Broadcast News
Getting good reception on the air
What a difference a year makes. When QVC, the world's
largest electronic retailer, embarked on its yearlong search for
1,000 of the best American-made products in January 1995, nobody
knew exactly what to expect (see "On the Air," April
1995). But now that the 50-state tour has ended, the event has
"exceeded all our expectations on every level," says Bill
Lane, QVC's vice president for new markets.
Indeed, when it was all over, QVC's "Quest for
America's Best-QVC's 50 in 50 Tour" (which began in
Texas and wrapped up in Hawaii last December) gave more than 15,000
eager
entrepreneurs the chance to show QVC buyers their regional
products. A total of 1,000 winners were selected, and their wares,
ranging from carpet cleaners and Cajun marinades to nasal dilators
and make-your-own-jerky kits, were all broadcast live from
QVC's studio-in-a-bus.
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Overall, the tour sold 2.5 million units and generated an
impressive $53 million in total gross orders. But while the numbers
are dizzying, some say the whole experience has also succeeded in
raising the hopes and expectations of entrepreneurs everywhere.
"I think they got the message that retailers are interested
in them, and that they can get their products seen on a national
level," contends Lane.
In addition, dozens of winning products that sold well on the
local three-hour live shows later became part of QVC's regular
programming. And for those whose products didn't exactly get
phones ringing off the hooks? "We hope they learned something
by talking to a QVC buyer," says Lane, "and that they
received some education on how to market their products in the
future."
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