Updated July 2023
What are the advantages of TV advertising?
- TV Advertising builds trust
- Advertising boosts sales
- Adverts on TV are full screen, not fighting for screen space
- TV reaches a vast audience
- TV advertising results can be tracked
- Small brands can get into TV advertising on digital channels
- TV adverts benefit from second-screening
Toast champions growth brands
One of the main advantages of TV advertising is that it builds trust. Brands often use the term “as seen on TV” as the TV advertising medium confers status on those running the adverts.
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How does a TV advert improve sales?
When asked, “In which, if any, of the following places are you most likely to find advertising that is most trusted?” TV advertising scored 42%, with Newspapers trailing with only 13% and YouTube with a tiny 6%.
Source: TV/Ad Nation, 2016, Ipsos Connect/Thinkbox, adults 15+
As we watch content across all our screens, the lines between TV and online advertising converge. The truth is that TV is still the king regarding returns on investment, brand awareness and brand recall.
“TV has the highest efficiency at achieving key performance indicators, or KPIs, like sales and new accounts. When comparing performance at similar spending levels, TV adverts still average four times the sales lift of digital.”
- Marketshare Research
The latest TV Watching stats
In 2022, we watched 2h, 41m of broadcaster TV each day.
BVOD (Broadcaster Video on Demand) represents 28% of all broadcaster TV viewing for 16-34s
TV advertising accounted for 84% of the video advertising we saw each day in 2022, and 56% for 16-34s.
Source: 2022, Barb / Broadcaster stream data
Adverts run in full screen
One of the distinct advantages of TV advertising is the full-screen experience it offers to viewers. Unlike digital advertising, where ads often compete for attention on cluttered webpages or pop up at the bottom of apps, TV ads have the entire screen dedicated to conveying the message. This exclusivity allows advertisers to captivate the audience without distractions, ensuring that their message receives undivided attention.
When a TV advert airs, it occupies the complete screen real estate, providing a visually immersive experience. This expansive canvas allows advertisers to utilise creative storytelling techniques, showcase their products or services in detail, and create impactful visuals that leave a lasting impression on viewers.
When building larger audiences, TV advertising works
You might think advertising on TV is old-fashioned. You’d be wrong. TV’s reaches a larger audience and outperforms online advertising every time. Online brands are waking up to TV being crucial to their marketing spend and the only trusted way to grow their market share.
TV advertising has increased it’s target audience reach recently, with many of the streaming services adding advert-funded tiers. Netflix has an ad-funded tier which opens up some of the Netflix audience to TV adverts.
Online businesses were the most prominent investors in TV advertising in 2021; year on year, they increased their commitment to TV advertising by 41%.
Source – Thinkbox.
How to track TV advertising
The results of DRTV campaigns can be tracked in near real-time using software such as TV Squared. The software uses your media plan to attribute website clicks or software downloads to a recent advert running on TV. Performing a test on website traffic before the advert runs makes it easy to spot the advantage TV advertising has brought to your sales funnel. This ability to track TV advertising has made budgeting media spend much more scientific.
Is cost one of the limitations of television advertising?
A good way of getting the benefits of TV advertising without the massive outlay of funds needed to buy TV media for a national campaign is to purchase regional advertising. Another option is to use SKY’s Adsmart platform. Adsmart allows brands to advertise on television slots in specific postcode areas or play adverts to specific audiences defined by the advertiser.
Costs for making a television commercial can vary dramatically depending on the sophistication of the advert. Surprisingly you can get on TV with a great advert and see high ROI for much less money than you’d imagine. And the best agencies will drive great deals with the broadcasters making TV advertising a cost effectiveness marketing route.
The second screen Advantage
Another advantage of TV advertising is how people watch TV. Viewers watch TV with a mobile device nearby. Second screen watching means the viewer can instantly act upon any call to action from an advert.
Before the second screen phenomena, viewers would need to retain a brand or call to action message and act upon it later. The second screen has become a massive advantage of TV advertising making DRTV campaigns instant hits.
Getting the Advantages of Television Advertising
There are two types of advertising: branding (an attempt to influence what people feel about your company) and direct selling (trying to get people to buy a product). A good TV advert that is well-designed, engaging, and shown on the right channels to the right people, at the correct times, will do wonders for your bottom line.
The best advice is to choose an agency that specialises in creating and placing TV ads. They will help you make an excellent advert from your brief, and even help you write that brief. They will also ensure your advert gets seen by a captive audience, based on customer profiling and viewing behaviours.
How can business owners prepare?
A TV advertising campaign often hits like a wave. A business needs to be prepared for one of the main advantages of TV advertising – reach. Once your first advert runs, you’ll need to have your call centres or website e-commerce platforms ready. The surge of interest from a TV advert can overwhelm a creaky website wasting precious spend.
Social Buzz
Another thing to pay attention to is social media, the word soon spreads about a new advert, and people will start hunting down the advert online. It would be best if you had the advert running on your site to capture viewers who’ve heard about your TV commercial but haven’t seen it yet. Running a 360-degree marketing campaign with TV advertising as its anchor is a great way to build an audience and fill the top of your sales funnel.
Getting free site visits from a social buzz is one of the bonus advantages of TV advertising. “A recent report found that brands with a TV ad running saw a 22% increase in unique visits to their website.” VAB Research
How do I gain the advantage TV advertising creates?
It’s wise to choose an agency experienced in getting new brands on TV who will hand-hold you from start to finish. They will make sure you get all the advantages of advertising and get the best value for money. They will drive value by optimising your adverts. Adverts can be targeted for seasonality, regionality, times of the day.
Specialist TV ad agencies like Toast will create you the right TV ad and get it seen by the right people. They will give you a competitive edge, drive sales, and supply the data on effectiveness.
One thing is for sure TV is still the best place for your brand to make its mark. And if your online marketing backs it up, it can make a big difference to your bottom line.
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