Rick Cesari
Encyclopedia
Rick Cesari has been responsible for many successful infomercial
campaigns. Under his direction, his agency, Cesari Direct produced campaigns for OxiClean
, George Foreman Grill
, Sonicare
, Rug Doctor, Eagle One, and for his own company, the Juiceman Juicer
.
, USA. After school and on weekends, he was expected to work in his father's grocery store. Cesari earned a pre-medical degree before moving to the western United States to join a direct mail
marketing partnership. In 1989, Cesari and his brother Steve took out a home-equity loan on their mother's house to raise money to open their own business.
The new company was known as Trillium Health Products. The company ran seminars on proper nutrition and also sold a juicer
, known as the Juiceman, and a smaller version known as the Juiceman, Jr. The Juiceman Juicer was marketed with direct marketing. Its annual revenues in 1989 were $950,000 and had jumped to over $75 million by 1991.
In 1993, Cesari and his brother sold their company to Salton Inc., and Cesari created Cesari Direct (formerly known as CRTV), which specializes in direct marketing. Cesari Direct produces infomercials, buys the media to display them, provides web development as well as SEM
and SEO
and manages back-end veders that are responsible for taking orders. One of his first large deals was with Optiva (the makers of Sonicare), to market their electric toothbrushes. Between 1994 and 1996, Optiva realized a 338% jump in sales.
Generally, 10% of direct marketing campaigns are successful, but as of 1997, Cesari Direct had a 70% success rate. Among their successful products are OxiClean
, the George Foreman Grill, and the Sonicare Toothbrush. "'The power of the infomercial is twofold', Cesari said. 'One, you have a whole half-hour to tell the story of the product as opposed to 30 seconds or 60 seconds. The second aspect is it basically creates a subsidized advertising program.'"
Cesari was also involved in the 2007 creation of the venture capital firm The Branding Foundry, which provides both money and marketing expertise to startup companies.
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
campaigns. Under his direction, his agency, Cesari Direct produced campaigns for OxiClean
OxiClean
-History:It was originally marketed through infomercials in the U.S. and Canada with Billy Mays, as a "miracle cleanser". Church and Dwight acquired the OxiClean brand through its acquisition of Orange Glo International in 2006. Endorsed by Mays until his death in 2009, the product is now seen...
, George Foreman Grill
George Foreman Grill
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
, Sonicare
Sonicare
Sonicare is an electric toothbrush manufactured by Philips.-Product and technology:The brush head vibrates at hundreds of times per second, with the latest models at 31,000 strokes per minute...
, Rug Doctor, Eagle One, and for his own company, the Juiceman Juicer
Juiceman Juicer
The Juiceman Juicer was one of the first products and brands to be sold and built through the infomercial format at the peak of the juicing craze in the summer of 1992. Years later, the Juiceman continues to be discussed in talks about infomercials and their successes. The Juiceman show featured...
.
Biography
Rick Cesari, along with his older brother Steve and six younger siblings, was raised in suburban Westchester County, New YorkWestchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, USA. After school and on weekends, he was expected to work in his father's grocery store. Cesari earned a pre-medical degree before moving to the western United States to join a direct mail
Direct mail
Advertising mail, also known as direct mail, junk mail, or admail, is the delivery of advertising material to recipients of postal mail. The delivery of advertising mail forms a large and growing service for many postal services, and direct-mail marketing forms a significant portion of the direct...
marketing partnership. In 1989, Cesari and his brother Steve took out a home-equity loan on their mother's house to raise money to open their own business.
The new company was known as Trillium Health Products. The company ran seminars on proper nutrition and also sold a juicer
Juicer
A juicer is a tool for extracting juice from fruits, vegetables, or wheatgrass. This is known as juicing.-Citrus juicer:A citrus juicer is used for squeezing juice from soft-centered, citrus fruits . It has a conical ridged center...
, known as the Juiceman, and a smaller version known as the Juiceman, Jr. The Juiceman Juicer was marketed with direct marketing. Its annual revenues in 1989 were $950,000 and had jumped to over $75 million by 1991.
In 1993, Cesari and his brother sold their company to Salton Inc., and Cesari created Cesari Direct (formerly known as CRTV), which specializes in direct marketing. Cesari Direct produces infomercials, buys the media to display them, provides web development as well as SEM
Search engine marketing
Search engine marketing, , is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages through the use of paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion...
and SEO
Search engine optimization
Search engine optimization is the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via the "natural" or un-paid search results...
and manages back-end veders that are responsible for taking orders. One of his first large deals was with Optiva (the makers of Sonicare), to market their electric toothbrushes. Between 1994 and 1996, Optiva realized a 338% jump in sales.
Generally, 10% of direct marketing campaigns are successful, but as of 1997, Cesari Direct had a 70% success rate. Among their successful products are OxiClean
OxiClean
-History:It was originally marketed through infomercials in the U.S. and Canada with Billy Mays, as a "miracle cleanser". Church and Dwight acquired the OxiClean brand through its acquisition of Orange Glo International in 2006. Endorsed by Mays until his death in 2009, the product is now seen...
, the George Foreman Grill, and the Sonicare Toothbrush. "'The power of the infomercial is twofold', Cesari said. 'One, you have a whole half-hour to tell the story of the product as opposed to 30 seconds or 60 seconds. The second aspect is it basically creates a subsidized advertising program.'"
Cesari was also involved in the 2007 creation of the venture capital firm The Branding Foundry, which provides both money and marketing expertise to startup companies.