The Electronic Retailing Association’s 2016 D2C Convention featured The Moxie Awards Gala, akin to Oscar Night for the Direct Response/Infomercial world. Luminaries from Direct Response Marketing attended and received awards for the most successful DR campaigns of 2015/2016. Interspersed throughout the Gala dinner were various videos, some highlighting the industry’s philanthropic work, while others touched on creative trends. One standout video at the Gala was ‚“DRTV Zombie Dance 2016,” a dystopian thriller where DR influencers transfigured into Zombies.
Concepts TV Productions, who produced the video, along with Marketing Maven, ERA, Swipe Payment Solutions, Marc Gill, Ideal Living, Guthy-Renker, Bluewater Media, and THOR Associates, tapped into THE UNDEAD with Zombie-centric submissions. Check out the video:
These DR Marketing companies dolled themselves up as Zombies and Zombified their DR products. The result was flesh-eatingly perfect!
https://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ZOMBIE_0919.mov.00_03_31_22.Still031_Beautune_20160930.jpg10801920Webmasterhttps://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logo-tagline.pngWebmaster2016-09-30 17:15:202019-05-24 14:53:19DRTV Zombie Dance 2016 produced by Concepts TV
LAS VEGAS, NV (September 20th, 2016) Concepts TV Productions, the NJ based Direct Response Production Company, received the first annual Pro Bono Moxie Award at the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) Award ceremony.
ERA is a non-profit trade association for direct response and infomercial companies that sell goods and services on the internet, TV and at ‚“As Seen on TV” retail stores. Each year, Moxie Awards are presented to the greatest direct response marketing campaigns. This year the first annual pro bono award was given to the team at Concepts TV for ItStartsWithAGirl.org. Concepts TV traveled to India to create a video presentation to raise funds in an effort to break the cycle of poverty and provide education for girls in rural India.
Jon Calderaro, Vice President of Operations at Concepts TV said, ‚“I was very touched by the stories of the girls at the school and amazed at the level of commitment from the teachers. They are amazing people that are volunteering to make a difference and, from what I can see, it’s working.” To see the complete video, go to https://www.ItStartsWithAGirl.org/.
Collette Liantonio, President and Creative Director at Concepts TV stated, ‚“I felt really blessed to have been a part of this project and so grateful to receive this award. I hope in some way my involvement will inspire other DRTV professionals to be a part of giving back.”
Concepts TV Productions, currently based in Fairfield, N.J., is one of the world’s most experienced producers of DRTV commercials and infomercials. Concepts TV strives to participate in fundraising and philanthropic efforts from causes such as March of Dimes, The Wheelchair Foundation, NJ State Organization of Cystic Fibrosis and the Essex County Family Justice Center for Domestic Violence.
https://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kripalu4.jpg6801024Rachel Leskanichttps://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logo-tagline.pngRachel Leskanic2016-09-20 13:04:282019-06-14 13:17:14Concepts TV Productions Receives the First Annual Pro Bono Moxie Award
With 10 years plus at Concepts TV, the growth I have witnessed is remarkable! I have seen the company grow from 9 employees in 2006 to the current 15. Of course the number one goal in any business is to grow the client base but the domino effect that takes place is endless. When I joined Concepts TV, we occupied the 2 upper levels of a charming Victorian home, with a swimming pool in the backyard which we utilized for shoots and an occasional afternoon swim. With the staff growing not only did we need more office space but parking was a nightmare! There went the swimming pool! Filling in the pool to accommodate additional parking spots became a necessity. And incorporating the 1st level into our office space was a huge help.
As the Finance/ HR Director, for me having a door on my office was unquestionably a must but somehow never possible! My first office, in the reception area had ZERO privacy, always needing to whisper or go to a different office should a sensitive issue arise. My 2nd home at Concepts was the 1st level living room. Although much larger, still no door! With the kitchen neighboring my new space, lunch time or kitchen shoots made confidential conversations quite challenging. So last year when Concepts TV realized a lifelong dream of building a 10,000 square foot new office with our very own studio, I thought finally a door!
We are currently under construction building our state-of-the-art studio and offices where we hope to bring our number of staff members to an all-time high and bring our business to a whole new level. Launching Concepts TV medical marketing division earlier this year is just one of the many areas where we plan to grow and reach out to new clients. With our new home scheduled for completion in the fall, we look forward to opening many new doors including Mine!
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We may be masterminds in Direct Response Television, but using social media takes a whole different skill set. Concepts TV can help your brand reach its greatest potential simply by knowing the ‚“best times to post” across select platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn). According to HubSpot, the best times to post for Facebook are as follows:
The best times to post on Twitter:
The best times to post on Instagram:
The best times to post on LinkedIn:
Knowing the appropriate times to post for optimal viewership is the first step in gaining brand recognition. The second step is to know how often to post before it gets ‚“annoying”. Don’t waste your time thinking, ‚“the more, the better”. I recommend sticking to a few posts that contain impactful content. According to eClincher, the ideal amount to post on Facebook is a minimum of 5 per week (one per day) and no more than 10 per week, while limiting it to one per day on the weekend.
Twitter is a different story. Tweets tend to get lost and overthrown by others tweeting, so tweet like there’s no tomorrow! The lifespan of posts on Twitter are significantly shorter than on Facebook. If 2 hours have gone by, your post will be long gone into the abyss. Due to the large range of frequencies and time zones, the appropriate amount to tweet on Twitter according to eClincher is 4-15 times per day (including retweets). Sharing similar content multiple times per day allows your followers to view it before it vanishes.
Instagram is easy to use and intriguing to scroll through. Since Instagram is more about visually appealing content, be sure to share ‚“behind the scenes” photos and/or videos of what happens within a business. According to a Union Metrics study, brands post an average of 1.5 times a day, but don’t be afraid to exceed that it all depends on the brand. Union Metrics states, ‚“Stick to a regular posting schedule, but generally don’t post more than a few times a day. One or two great posts a day is better than 10 mediocre posts.”
LinkedIn is sought to be the ‚“back up” social platform of choice, but think again. According to Buffer Social, LinkedIn is just as important as Facebook and posting a total of 20 times per month is key (once per weekday), but avoid weekends. Business professionals tend to favor LinkedIn over other networks in order to cater to a more professional audience for the ideal engagement.
Moving on to topics of interest how can a target audience find your brand? By using Hashtags’. According to Dictionary.com, a hashtag is, ‚“a word or phrase (on social media websites) preceded by a hash mark (#), used within a message to identify a keyword or topic of interest and facilitate a search for it.” In plain terms, a hashtag helps viewers find photos, videos, and information pertaining to topics of interest. When posting across social media, be sure to use multiple #hashtags’ as a tool, so that potential followers can find your brands’ content more easily.
Don’t have time to post every single day? Hate having to juggle all your social networking platforms individually? Using Hootsuite, a helpful social media managing tool, allows users to schedule posts in weeks even months in advance. It also provides analytical reports for each social platform and access to engage with audiences all in one place. With the busy schedule of productions here at Concepts TV, using Hootsuite at least once a week has definitely helped plan posts for weeks ahead.
Next time you think about posting across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn keep in mind when to post, how often, and the helpful tools for successful social outreach. Get noticed and make a difference with the content you share without being irritating. Be sure to check out Concepts TV’s social platforms:
For every project, the production team sits down for an initial project kick-off meeting. Among a variety of other topics related to the project, we talk extensively about props. Props as in give each other compliments? No... I mean we talk about what items we will need to have in both the foreground and background to make our product shine.
The ultimate goal of these meetings is to choose props that enhance the scene. While the product featured in the commercial is the star’, props can be looked at as the supporting cast’. As a team, every prop is chosen carefully so that it never distracts or pulls focus from our 'star' of the show, the product.
As the project continues, the script is written, and this is where the props team kicks into high gear. Every scene is dissected by what is written for the visual as well as the audio. Here is an example of a visual: ‚“NEGATIVE: Woman in kitchen creating a mess making soup”.
To the untrained eye, that vague description means very little. For my Producer eyes, it is a treasure-trove of information... It means we need to scour our prop warehouse to organize cutting boards, pots, pans, knives, ladles, hand towels, and kitchen trinkets for the background. I start making a list of items we need to shop for. For this example, visions of carrots, celery, onions and other soup materials start to dance in my head. And I don't mean just one celery stalk... We need to prepare for 10 plus takes to get the shot just right which adds up to a lot of veggies at the market! This list of items is just for one scene out of 20 plus within any given commercial, so you can imagine how quickly the list of props grows for one spot!
After days prepping, shopping, and packing we get to the shoot day. This is where I put my proactive producer hat on and the team kicks into overdrive. Every prop and background trinket gets organized on long tables by scene order. These massive tables of ‚“stuff” may look like a disaster area. To me, it is chaos organized and re-assurance that we have done our part to ensure each scene change goes smoothly and our shoot remains on schedule.
As the shoot day moves on and scenes are completed, the prop tables slowly empty out. Trinkets that appear in the background for a mere 1-2 seconds, are sorted, gingerly wrapped up and packed away into awaiting production cars. The prop warehouse is re-stocked, purchased items are returned and the cycle repeats itself with the next project kick off call
So the next time you watch a DRTV commercial, take some time to give us props’ for a job well done!
Prop table from a recent shoot, Note this is just for 3 scenes!
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Summer is around the corner and there is no time to wait to get your body right for the warm weather. If you have a wedding in 130 days (but who’s counting), a vacation, family reunion or you just want to feel good about yourself than keep reading this blog is for you!
Here are some products that I have had the opportunity to use at Concepts TV Productions. I know they will make you feel refreshed and ready for some sunny days!
no!no!
Wouldn’t it be nice to be hair and care free for the summer? Don’t do what I’ve done and waste hundreds of dollars at a professional lasers treatment center. They are painful, costly, take forever and they do not guarantee the client will see results. no!no! is fast pain free and promises immediate lasting results. One of my favorite things about no!no! is that I can easily carry it with me every day and use it wherever, whenever! Say goodbye to that peach fuzz and hello to the undeniably smooth, hair free skin you deserve!
Maxi Climber
For those of you interested in toning all of your muscle groups on just one simple machine, this one’s for you! Maxi Climber works your entire body - combining weight resistance, muscle toning and aerobic exercise. Climb your way to that summer body you’ve always wanted! Maxi Climber will help tone, shapely arms, rock-hard abs, sexy six packs, and help to get leaner, shapelier legs.
Veggetti
We all know that healthy diets and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to losing weight. But did you know with Veggetti you do not have to compromise with the foods you love? Veggetti is the vegetable cutter that makes healthy "pasta" out of veggies. You can prepare a delicious, low carb meal out of zucchini, squash, carrots, cucumbers and more! Perfect combination with MaxiClimber to get the lean, mean body you have always desired.
Ped Egg
Oldie but for sure a goodie! ‚“What sexy dry feet you have!” said NO ONE EVER!
Before you even think about putting sandal on or going barefoot to the beach please make sure your feet are groomed!
In just seconds you can go from dry and cracked skin to smooth and sexy skin! Simply rub Ped Egg across the surface of your soles to reveal younger, smoother, softer skin. The dead skin is neatly collected in the egg so there is no mess to clean up after. Show off your summer soles with the help of Ped Egg.
AB Archer
Nothing screams ‚“SEXY” louder than chiseled abs. If you want awesome abs without killing your back doing crunches you’ll love AB Bow! It’s the safe and most effective way to get the results you want. It’s like having your own personal trainer right in the comfort of your home. Does it get any better than that? There are different resistant levels so you can start today at the beginner level and find yourself at the advanced level in no time!
Now you know what products to use to be hair free, fit, hygienically groomed and eating healthy. These will help bring out the best version of you there is.
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As the Visual Effects Director at Concepts TV, the best compliment I can get is when you don’t notice my work. Blemish removal, object removal, color swapping, chroma keying, and on rare occasions adding a completely new product into an already existing scene in post production.
Case in point: If your talent comes in for a shoot riddled with sunburn, and with no chance of rescheduling. What do you do? You need an expert compositor to isolate the skin tone, and manipulate the hue and color. The work I do can save thousands of dollars, and eliminate headaches.
When it comes to commercial content, we approach everything with a ‚“mute” button in mind. For example, if a consumer isn’t hearing what a product can offer. The visuals need to tell a complete story. By isolating the small of someones back, and adding a glow effect. You’re reinforcing the pain in that area. Add your talents movements to the mix, and you’re in need of motion tracking and rotoscoping to really sell the idea that they are in pain.
https://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logo-tagline.png00Webmasterhttps://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logo-tagline.pngWebmaster2016-04-15 20:08:192019-05-24 15:09:45The Magic of Post Production
Which is right for your product? Here’s 2 questions to ask yourself before starting production:
Does your product need an explanation or does the demo speak for itself?
Shooting and airing a 2 minute commercial may be more affordable than a half hour infomercial, but will it be effective? Is that enough time to get your message across? If the demo demonstration or a candid testimonial can instantly explain what the product does a short form may be right for you.
Tip: Animation is a very effective tool to quickly demonstrate the inner’ workings of a product. Here are some examples of some winning short form commercials:
If the product needs more explanation, scientific research or a clinical test group, a long form infomercial allows you the necessary time to grab and hook the consumer. Here are some examples of some winning long form commercials:
If you can part with your product for $19.99 short form is right for you! If your product is a high ticket item, you might need the extra selling time to convince the consumer. For example: If you are selling workout equipment, fill the screen with heartfelt testimonials and before & after photos so they can visualize themselves losing the weight. Compare your machine to others and why yours will make them lose more weight in less time. With a high ticket item, the more reinforcement the easier the sell.
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In the business of production we are constantly multi tasking and juggling many projects at one time. Sometimes these projects bring us to different parts of the globe and force us to leave our home base in order to make the projects all they can be.
Working in New Jersey is great as we have access to amazing crews and talent. What we don’t always have access to is great weather, for example. Therefore we are sometimes forced to think outside the box on what location can help us achieve our visual goal. Traveling for work can be great but it is also time consuming and sometimes affects our personal lives. Its important to have a good balance and look ahead at projects to make sure we can keep up with regular work and life and still complete our projects with flying colors and with as little stress as possible.
Since rejoining the Concepts team in January I have already racked up a ton of airline miles traveling to shoots and networking events from California all the way to our latest project in India! It’s just business as usual here at Concepts. Being a seasoned traveler myself I am at ease on the road and embrace each new experience in its own way. It’s always nice though to return home and put things in perspective until the next trip. These days there hasn’t been a whole lot of time at home to reflect but Im trying although finding that balance has been a challenge.
Here are 5 things that can help achieve that balance:
1. Healthy diet An important key to maintaining balance is maintaining a healthy diet on the road. The road sometimes can be a place where anything goes diet wise but it is important to try to stick with good foods rich in nutrition and drink lots of water.
2. Exercise Before going anywhere seek out if your hotel has a gym or a jogging route that can be followed. Then allow yourself time to get there before meetings or in the evening before client dinners.
3. Calendars Keeping a calendar can help you remember important things such as birthdays and events of family and friends. Its easy to overlook these things when you are in a different city or country each week.
4. Vitamins Remembering to take vitamins daily is another good routine that will not only help you maintain your health on the road but it can also remind you how many days you have left at your current location. I like to bring just the right amount of vitamins with me where ever I go. As the vitamins dwindle down I know my trip will soon be coming to an end.
5. Sleep Getting at least 7-8 hours a sleep a night is one of the most important things you can do for your body to achieve balance. Our bodies and minds need rest and when we are traveling we need to still allow ourselves time for proper rest even if it some of the sleep happens to be on airplanes! Bring your favorite travel pillow and a sleep mask along with headphones and some music or podcasts. I find I can block out the elements on an airplane with these items.
These are just a few things that can help achieve balance for the traveling employee we must constantly remind ourselves of them!
REMINDER: Flight 1765 now ready for boarding ..Uh oh that’s my cue gotta go!
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I will say that in my short time here at Concepts TV, if you consider 8 months being a short time, I have witnessed my fair share of animal productions. I used to watch these commercials and think, how the heck do they get these cats and dogs to do exactly what they need them to do? Now I know the secret the secret is patience, diligence, and LOTS of treats.
Every shoot is different but adding animals to the mix makes it a whole new ball game. It is no longer about getting the actor to smile or cry and telling them what to press and when. Now, it’s all about being completely silent so that we don’t scare the animals and stocking up on spray catnip. Does this make our jobs harder? Absolutely. Does this make our jobs more fun? Without a doubt! There’s nothing like hours of work spent cuddling with cats and playing with dogs (I promise we do work in between the cuddles!).
For cat shoots, we have our very own in house cat whisperer (VP of Sales Kristy Pinand) who always comes prepared, and by that I mean she has lasers in her back pocket and a cat toy in her hand at all times. One of the biggest differences between regular shoots and cat shoots is that we bring a select few people to our cat shoots. We could never keep the cats calm and collected with three crewmen, four actors, and five Concepts TV members stomping around! Another perk of cat shoots is we get to travel from location to location, which can even include a cat shelter or two. Shelters are the best, because we can get the most cats in the quickest way possible. Plus, we get to donate to the shelter and help a great cause!
For dog shoots, it’s all me, the self-proclaimed dog whisperer, organizing the massive amount of dog treats and squeaky toys. These shoots can be both easier and more challenging. Most dogs we use are pretty well trained, they know their commands and listen to their owners. However, these dogs are also bigger and generally much more energetic! Give a cat some catnip and they’ll roll around playfully. Give a dog some treats, and they’ll run around like a maniac.
No matter how tough they may be, you will never hear me turn down a chance to be at a cat and/or dog shoot. With lasers, dog treats and cat nips in our pockets, it’s time for another animal shoot!
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Nothing fills me with more hope and happiness than sipping champagne and petting therapy dogs, and that’s just what I got to do at Creature Comfort’s 4th Annual Champagne Brunch. Accompanied by my father, we walked forward through the front door to greet Molly and Gracie, pet therapy dogs who were hired’ to lick the faces of every guest. Our next stop was to purchase raffle tickets from the volunteers at the table. Up for grabs were tickets to a few purses, Giants game, a bicycle, and various spa gift cards. After getting rid of every little green Admit One ticket, we proceeded to our seats.
As we sat down, our Table 5 partner introduced herself as Jean Baile and all three of us immediately broke into conversation. She shared miraculous stories about her tiny Jack Russel Terrier who had been a therapy dog for a few years now. She traveled with him to schools, hospitals and even nursing homes. The best part of her stories was hearing not only the joy from the clients, but the joy brought to her and her puppy.
Our next conversation was with the lady on the opposite side of us. Her miniature Dachshund, Lilly, had been in one of our commercials and the story she told us was truly a miracle. Jan Kulick had heard of a young girl who was suffering from a constant seizure lasting 36 hours. When Jan and Lilly arrived at the hospital, the young girl’s mother thought to bring Lilly to meet her daughter. In an instant, the seizures subsided; just by a simple pet of Lilly’s head. She then explained to us that miracles like these are only possibly with the help of Creature Comfort who provide the therapy dogs and their owners with so many choices on where to visit and how to get involved.
After the side conversations faded, the owners, Annie Murphy and Joan Beth Baer, began talking about how they got started with the company. They began working for St Hubert’s Hospital with therapy animals. After witnessing just how many people were impacted in a single hospital, they got together with the idea of beginning their own business where they could provide pet therapy for people at many different places ranging from children’s hospitals to elder care facilities. In November 2011, that idea became reality and the non-profit organization spent the next few years providing people who were in need of comfort or therapy with a dependable, expansive network of caring volunteers devoted to sharing their pet’s love. Today, they have a total of more than 160 pet therapy teams which even include several unusual animals. So if you don’t want a dog, see if their certified cat, rabbit, potbelly pig, or even miniature horse is available!
After hearing the history of the company and how it came to be, they invited a hospital worker and another therapy dog owner on to the stage. Both of their stories were what anyone would consider, absolute miracles. A completely unresponsive woman in hospice care, woken up by the simple pet of a dog’s head. A young cancer patient whose day was made by a kiss from a puppy. By the end, everyone in the crowd had watery eyes and tears streaked faces that could only be the product of the inspiring tales told. After a fifteen minute applause, they began calling out the raffle ticket winners. And guess who won the green Vera Bradley purse? Me!
If you are interested in the organization or want to see more, please visit their website http://www.ccpettherapy.org/.
P.S. I’ve already signed my puppy up to be a therapy dog, and you should too!
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The summer is winding down and while most people are sad to see their weekends at the beach come to an end, everyone in the Direct Response industry is gearing up for the biggest trade show of the year ERA D2C Las Vegas! Read more
This year’s ERA European Conference was held in Barcelona on June 21st - 23rd. With nearly 400 DRTV representatives on site hailing from close to 50 different countries, many executives from the world’s leading companies in the business were in attendance. Enter Collette Liantonio. Read more
Concepts TV attended The Great Ideas Summit 2015 this week in Miami Beach, FL from Monday, January 26th through Wednesday, January 28th. This annual trade show brings together the most influential leaders in the Direct Response industry for the purpose of holding high-powered meetings, closing global deals and developing new digital marketing strategies...
Webmasterhttps://conceptstv.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/logo-tagline.pngWebmaster2015-01-29 16:48:402019-06-14 13:48:35Concepts Attends The Great Ideas Summit 2015
