TV Ads, Call Tracking and Local Stores

Donna Bogatin, CEO of VIPOffers.com and a speaker at last year’s ILM show on "hyper-local" sites, pointed out an interesting article on a TV campaign being used (and tracked) by eBay drop-off store QuikDrop to build awareness and drive inquiries to the local QuikDrop outlets.

According to the article:

Consumers can respond to the ads by calling a toll-free telephone number, then leaving a voice-mail message that is automatically e-mailed as an attached audio file to an eBay listing expert in the nearest QuikDrop store, who returns the call and offers advice on many types of household items that sell well on eBay. QuikDrop has franchised stores in 24 states.

Apparently the TV campaign has been very effective. One of the most interesting aspects of it is how phone tracking is tied in both as a functional element of the ad (and routed locally) as well as a tracking tool to measure success.

Ironically, as search moves out of a pure direct response model, TV and other media increasingly will incorporate direct response elements in order to prove their effectiveness or lack thereof — as the case may be.