With the ingress of digital era and various forms of media outlets, one might think that advertisement through television has taken a back seat. But according to research conducted by market analytics company, Market Share which meta analysed thousands of marketing optimizations used by major advertisers from 2009-2014, the performance of TV ads has remained steadily effective over the time period. After examining advertisement performances over platforms like print, radio, online, television, paid search; television has showed the most efficiency with respect to key performance indicators like sales, account conversions, etc.
The reason behind television’s resilience lies in the emotional factors that are roped in when designing a TV commercial. TV commercials are generally based on two ideas- entertainment value and thought provoking ability. The latter especially stirs up emotional response that get directly associated with the brand invoking it. For example Nike ads have always asked us to push our boundaries with regards to physical movement, such as exercise. This is further justified by their tagline, Just Do It. By using premier sports stars as their ambassadors and casting them in an energy infused ambience, Nike as a brand always tries to portray itself as an organisation working to diminish the reluctance people face when it comes to physical work out. Their advertisements are most viewed on YouTube and are often added in motivational and inspiring categories.
The general population on an average spends about four and half hours in front of the TV daily making it the most viewed form of media than any other. With cable TV and its low cost of production, advertisers are more than ready to book slots between shows to advertise their products. Choosing a demographic with television becomes easier when one looks at the list of programs that each channel caters to. While big brands generally go for 60 second commercials, most commercials are still 30 seconds. While going for 30 second spots one can mix it with 10 and 15 second commercials which increase the number of times the ad is viewed without having to pay for the higher cost of 30 second ads. This is because, the number of times a current or potential customer views the ad is directly related to how they react to it. However such mixes are not efficient when it comes to providing the proper message that is integral to the brand image.
Despite the effectiveness and reach of television advertising, there are still a few things to be certain of when choosing to advertise through television. It has been proven, that television advertisement works well when the brand is successful in creating a long standing image. This means a long term investment in television advertising, as image building through TV includes repetition of ads, installment storytelling, highlighting the brand message through innovative themes. All of this can be executed only by an efficient production unit which involves hiring script writers, actors, directors, etc and this is just the starting cost.
Moreover once the commercial is aired, it is in competition with several other commercials that are trying to capture the attention of the audience. Buying airtime provides limited time which is not sufficient for proper exposure. Additional airtime costs more money. In addition, consumers also have no station loyalty. They might be active television viewers only for a stipulated amount of time, for example they might be active every evening for two hours, 8 PM- 10 PM for their favourite shows distributed over various channels. Also the introduction of DVRs and recording facilities allow consumers to avoid commercials. Even for commercial breaks during live shows, the consumer may choose to go for a bathroom break or leave the TV area for a snack. This kind of fluctuation deters the impact that television ads try to create through repetition.
ROIs can be easily measured in short term when it comes to other forms of advertising such as newspaper or radio but with television the large budgets can only be justified in long term. Thus if one has money to spare and is looking for long term credible image building, then advertising through television can be opted for.
