PriMedia Inc
U.S. media buying and marketing firm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PriMedia Inc is a media buying and marketing firm based in Rhode Island, U.S.[2][3] The company was founded by Ed Valenti and Barry Becher,[4][5] and helped pioneer infomercials, the use of credit cards and 800 numbers on Television ads, and the 30-minute infomercial format on shopping channels.[6][7][2]
| Industry | Media buying |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Dial Media |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | James J. Cooney |
| Website | www |
History
PriMedia (then named Dial Media) was founded in 1975 by Ed Valenti and Barry Becher.[8] PriMedia became the first major infomercial company and launched several mainstream products including the Ginsu knives.[9] The company also developed the “long-form” infomercial formats, which later developed into standard half-hour infomercial formats used in Home shopping channels including QVC and HSN. Primedia was one of the first to use toll-free telephone numbers in television ads to allow use of credit cards to order products in real-time.[10]
James J. Cooney, who was a teenager when he first met the firm's co-founders, later joined the firm.[citation needed][a]
Notes
- Cooney didn't co-found the company. He met Valenti and Becher after they founded the company in 1975, when he was 16 or 17.