The best way to show the miraculous cleaning power of VANISH OXI ACTION was to create a real-time demonstration of the product. A 15-minute infomercial provided the ideal format - harnessing the advertorial strengths of regular programming with the selling power of the demonstrators. A real-time demonstration also emphasised the speediness of the product to time-poor housewives. The direct-sell infomercial was played out intercut with shorter commercials of 120 and 90 seconds which offered consumers the chance to call up for a money-off coupon for use in-store. Thus the infomercial established awareness and demonstration and generated direct sales while the DRTV ads drove in-store traffic.

This campaign performed way above expectation. Over the December test period, retail sales were up 200% due to this infomercial and couponing activity (there was no other marketing out there). DRTV response was 154% above target. Rolled out into Europe, in one territory the campaign created 35% market share of one major account in just one month - classified by AC Neilsen as the most successful ad the country had ever seen. At last a case showing successful application of direct marketing techniques - adding another tool to the marketing mix.