Using testimonials in DRTV

It is a common practice to use testimonials in a DRTV campaign. In fact, many DRTV adverts rely mainly on demonstrations and subsequently testimonials of “real” people talking about the advantages of the product and how they benefited from it. Testimonials give an authentic spin to the product and help the target audience relate to the testifying persons and subsequently, to the product itself. Testimonials can be about various aspects of the product including, ease of use, efficacy, its improving effect on people’s lives and etc.

But recently, an NBC Dateline expose revealed how some misleading DRTV infomercials used paid actors to give “real life” testimonials. There was no large-scale product use, no documentation of term use, no statistical significance, no documentation of actual results, no creditable conclusions and so on. Although this unfair practice is not wide-spread, it is important for the DRTV industry to rally and assure the customer about the authenticity of testimonials, by and large. Recruitment of testimonials for compensation without full disclosure is not an accepted practice by the FTC or industry leaders. The DRTV industry should do everything they can to ensure that on-camera testimonials of experience and results are truthful and accurate.