Before there were algorithm-driven ad platforms, influencer dashboards, and pixel-based attribution models, there was something else guiding the direct response industry: Response Magazine.
For over two decades, Response served as the beating heart of the direct marketing world—especially for those of us in the trenches of DRTV, print, and digital media buying. It wasn’t just a trade publication. It was a movement. A meeting place. A pulse check on an industry that was always evolving but never losing sight of its core principle: performance over perception.
A Platform for Performance Marketers
Launched in the early 1990s, Response Magazine became the go-to resource for everything related to direct response advertising. It covered the latest innovations in DRTV, telemarketing, print, direct mail, mobile, and—eventually—digital.
More importantly, it gave voice to the people driving results. Media buyers, creative directors, fulfillment firms, call centers, tech vendors, and client-side marketers all had a seat at the table. Response didn’t just report on campaigns—it celebrated them.
Its signature features included:
- Campaign breakdowns and performance data
- Profiles of leading DRTV brands and marketers
- Annual Response Expo previews and recaps
- Insights into changing FTC guidelines, attribution methods, and media platforms
For many of us, having your campaign featured in Response wasn’t just PR. It was a badge of honor.
Response Expo: The Community Hub
Of course, Response wasn’t just a magazine. It was the force behind the Response Expo, held annually in San Diego. If you worked in the space—media buyer, product owner, creative agency, network rep—you were there.
It was equal parts trade show and family reunion. You’d walk through the exhibit hall and bump into someone who’d sold $200 million worth of ab machines. Step into a panel session and hear war stories from legends like Greg Renker or Suzanne Somers’ marketing team.
For years, Response Expo was the one place where DRTV insiders could share tactics, toast successes, and build real partnerships. Deals were made in hallways. Innovations were born over drinks. The spirit of the industry thrived in person.
Why It Mattered
In a world increasingly obsessed with branding and vanity metrics, Response Magazine kept its focus where it belonged: results. It didn’t care how cool your ad looked—it cared how it performed. That mindset shaped how a generation of marketers thought about media, messaging, and measurement.
It was also one of the few places that treated direct response with the seriousness and professionalism it deserved. Long before “performance marketing” became a buzzword in digital, Response was laying the groundwork—defining what it meant to launch, test, scale, and win.
The End of an Era
Like many print publications, Response Magazine eventually folded under the weight of changing consumption habits and shrinking trade budgets. The magazine ceased publication in the late 2010s, and the Response Expo wound down shortly after.
But its impact lingers. The network it built, the case studies it published, the strategies it documented—they’re still referenced by marketers, agencies, and brand builders today. It preserved the history of an entire marketing discipline and legitimized a channel often misunderstood by traditional media.
Carrying the Torch
Here at Infomercial.com, we owe a debt to Response. The legacy it created is still very much alive—in the campaigns we run, the performance we chase, and the innovations we document for the next generation.
If you ever paged through an issue looking for insight or shook hands with a future partner at the Response Expo, you’re part of that legacy too.
So here’s to Response Magazine—the original voice of performance marketing.
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