Despite the dominance of the internet in today’s modern world, television remains the most popular platform in most U.S. households and one of the most powerful advertising tools. With television advertising, you can reach a large audience. It allows you to show your clients how your products or services work, so potential buyers know what to look for when making a purchase.
In the advertising world, it often takes multiple touchpoints to successfully influence customer buying behavior, meaning each marketing method has its pros and cons. And in this article, we’ll review some benefits and drawbacks of television advertising.
Television Advertising Pros
TV advertising offers a wide range of benefits, including:
Trust & Credibility
The favorite pastime of many people has always been watching television. This is a fact that you cannot deny. Therefore, television advertising is the most reliable source of brand awareness. Another advantage of television advertising is that people and potential customers are more willing to trust offers or companies advertised on television.
Visual advertising allows you to showcase your business, whether it is a small, medium or large company. Conversely, the lack of visuals can have a negative impact on an advertising approach, as people are more likely to trust what they see.
In addition, studies show that 60 percent of potential buyers are more likely to make a purchase after seeing an advertisement on television than on other platforms.
High Penetration Rate
A television was present in nearly 98% of households in 2014, with each family having at least two televisions on average. Sixty percent of all households are cable subscribers, and 31% use other similar services, such as satellite.
This does not even take into account TV sets in public places such as restaurants, bars and stores. In other words, exposure to the medium and TV market penetration is very high.
Significant Media Time Spent with TV
A typical American adult watches about 25 hours per week TV, but this can vary widely by generation. TV reaches about 87% of adults in the US. In the 18-24 age group, television viewing is just over 14 hours, while the 35-49 age group watches nearly 29 hours and Boomers almost 48 hours per week.
Combining Visual & Auditory Senses
Your visual and auditory senses influence your ability to create memories, and the combination of these two works synergistically. Creating the right brand perception requires viewers’ minds and a clear message. That’s what TV can provide.
Words alone (whether invisible text or audible conversation) need a space to adequately convey the message of your brand, product, or service. With a video clip, you get better results in much less time.
For example, your audience may not immediately recognize how to use a new product from the description, but you can show your audience how to solve their problem by combining the description with television commercials.
Captive Audiences
Your audience is captive, especially during live broadcasts and special events on television, such as the Super Bowl. Since viewers don’t want to miss anything, the likelihood of a viewer changing the channel during the broadcast of their choice is low.
Some on-demand offerings restrict the fast-forward option for limited commercial breaks, allowing viewers to get up and do something else until the program resumes.
This captive audience can multitask in ways that benefit advertisers. About one-third of these activities are directly related to what viewers between the ages of 19 and 32 are watching on television.
Television Advertising Cons
Now that we know the advantages of television advertising, let’s look at its drawbacks.
Requires More Advertising Dollars
In 2016, the average cost of a television ad was up to $342 thousand for a 30-second commercial, an increase of an estimated $112 thousand for 30-second primetime commercials compared to 2015. Television advertising was the most expensive medium by both criteria.
Those numbers get even higher when it comes to the most coveted spots. According to Forbes, the average cost of prime time in 2017 was up to $500 thousand, while 30-second Super Bowl commercials are considered a bargain at an impressive $5 million. That being said, the cost of creating television commercials can be pretty high.
Limited Adoption Rate
One might assume that online streaming is an excellent option for television advertising campaigns as it has gained popularity. That’s not entirely true. Why? Because the adoption rate of online streaming is still low.
Despite being leaders in online media consumption, Millennials who use their tablet or smartphone to stream TV (including apps like Netflix and HBO Go) spend only 100 minutes and 67 minutes per week doing so.
Commercial Skipping
On-demand offerings vary by broadcaster and provider. Some prevent fast-forwarding to ensure that the ads are seen, while others do not. Some apps also allow users to skip commercials after they have seen a certain portion of a particular ad.
Diminishing Effectiveness Over Time
As younger generations increasingly watch digital television, the reach and effectiveness of linear television are dwindling. According to a study, the effectiveness of TV commercials in the 2010s was only a third of what it was in the 1990s.
At least among those under 50, the amount of time they spend watching linear TV is declining. According to the statistics, the decline is smallest among 35- to 49-year-old viewers (1 percent less time spent), while it is largest among 18- to 24-year-old viewers (7.4 percent less time spent).
This shift is quite significant over a five-year period. Viewers ages 18 to 24 spent more than 40 percent less time in front of the TV in 2016 than in 2011.
This is not to say that television advertising isn’t one of today’s most effective marketing strategies. But it does underscore the need to pay attention to changing patterns in your target audience.
Final Word
When deciding whether or not to use television advertising, consider the following. Your budget, as TV commercials, can cost anywhere from $1,000 for a local spot to over $5 million for a national spot. This will help you determine the best approach to airing your ad. Contact the sales staff at local TV stations. Inquire about the costs associated with airing commercials. Inquire if there is another option, such as a local TV star, if you don’t want to be the face or voice of the commercial.
There is another practical approach: leave the entire process to the professionals. You need to capture the imagination of potential customers, entertain, and inform them. With the advice of an accredited company like GoDRTV, this can be done more effectively and conveniently. Contact us to get started.
