TV Advertising

The Relevance of TV Advertising for Your Business

In spite of what many digital evangelists say about TV advertising, it remains a very significant medium for promoting ad messages. Although a large number of millennials consume video content via their smartphones, they also find time to watch their favourite shows and reality programs live on TV. However, that is not to say TV is perfect.

If you are like most small business owners, you are probably curious but tentative about advertising your products or services on TV. Although, it is expensive, TV advertising has arguably the highest return on advertising spend, so it is definitely an appealing medium for small business owners.

Why is TV Advertising still relevant today?

On average, the entire population spends about four and half hours each day watching television. As a lean back medium, TV is one of the most popular contemporary relaxation activities. If you run a business, advertising on television allows you showcase your offerings to a wide audience.

In recent times, video has proven itself one of the most engaging methods of communication. Advertisers can take ownership and demonstrate the benefits of their products- the packaging, use situations and call to action. In advertising, it usually takes multiple touch points to influence consumers’ purchase behaviour effectively. TV advertising makes this a lot easier.

What does it take to run an effective TV advertising campaign?

Creating an effective TV ad first requires a good script that highlights a convincing offer. Ads must also be well produced, and for this reason it is advisable to work with a full-service marketing communications agency. The agency will organise your campaign and provide a creative direction for its execution. It will also ensure the message appeals to our target audience in a way that inspires them to act.

Is television advertising more effective than print or radio?

Yes, to a large extent. Most of the time, print media is limited to specific regions and is easy to miss key target groups. More so, it does not provide a highly flexible medium as TV advertising does. Radio advertising may offer room for audio and have a wide reach, but it lacks the necessary visual elements to compete with TV advertising. TV covers a large area, is very visual and can be richly interactive.

What does it mean by targeted audience opportunities?

With TV, businesses can reach targeted audiences by buying advertising spots during their favourite shows. For example, the Pop Idol shows targets families including teens aged 13 – 19 years and parents in their early 30s to late 40s. A family theme park can choose to air its 15 second ad spot during that period. As long as the demographic is right, well-executed and placed TV ads can drive attention, interest, desire and action.

Additionally, entrepreneurs can narrow down their reach to a close-knit demographic by advertising on local TV stations. This is a huge contrast to newspapers that communicate with a larger audience group instead of a targeted one. Radio listeners have a tendency to switch between channels more frequently, thus reducing its efficacy in comparison with TV advertising.

Is TV advertising not too expensive?

True, this is a legitimate concern. While national TV advertising may be out of the price range of many small business owners, advertising on local TV stations and cable television are surprisingly affordable. Furthermore, it is not so difficult to purchase TV schedules. Why? Because regardless of the demographic your audience falls into, there exists a suitable programming on TV that appeals to them.

Each station caters to different audiences every day. Schedules may include cartoons, talk TV, celebrity, soaps, movies, sports, news, prime time programme, realty and so on. Each programme has a package you can select within your budget. Better still, a marketing communications agency with experience can buy spots that suit your advertising goals.

Why can’t I simply produce and buy my own ad spots?

Although this is an option, writing TV advertising is not as easy as it seems. For one, it requires thorough consumer research, creative scripting, casting, production and media buying. A company that isn’t experienced in TV ad production could end up fumbling and wasting precious ad-spend. Worse, they will fail to achieve the objective of that campaign.

An experienced agency takes the hassle off your shoulders and allows you focus on other core business responsibilities.

How do I measure the reach of TV advertising?

In the past, this was a major problem and most results were chalked down to guessing. In fact, American businessman John Wanamaker said, “I know half of my advertising dollars is wasted. The problem is I don’t know which half.” Thanks to technology and innovative solutions, ad tracking and evaluation is a lot easier today.

GRP or gross rating points is the traditional TV advertising metric. The GRP targets specific TV viewer demographics and aims to optimise this according to viewership statistics. Another way is by tracking the second screen. That is, how many people online are talking about the program or ad while it is being aired? This is one way advertisers on the American Super bowl games track mentions about their ads.

At Egnut, our we have a systematic method of evaluating the progress of your TV ads. Across South East England, from Hampshire to River Test, near Portsmouth, and Southampton water, our team tracks viewers ratings and applies the results to subsequent TV campaigns.

Egnut, your reliable marketing communications agency

Egnut is a Southampton based marketing communications agency. Our principles are formed from data-driven, intelligence-led strategies which help clients achieve their business goals.

Whether you manage a large company or a small one, our TV advertising team can help you reach your target audience. Our campaigns are not only effective, we have measuring tools to track their progress in real time.

Among Egnut’s satisfied clients are Carnival UK, University of Southampton, Ordnance Survey, ABP, BBC South Southampton Solent University, Southampton Airport, and the NHS.

We also have clients across Southampton, including Eastleigh, Totton, Romsey, and Winchester.

Contact us today

Do you want to produce a successful TV advertising campaign? Contact our integrated marketing team.