Television commercials can feel like an old-fashioned play, even obsolete, as digital marketing and streaming have upended the industry. But TV advertising continues to be one of the most effective means of reaching mass audiences, of establishing brand recognition, and of achieving business results. Even though you may hear about social media and online advertising, TV is paying off big time for companies, big and small.
Knowing why to advertise on TV will assist you in making informed decisions about spending money and getting the best ROI. This all-in-one guide covers the pros and cons of TV advertising, TV ad costs, and how you can make TV ads work for you, so you can decide if it’s worth your time and money to make television part of your advertising lineup.
Television Advertising Still Strong
The landscape has changed, but the fundamentals have not. Television is unmatched for mass communication, because nothing else brings so many people in contact with a message at the same time. When you advertise on TV, you are gaining access to a medium that is uniquely able to blend visual storytelling, emotion, and distribution at scale.
Whereas digital ads can specifically target, for example, cycling enthusiasts, TV means you can reach a wide demographic at one time. This wide reach makes TV very attractive to companies trying to launch new products, build brand awareness, or speak to multiple customer segments simultaneously.
Credibility is also an important determinant of effectiveness of television advertising. TV ads are also often seen as more credible than digital ads – in part because they’re being broadcast on networks that consumers have known for decades, and they’re fancy!
Unmatched Reach and Audience Scale
Television’s potential to reach large audiences is still its greatest strength. Television’s regular peaks can galvanize audiences in the millions, offering advertisers a way to reach them the way no single channels or services could. Shares Sports games, award shows and the most popular TV series often command audience numbers that makes most digital campaigns seem shrimpy.
The scale advantage is not only dependent on the viewer numbers. Television commercials target individuals of all ages, incomes and areas. This demographic variance is what makes TV advertising particularly beneficial for brands with wide appeal or those seeking to grow their customer base.
Regional and local TV advertising creates more targeting options with the same advantages of scale. Local television stations can be used to reach individual geographic markets, which means businesses can target localized audiences in surrounding service areas, gaining more exposure through local advertising than they would nationally, without having to pay for coverage they don’t need.
Building Brand Awareness and Recognition
Television advertisements are good at delivering brand awareness by repeat exposures and intriguing story telling. The audiovisual impact created by the twin components results in numerous touchpoints for brand recall and is great at building brand recognition, which is why TV commercials works best for establishing brand recall.
Once on the air, the power of the story capability that exists so inherently in television enables companies to make emotional connections with the audience. Television spots, unlike their text-based advertising cousins, can communicate nuanced brand messages in narrative, music and images. This emotional investment in the brand frequently results in greater brand loyalty and customer retention.
Advertising through TV also offers creative aspect from anything fixed on to others forms of media. Production value advertising commercials can increase the brand image and regard companies as industry leaders. The cost of a TV ad can communicate to a consumer that a company must be credible.
Credibility and Trust Factor
Television advertising has an inescapable credibility advantage that digital advertising, for better or for worse, often lacks. The professionalism of TV networks, and the production values of TV commercials, lend TV a sense of credibility that works in advertisers’ favor.
It also applies to consumer preferences. TV is still widely perceived by consumers as a trusted source of information and entertainment, which is what reinforces the use of the device as a medium better able to perform on a broader reach and extendable consumer-base. Due to the appointment-based viewing, television viewers are also more open to advertising content.
The veneer of legitimacy that TV networks require from advertisers also lends credibility. In contrast to some digital platforms, where little ad approval is required, television networks tend to enforce more stringent standards about which types of advertisers they will welcome and content they will accept.
Targeting Capabilities and Audience Segmentation
Television advertising can now be targeted as effectively as on any digital platform. With programmatic TV advertising, TV marketers are able to target demographics, interests, behavior, etc., just like all the other channels while still accessing the reach and influence of the TV landscape.
Cable and satellite have detailed audience information to target viewers’ habits, geography, and demographics. By using data to drive impressions, advertisers can better ensure their TV buys drive the action that matters most to them.
The increasing popularity of Connected TV and streaming services has also given targeting capabilities a boost. These new platforms have the wow factor of TV advertising but they have the kind of ‘press-button’ pinpoint precision targeting common in online advertising and that’s nothing short of dynamite.
Integration with Digital Marketing Strategies
TV advertising is highly effective in the context of integrated marketing effort. TV advertising’s wide reach can drive traffic to digital platforms, lift social engagement and raise search volume for brand terms.
Young consumers’ “second screen” behavior has opened up a new frontier for television advertisers. People are frequently on their mobile devices while watching TV, and that allows advertisers to develop multi-channel experiences that last longer than the television ad.
Using TV ads can also enhance digital marketing endeavors by boosting brand awareness and credibility. Consumers who view a brand on TV are also more like to interact with its digital ads and social media content, meaning marketing spend has the potential to be amplified.
Measuring Television Advertising Effectiveness
Using traditional television advertising measurement, simply on the basis of ratings and reach, would have given some advertisers reason to remain passive, but the more advanced measurement methods come with much finer granularity. Sophisticated analytics tools can measure the effect of your television ads on site traffic, conversion rate and brand sentiment.
With attribution modeling, there is a way to measure how TV advertising is actually responsible for acquiring and retaining customers. By observing consumer behavior across various points of contact, it is possible for companies to calculate exactly how much value can be attributed to their investments in television advertising.
Additionally, with more sophisticated measurement comes better tools to integrate television advertising with digital marketing. Marketers can compare how their television advertising effort lifts Web activity, social media participation and search in order to get a full view of campaign effectiveness.
Cost Considerations and Budget Planning
Television advertising is subject to budget limitations, but the cost-per-thousand can be more favorable than competing forms of media – especially if you take reach into account. The trick is knowing how to get the most out of spending money on television commercials.
Television spot production is expensive but it can be recouped over a number of viewings and campaigns. Well-produced creative content can deliver long-term value to mitigate the high up-front investment, and this is particularly true for brands intending long-standing TV advertising campaigns.
The dictation of media buying tactics greatly determine the cost efficiency of TV ads. Collaboration with experienced media buyers, who are familiar with audience behaviors, pricing trends, and negotiation tactics, may maximize advertising budgets and enhance campaign results.
The Future of Television Advertising
The television advertising front has evolved, but certainly not in lockstep with either technology changes or viewer behaviors. CTV, OTT and iTV are all opening up new opportunities for advertisers without losing the traditional advantages of TV advertising.
Paramount in the list of new developments is how it’s now possible to better target, place, and predict a TV campaign with better accuracy due to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technological improvements are leading to a TV advertising that is more efficient and effective.
The merger of TV and digital advertising is spawning hybrid opportunities that take the best aspects of each medium. Those advertisers that figure out how to lean into these new opportunities will be best poised to succeed in the new television advertising industry.
How to Get Your Business Advertised on Television
You can successfully advertise on TV if you know your audience, develop creative that commands attention and place ads that resonate with your target audience. The choice to advertise on TV should be determined by your main objectives and target audience.
Proportion of budget should be allocated to television media and production costs with an eye on the long term brand-building and customer acquisition value. Television advertising is likely to only build over time, and valuable campaigns on television can best be supported with consistent investment over time to maximize impact.
Partnering with seasoned TV advertising pros can make sure your campaigns meet goals — and deliver a high return on investment. Television advertising is incredibly complex, which is why professional guidance is especially important for businesses that are new to the medium.
While television advertising showcases the power of traditional media, implementing AR for brand experiences highlights how emerging technologies are reshaping the way businesses connect with audiences.
