Television has served as an integral part of homes for decades, serving diverse needs such as entertainment, news consumption and educational activities. However, one ubiquitous application of television is in the field of advertising. Advertisers have strategically leveraged television commercials as a powerful medium to promote and sell their products or services to a wide consumer audience.
The versatility of these ads allows for different creative execution, yet they all share the same purpose – to influence and persuade viewers to make purchasing decisions. Television advertising stands as a vital element in the marketing mix for many companies, playing a vital role in reaching and attracting target audiences.
What Is Television Advertising?
Television advertising involves the production and broadcast of commercials on television platforms, which are designed to promote a specific product or service.
It is one of the prevalent and effective ways to reach consumers due to its wide reach, frequency and substantial impact. Despite the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms and digital content capturing consumers’ attention across the media landscape, television remains the dominant medium for advertising.
Remarkably, the average person devotes approximately 4 hours to watching TV per day, giving advertisers many opportunities to effectively deliver their messages to potential customers.
How TV Advertising Functions
Television advertising operates by strategically interrupting the content viewers intend to watch. Typically lasting between 15 to 60 seconds, these commercials can be perceived as intrusive, especially considering the multiple ads often aired during a single TV program.
Contrary to the potential inconvenience for viewers, this interruption is a fundamental revenue-generating mechanism for TV channels.
Creating a television commercial involves various approaches. Advertisers may develop their ads in-house or collaborate with an advertising agency and production house to craft the creative content.
Once the commercial is produced, the next step is scheduling its broadcast on a TV channel. This process is commonly facilitated through an advertising agency or a media buying firm.
The cost associated with airing a TV commercial can fluctuate significantly, influenced by factors such as the time of day, day of the week, ad duration, the show’s rating, and the specific channel on which it is broadcast.
Features of television advertising
Television advertisements typically exhibit the following characteristics:
- Highly Creative and Attention Grabbing: TV commercials are carefully crafted to be both entertaining and memorable, aiming to leave a lasting impression on viewers.
- Use of sight, sound and motion: Taking advantage of a multisensory approach, TV commercials incorporate elements such as music, visuals, and special effects to engage audiences through sight, sound, and motion.
- In line with marketing objectives: Every TV commercial is developed with a specific marketing objective in mind, whether it’s increasing brand awareness or increasing sales. The creative elements are designed in line with these broader goals.
- Short Message Delivery: Given the limited time frame available, typically a few seconds to a minute, television commercials are designed to convey their message quickly and effectively. This concise approach ensures that the message reaches the audience within a brief period.
Types of TV Advertising
Television advertising manifests in various forms, with notable examples including:
- Television Commercials (TVC): TVCs, the most prevalent form of television ads, typically range from 15 to 60 seconds in duration and are broadcast during commercial breaks.
- Product Placement: Involves featuring a product or service prominently within a TV show or movie. This integration can occur organically as part of the storyline or through explicit placement, such as close-ups or key scenes.
- Brand Integration: This occurs when a brand is seamlessly woven into the narrative of a TV show. The brand may be central to the script or featured as a special prize, exemplified in shows like Fear Factor where contestants can win a Ford truck.
- Infomercials: Lengthy advertisements, often lasting 30 minutes or more, airing during off-peak hours. Infomercials include a call to action, such as a phone number or website URL.
- Overlay: Short, 10-second ads that appear at the bottom of the screen during a TV show. Overlays are commonly used to promote upcoming programs or products, especially during live events.
Examples of Television Advertisements
Television advertising spans a variety of formats, from traditional commercials to contemporary product placement. Here are some illustrative examples:
Traditional Commercial Examples:
#1 – Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
Old Spice, a famous men’s beauty brand, is known for its humorous advertisements. The ad, titled “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, featured a confident, attractive and successful man engaging in activities appealing to male audiences, such as riding a horse and playing basketball. The ad ends with the tagline, “Old Spice. The man your man can love.
#2 – Nike Just Do It
Nike, a renowned athletic wear brand known for its motivational advertising, recently unveiled an eye-catching ad in line with its iconic tagline, ‘Just Do It’. The ad features the inspiring story of an 80-year-old gentleman who shares his daily routine of running 17 miles every morning. The campaign not only highlights the indomitable spirit of the individual but also reinforces Nike’s commitment to encourage a mindset of determination and action among its audience.
#3 – McDonald’s: Rick and Morty
In the area of product placement, McDonald’s made a notable appearance in the adult animated show, Rick and Morty. The fast-food giant strategically integrated its brand into the storyline, generating significant public discussion and cementing its position as a key feature within the show.
#4 – Chevrolet: Transformer
In the dynamic world of brand integration, Chevrolet seamlessly made its mark in the Transformers movie franchise. The automotive company strategically featured its cars throughout the films, not only gaining prominence but also actively contributing to the story, exemplifying a successful and impactful brand integration.
Benefits of Television Advertising
Television advertising stands out among marketing channels because of several advantages:
- Mass Medium: TV reaches large audiences quickly and efficiently, making it an ideal choice for advertisers aiming to connect with a broad spectrum of audiences.
- Appeal to all: Television caters to diverse audiences, crossing different age groups and literacy levels, making it accessible to a wide demographic.
- Motivational: Taking advantage of sight, sound and motion, TV advertising excels at effectively engaging audiences through a multi-sensory experience.
- Creates emotional connections: TV commercials harness emotions by using elements such as music, visuals and storytelling to establish an engaging emotional connection with the audience.
- Measurable: The impact of TV advertising can be determined through surveys, brand awareness studies, and sales data, making it easier to assess the success of a campaign.
- Attention Grabbing: TV commercials are designed to attract and retain the audience’s attention through creative visuals, music, and special effects.
- Reliable: TV advertising is considered more trustworthy than some online channels, taking advantage of viewers’ inherent trust in the TV platform.
- Means of developing brand personality: TV serves as an important medium for shaping a brand’s personality, allowing advertisers to clearly convey the essence of a brand.
Disadvantages of Television Advertising
Despite its merits, television advertising comes with its own shortcomings:
- Expensive: TV advertising is one of the most expensive marketing channels, requiring substantial investment for high-quality commercial production and airtime.
- Not targeted: While reaching large audiences, TV advertising lacks precise targeting, resulting in the cost of reaching an indifferent audience.
- Limited creative freedom: Time constraints in TV commercials place limits on creative expression, creating challenges for advertisers aiming to stand out.
- Not interactive: TV advertising operates as a one-way medium, lacking interactivity, which can hinder its ability to inspire engagement and immediate action.
- Repetition is needed to be effective: Effectiveness in TV advertising often requires repeated exposure, contributing to increased costs and time commitment for advertisers.
- Less flexible: Editing TV commercials is both expensive and time-consuming, limiting flexibility and requiring advertisers to finalize creative before airing.
- Declined in recent years: The decline in TV viewership due to cord-cutting trends has become a challenge as fewer people are available to watch TV commercials.
Future of TV Advertising
Faced with challenges, the future of TV advertising remains dynamic:
- Smart TV growth: With the advancement of smart TVs, advertisers leverage data for more targeted and personalized ads, promising a future of relevancy and interactivity.
- Competition from digital platforms: Traditional TV faces competition from digital platforms such as YouTube and Netflix, which challenge the monopoly of TV advertising and spur innovation in content delivery.
- Continued importance: Despite digital evolution, TV advertising remains an integral part of the marketing mix, keeping up with emerging trends and maintaining its importance in reaching diverse audiences.
