After making its debut on QVC this past February, Williamsburg is back on the air at the home shopping channel. The gifts and home decor cataloger filmed a QVC episode on Nov. 5.
Holiday was the theme of the Nov. 5 show, which focused on items for gift giving and for decorating. Williamsburg has also appeared on a September QVC broadcast that focused on early holiday shopping.
“The QVC customer is our customer,” says Sally McConnell, director of brand strategy and marketing communications for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “She loves QVC, she loves Williamsburg products and she has often been a visitor to Colonial Williamsburg and deeply supports our educational mission.”
Sales of Williamsburg products support the preservation, research and educational programs of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the organization that oversees the restored colonial capital in Williamsburg, VA.
What’s more, McConnell says, “There is nothing like a live broadcast to show the beauty of the product, describe its attributes and create a sense of excitement.” Plans call for more Williamsburg appearances on QVC next year, she says.
A Williamsburg episode on QVC typically begins with introductory dialogue between Williamsburg home stylist Cindy Cragg and the QVC host. They talk about the product categories visitors will see, and focus on Williamsburg’s relationship with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Footage of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area is interspersed with visuals of the products and in-studio footage of Cragg and the host showing products. Cragg and the host talk about contemporary uses for the available products, as well as the historic inspiration behind the pieces Williamsburg is evidently pleased with sales numbers generated by appearances on QVC, but it would not release specific numbers.
Does Williamsburg have to staff up its contact for a QVC broadcast? No, says Jim Easton, vice president of the products division for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “Our staffing levels allow us to handle significant spikes in call volume.”