrates the significant impact Intelligent Handshake’s AI can produce.
The following case study is from a nationally recognized brand in the Housewares Sector
Given these results, it appears that Intelligent Handshake is really onto something. What an exciting first AI case study to kick things off! If you’d like to learn more about Intelligent Handshake’s AI enabled business, please visit them at www.intelligenthandshake.com There’s a nice video of Eileen describing how and why she developed what she’s calling Advanced Instantaneous Artificial Intelligence.
Thanks for reading my first blog post in this new series. Please don’t forget to subscribe by providing your email and clicking the blue follow button on this page.
If you would like me to cover your AI enabled company, please email me at [email protected]
SAN DIEGO- (March 6, 2023) – Direct-to-consumer advertisers spent over 22 billion on national cable and broadcast networks in 2022 according to DRMetrix, an iSpot company. To celebrate the industry’s accomplishments, the AdSphere™ Awards will honor the direct-to-consumer industry’s top advertisers and brands.
Awards will be presented to the winners at PDMI EAST 2023, where the leaders in Performance-Driven Marketing will come together in Miami Beach, Florida from March 20-22nd, 2023. The AdSphere™ Awards is the first awards program to be inclusive of the entire direct-to-consumer industry with advertisers such as T-Mobile, Universal Pictures, Chime, Golo, Wayfair.com, Southern New Hampshire University, Sheex, ZipRecruiter, NortonLifeLock, Consumer Cellular, Sleep Number, and many others being honored.
“The AdSphere awards recognize best-of-class advertisers and brands across four industry classifications including brand/direct, lead generation, short-form products, and 28.5-minute infomercials,” said Joseph Gray, founder of the AdSphere Awards and DRMetrix. “Direct-to-consumer campaigns achieving this level of scale demonstrate consumer popularity and best-in-class creative and media execution. The AdSphere Awards are the most inclusive award program for the entire direct-to-consumer industry recognizing nearly 60 honorees including all of our best-of-category award recipients.”
AdSphere monitors a universe of 140+ national networks on a 24/7/365 basis. In just over nine years, AdSphere has identified over 16,000 direct-to-consumer brands. In addition to detecting over 800,000 infomercial (28.5 minute) airings, AdSphere has detected over 110 million spots of varying creative lengths up to five minutes in duration. The awards recognize top brands across a wide range of industry categories representing all facets of the industry. AdSphere segments campaigns across over 190 major categories and sub-categories. The complete list of AdSphere Award winners is online at www.drmetrix.com/adsphere-awards.html.
About DRMetrix
DRMetrix, an iSpot.tv company, monitors over 140 national TV networks 24/7/365, tracking direct-to-consumer ads using all creative lengths including spot, 5-min, and long-form which include web addresses, mobile app response, SMS, or toll free numbers. For more information, please visit www.drmetrix.com and be sure and download our latest direct-to-consumer industry study!
It’s been two years since we last encountered a national TV scatter marketplace favorable to direct-to-consumer (DTC) & direct response television (DR) advertisers. Back in 2020, during the depths of the Covid lock down, DRMetrix an iSpot.tv Company, measured the largest ever year-over-year growth for DTC and DR. Media rates were at their lowest at a time when more people were watching TV than ever before. In contrast, traditional TV ratings couldn’t keep up leaving brand advertisers at a disadvantage. For more information, please download DRMetrix’s 2020 industry study.
Following 2020, the media pendulum swung the other direction. In 2021, traditional brand advertisers flooded back onto the airwaves. On top of a tighter scatter market, DTC and DR advertisers also began to feel the impact of global supply chain issues. But that same pendulum may once again be swinging back to the favor of DTC and DR advertisers. According to Standard Media Index (SMI), by the 2nd Quarter of 2022, scatter market investment declined 17% year-over-year. By Q3, things got even worse with SMI reporting that scatter spend on traditional TV was down 38% year-over-year. Marketing Brew wrote a story about this which you can read by clicking here. How will these trends bode for DTC and DR advertisers?
It’s now January 2023, and Bank of America just released their Consumer Checkpoint data reporting that 2022 was a solid year for consumer spending. Total card spending per household finished 2022 up 2.2% year-over-year boosted by services spending. If consumer spending holds up in Q1 2023, while the scatter market remains soft, it will definitely benefit DTC and DR advertisers. In fact, during the first 3 media weeks of 2023, DRMetrix is already measuring a significant +25% increase in ad units for DTC and DR advertisers year-over-year.
What we witnessed in 2022, during the Covid lockdowns, was the inability of brand advertisers to navigate the rapidly changing media and economic environment. Traditional ratings don’t provide a read on consumer sentiment leaving many traditional TV brands little choice but to be conservative and pull back on media expenditures. Quite often , these are years of great opportunity for DTC and DR brands who enjoy the unique ability to measure consumer response and sentiment in real time. As long as consumers continue to respond and purchase, these brands will aggressively expand their media buys even during the most worrisome of economic times. Since media commitments in scatter can be made week-to-week, DTC and DR advertisers are able to optimize and change their media strategies on the fly.
If you’re interested in learning more about the DTC and DR television industry, click here to learn more about DRMetrix and our competitive media insight offerings. Also, be sure to subscribe to this blog to be informed when we release our upcoming 2022 industry study (estimated to be in February of 2023) and when we announce the top DTC and DR advertisers in 2022 through our annual AdSphere Awards program.
I started my career in the performance-driven television industry back in 1989. Back then, we called it “Direct Response Television”. Heck, 33 years later, I still call it that. In fact, the “DR” in DRMetrix stands for “Direct Response” although some affectionately refer to us as “Doctor Metrix“.
As many of you know, I sold “the Doctor” to iSpot.tv back in October of last year. This month, I’m celebrating my one year anniversary with this incredible company.
One of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on this past year, has been enhancing iSpot’s ability to detect and measure impressions on national cover-up (DPI) units.
Where do these impressions come from? Historically, iSpot has partnered with Vizio to detect ads running on over 20 million opted-in smart TVs. Add another 20 million plus, thanks to iSpot’s recent deal with LG, and another 12 million set-top boxes under license, brings the total size of the iSpot panel to over 52 million!
On these smart devices, iSpot can detect ads delivered via linear, CTV, and OTT. iSpot can also measure business outcomes when consumers are exposed to TV ads and take action by visiting a website whether that be direct, via QR code, or via a mobile text exchange. No more “last touch”, as iSpot’s deterministic measurement allows advertisers to measure true reach and frequency, and the performance of TV schedules with greater precision than ever before. Both Fortune 50 and the largest D2C brands are using iSPot’s Real-Time Measurement Platform to better inform and optimize their media placements with amazing proven results.
As iSpot becomes DPI compliant sometime in 2023, our best of class solutions will help the DRTV industry to address measurement and attribution for previously unsupported DPI ad units.
If you haven’t scheduled a time with us already, we’d love to meet with you at PDMI West on October 24, 25th, or 26th.
Representatives from both iSpot.tv and DRMetrix will be available to meet. Our booth will be located in the main “Legends” meeting hall at the Hard Rock Hotel.
If you’re interested in learning more about iSpot.tv, please book a time with Robert Hoffman by clicking here.
Or, to learn about some of the new and exciting advancements coming to DRMetrix, including our detection and support for QR codes, please book a time to meet with Joseph Gray by clicking here.
If you’re not attending the PDMI event, please send an email to [email protected] and we’ll setup a Zoom call!
Given these results, it appears that Intelligent Handshake is really onto something. What an exciting first AI case study to kick things off! If you’d like to learn more about Intelligent Handshake’s AI enabled business, please visit them at www.intelligenthandshake.com There’s a nice video of Eileen describing how and why she developed what she’s calling Advanced Instantaneous Artificial Intelligence.