Which of the following is an advantage of television as an advertising medium?

Every business aims to increase brand awareness. This goal can be easily achieved through advertising, but the question is: Is TV advertising still effective in this era of new technologies? Isn’t it better to use alternative platforms like Instagram or Facebook for advertising? The answer to these questions varies depending on the business you are talking about. As we do not know all the companies our readers work for, we have decided to write a blog summarising the advantages and disadvantages of tv advertising to help you assess whether you should invest in TV advertising for your next marketing campaigns or not. 

• TV reaches a large audience. TV reaches a larger audience than any other traditional medium (i.e. radio, newspaper, etc.). Besides, many adults haven’t got used to new technologies yet. Thus, if your customers are fifty or older, it may be worth investing in TV advertising as it is the best way to reach them. 
• TV advertising delivers fame and trust. If you appear on TV, people will think your business is doing well as it is perceived to be an expensive marketing tool. 
• Effective way to send a message. In a TV advert, you combine visuals, sound, colours and movement to convey a message. This contributes to an increase in customers’ retention rate. 
• It attaches a personality to your business. TV adverts give you the opportunity to be creative and therefore, to attach a personality to your brand and the people behind your brand.

• Better at influencing consumers. 60% of those influenced by a TV ad are likely to make a purchase as compared to 40% of those influenced by social media adverts. 
• TV adverts can be repurposed. Once finished, shorter versions of the video can be created and embedded into the website. Besides, videos can be uploaded to social media or added to emails for better results.
• TV adverts benefit from a second screen. Nowadays, most people watch TV with a mobile phone or a tablet nearby making it easier to act upon any call to action mentioned in the ad.
• Have the whole screen to yourself. It comes to a big disadvantage when marketing on other platforms when it comes to screen space. 

Cons of TV Advertising

• It is costly. Producing a TV advert is expensive. You have to pay for the equipment, locations, editors and actors if needed. In addition, you must pay for air time. Thus, it is not just the cost of producing the ad you need to think but also the cost of airing your TV advert.

• Frequency is essential. Some studies have proved that TV adverts are more effective when they are repeated. Consequently, you may have to pay for several spots if you want to see results. 
• It is difficult to make changes. To update or change some parts of the advert, you may need to re-shoot the entire ad. It may take more time and money. Thus, make sure you know the message you want to convey before filming. 
• It is difficult to target your audience. TV adverts do not offer as many target options as online adverts. With TV adverts you only choose the channel and the air time while ‘online’ advertising you can target your audience based on interests, gender, location or age. 
• No guarantee it will be viewed. Many people use the mobile phone or the laptop when they watch the TV. Others use the breaks to take care of their personal needs (to nip away, go the the toilet, etc). 
• TV advertising is in decline. Since the arrival of new technologies, TV advertising is declining. Many companies prefer to use other means of advertising.
• Difficult to analyse and track results.  Television requires third party data analytics companies to determine, and does not give performance tracking information as online media.

Final thoughts

Many people argue that TV advertising is in decline. However, if you aim to reach large audiences rather than specific ones and you have enough budget, we recommend you invest in TV advertising. Although the initial investment is high, you may soon see a return on investment. Besides, if you don’t see any results, you can always stop paying for airing time and repurpose that content. As mentioned before, you can create shorter versions of the ads to embed them in your landing pages or Newsletters or upload them to your business or personal social media accounts. Here’s an example of how to repurpose the content.

After reading this blog, you may have a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of TV advertising. Hopefully, this may help you decide whether you should invest in tv advertising or not. Should you have any doubt, don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Thank you for reading,

Maria.