The Best Kept Secrets About TV Advertising

Commercials fill the airwaves as viewers watch their favorite programs and get a better idea of what happens in the world around them. Those TV ads continue to reign superior to other types of advertising. Investing in TV can increase advertising effectiveness by as much as 40%. Despite the changes in the industry over the past several years, this medium remains an important strategy for many businesses. Want to make it work more effectively for you? Consider these best-kept secrets of TV advertising.

Secret #1: It Still Works

Thanks to the new platforms that have risen over the past several years, especially OTT and streaming services, many people doubt that TV is as effective as it used to be. In truth, however, TV has remained both constant and lucrative through the changing times, even with the presence of those new platforms. For example, 59% of US advertisers continue to expect to raise their ad spend on TV, even with the ready availability of other advertising platforms--and with good reason.

Consider, McDonald's. While the familiar golden arches may be advertised across a range of channels, including social media and digital platforms, ads for familiar hamburgers, kids' meals, and favorites appear on TV year-round to help encourage viewers to make their way to the nearest franchise. These ads have a high success rate, encouraging people to come in for burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets at any time of the year.

Secret #2: You Can Reach a Large Audience

Every week 90% of adults across the United States watch television. While every ad cannot reach every viewer in the United States--and most businesses would not want it to!--TV ads certainly have a vast reach. Through your TV ads, you can get your brand in front of a wide range of viewers. TV ads have a wider reach than many other types of ads. Social media ads, for example, may rely on individuals fitting within a relatively narrow target audience, while digital ads often require viewers to actually search for content about a specific industry. Your TV ads, on the other hand, can reach a large number of people from multiple demographics with the same ad. 

Secret #3: You Are Able to Target Your Desired Audience

When most people think of ad targeting, they think of social media or display ads: ads that are easy to target specifically to exactly the audience you want to view them. As it turns out, however, TV advertising allows for significant targeting as well. By choosing the right time and programming or putting your ads on the right channel, you can easily target your ads to the audience that you want to see them. Imagine a diaper brand: the company might choose to advertise alongside children's programming since the parents of young children often watch those programs with their kids. By working closely with a media company, you can get a better idea of the type of programming your target audience watches most often and how to position your ads alongside them. 

Secret #4: It's an Affordable and Cost-Effective Advertising Medium

Some people automatically assume that TV is just too expensive. As a result, they don't bother to get in touch with a media company or consider their options when it comes to advertising on television.

The truth, however, is that a high-quality commercial doesn't have to be all that expensive. Often, those commercials will fit within your budget better than you think. You could also choose to sponsor a segment on a local television show, which could allow you to position yourself more effectively in front of those viewers.

Secret #5: Viewership is Higher Than Ever Before

Due to the current circumstances, TV viewership is up more than ever. Streaming in 2020 has more than doubled from 2019. By the end of March 2020, the viewership of broadcast channels had increased more than 50%. Viewers are not only turning to their TVs for entertainment, they want more information from local news stations. This is a "new normal" that looks set to continue throughout the rest of the year and even beyond. If you are looking for a strategy that will help extend your reach, now is the ideal time to position your business on TV. 

TV is an important platform for advertising, especially in light of the current circumstances. By working with a media partner, you can increase your reach, target your ideal audience, and improve the overall return on your advertising investment as you create stunning TV ads that fit within your budget and your expectations. With viewership higher than ever, now is the ideal time to rejuvenate your existing TV advertising campaign or embark on a new one based on your current goals.