UK's premier outsource sales company Per DM is questioning whether it is too
late for brands to partake in televised product placement, following the recent
announcement by Oftel that broadcasters can now "legitimately" charge for
product placement on television. The expected scramble by household brands for
these prized placements has begun in earnest.


"For sure this is a step up in brand marketing and brand association in
broadcasting terms and on the face of it a welcome decision" said a Per DM
spokesman. "However with the change in consumer spending patterns and the
explosion of the number of media channels, will the cost of product placement
give a real return on investment?"


The winners in this for sure will be the television broadcasters. Take
Eastenders as a prime example. Here we have a multifaceted, multi cultural,
socially thought provoking soap which portrays life in the UK today. But where
does it begin and where will it end? Will we be seeing famous brands in every
scene? A well known whisky drank on screen by Phil Mitchell perhaps? Or Dot
Cotton pouring the nation's favourite soap powder into a machine in the
launderette while drawing on her cigarette?


"Brand value and equity is as important as brand exposure here and we should
never underestimate the consumer's power of choice" says Jesse Young CEO of Per
DM. In today's world where trust based selling is the common and more and more
purchasing decisions are being made by consumers through peer to peer
recommendations, there is a danger that this new medium may be too little too
late.


Outsource or direct sales organisations such as Per DM already communicate on a
one to one basis with the brands' customers. It's why more and more of the UK's
top brands are factoring in outsource sales strategies to boost revenues. It's
no longer a given that seeing a brand on television will result in a spike in
sales. 


"Brands have to work harder and be more sophisticated in a crowded market place
to cut through and be heard above the noise created by the competition" say Per
DM. "Clarity of thinking through innovative strategies and being faithful to
brand values will always pay dividends". 


As the television broadcasters rub their hands in anticipation and develop "Rate
Cards" for their product placement slots, the viewer is already engaged, being
entertained and sold to in many other ways through many, many channels. Whether
it's through terrestrial television, satellite, cable, on-line or all of them,
consumers hold the ultimate power of choice. Companies such as Per DM never
forget this and constantly work with the top brands to ensure that they engage
directly and ethically with their customers ensuring brand satisfaction. 


Per DM Contact Marketing Limited was established in August 2005 in response to
the UK markets' need for a field sales organisation capable of delivering high
quality results with consistency and reliability.


The company was formed by a group of former UK financial services executives and
senior executives from the leading North American field sales agency and since
2005 we have continually recruited leading figures from the B2C and B2B business
arena.