Long Form: Everybody’s Doin’ It

The very top of last week’s Top 25 Standard Frequency Ranking illustrates the diversity of Long Form DRTV.

Weekly Frequency Ranking for Nov. 27, 2015

Each show belongs to a different category. The top show, for Humana’s Medicare Advantage Plans, will disappear from the ranking as soon as Open Enrollment comes to a close in a few days. Business & Finance will disappear along with it.

This leaves the Big 4 Categories of Long Form: Kitchen, Beauty, Health & Fitness, and Household. They made up nearly 70 percent of all Long Form airings last week.

Airings by Category: Nov. 21, 2105 - Nov. 27, 2015

As the first chart shows, there’s hardly any difference in the number of airings of their top shows. But look what happens when the most frequently aired shows are ranked according to the number of stations.

Notice what’s missing?

If you’re looking for Health & Fitness, you’ll have to go further down the ranking.

Of the Big 4 Categories, why is Household airing on so many networks? Why does Health & Fitness air on so few?

Let’s start with Health & Fitness. These marketers are biding their time. Health & Fitness’s big moment comes in the New Year. A month from now all the reports will show a significant increase in airings, media spend, and network spread.

So what’s up with Household? Its position isn’t just a one-time fluke. Last week’s numbers are remarkably consistent with this time last year.

Weekly Frequency for Nov. 28, 2014 (Ranked by Number of Stations)

In 2014 Shark was pushing a different vacuum but the number of stations where it aired was exactly the same. Bissell has also moved on to a new vacuum which has greater airings and networks than the previous.

So what is it about Household? Why does such a wide network spread work in its favor? When we talk about Household, we’re really talking about vacuums. So are we seeing their big moment, or is this what it looks like when two competitors fight for dominance?

While we have no doubt that Shark/Ninja and Bissell would like to blast the other out of the DRTV marketplace, there’s more to this than their competition. How do can we be sure? By looking at the stations where they air. There’s barely any overlap between the top networks for the Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution and Shark Powerhead. Take a look below. Shared networks are highlighted.

Shark Powerhead

Top 10 Networks: Nov. 21, 2015 - Nov. 27, 2015

Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution

Top 10 Networks: Nov. 21, 2015 - Nov. 27, 2015

Now you might be thinking, “There’s plenty of stations on national cable that show infomercials. Why would there be any overlap?”

That’s a reasonable question. Our answer is to redirect your attention back to Health & Fitness. Remember cize and Total Gym? Last week they each aired on 21 stations.

They’re also about as different as two Health & Fitness products can be. cize has been around for all of six weeks. It’s priced at under $60. It’s designed for people who don’t want an extreme workout. Total Gym, on the other hand, is nearing 1000 consecutive weeks on our rankings. It costs over $1000. And if you’re looking to avoid an extreme workout, you probably don’t want Total in your gym.

While these products may be targeting different customers, there’s plenty of overlap in their top networks.

Total Gym

Top 10 Networks: Nov. 21, 2015 - Nov. 27, 2015

cize

Top 10 Networks: Nov. 21, 2015 - Nov. 27, 2015

It appears that Health & Fitness marketers have determined that there are few networks suitable for their products.

The opposite is true for Household. The entire DRTV landscape is wide open -- and there is room enough for Bissell and Shark/Ninja to co-exist. Why is this the case? Are vacuums and other Household products of universal interest? Perhaps so. Just about everyone has a stake in maintaining their home. This isn’t the case with the remaining Big 4 categories. Beauty products overwhelmingly target women. Half of the TV audience is excluded right from the start.

As for Kitchen products, plenty of people lack the interest or time to cook. That’s why most Kitchen products are touted as time-savers. Health & Fitness products compound the time/interest problem by requiring a commitment to a fitness routine.

We’ll leave you with a final question: Is there anywhere on national cable where Household would not feel right at home?