Skin care company Avvaa tests DRTV effort

Avvaa, a Canada-based seller of skin care products, launched a two-week DRTV test in the US on October 5. The test features two-minute, 60-second and 30-second spots on 100 stations.

The spots aim to drive Internet and phone sales of Avvaa's Neuroskin Psoriasis Relief product among new customers. Avvaa prepared "hard sell" and "soft sell" versions, said Lorie Campbell-Farley, president and COO of Avvaa World Health Care. The test features the two-minute hard-sell and 30- and 60-second soft-sell versions. Its goal is to find out which approach works better.

"The hard sell basically has the price on it," Campbell-Farley explained. "You're qualifying the consumer by telling them what the price is. In the soft sell, there's no price — the consumer picks up the phone to find out."

Avvaa worked with Toronto-based Creative Bube Tube on the creative. It also will work with its call center, Synergex, to determine the effectiveness of each ad. All three firms consult on media buying.

Avvaa has set a goal for the campaign to bring in $2 in sales for every dollar it spends on the effort.

"Each commercial and each station has its own 1-800 number, so we can track it at the end of our test," Campbell-Farley said.