When manufacturers, retailers, distributors and producers of goods and services are ready to market their products or create awareness about their goods and services, one popular advertising medium is TV. Even though TV advertising has several advantages, it also has some disadvantages that must be considered as well when making advertising choices. The disadvantages of TV advertising include the fact that TV adverts are short, expensive, do not always portray the product or service in the best light, and take a lot of effort to create.
Out of the several disadvantages of TV advertising, one of the most obvious is the cost it takes to put an advert on TV. This affects the choices available to the advertisers. In TV advertising, prime time is the time of day when most people are most likely to watch television. Depending on the country, this usually starts somewhere around six in the evening and ends between 10 and 10:30 p.m. The reason why this period is called the prime time is due to the fact that by the evening time, most people would have come home from work and even the younger demographic would be finished with their schoolwork. Most people relax in front of their television at this time, so most people are most likely to see an advert on TV.
To this end, the TV adverts in this prime time cost a lot of money. Even a few seconds can cost more than most small businesses can comfortably afford. As such, those who cannot pay for a prime-time spot may choose more affordable alternatives, which may run much later in the night or during certain times of the day when very few people watch TV. This defeats the aim of TV advertising because if the company cannot reach its maximum target audience, then it will not effectively promote its products
Another factor the disadvantages of TV advertising is length of time a TV advert lasts. Those who cannot afford to pay the exorbitant money associated with TV advertising may opt for 30-second spots. It is not easy to convey information about a product or service in just 30 seconds. As a result, words are usually rushed, making it even harder for the advertisers to connect with the consumers.
Included in the disadvantages of TV advertising is the length of time it takes to produce a high-quality TV advert. This process includes producers, directors, actors, screenwriters, locations, props, extras and other components. All of these factors contribute to costs and increase the cost of producing TV adverts, making them even more expensive for the advertisers.
What Type of Business Can Benefit From TV Advertising?
Every company and industry has a different target audience. Even though TV advertising has disadvantages for many businesses, it can still be an effective marketing tool for some companies. What type of business should consider buying ad space on TV?
B2B Businesses With a Wide Audience
Companies that sell to other businesses may benefit from boosting their brand recognition via TV ads. There’s no arguing with the fact that television has an ample reach, delivering ads to a huge audience. The more people see an ad, the more potential clients a business has.
With business-to-business sales, success often depends on generating valuable leads with owners and managers of the target industry. With the help of a 30-second TV ad, you can showcase your products and services in a way other companies trust.
The key deciding factor for B2B is how wide the sales network is. If your company only sells to local clients, you’re better off taking advantage of a different marketing option for building leads, such as social media giant LinkedIn.
If your business has clients all over the United States, though, then TV advertising may be what you need to turn your brand into a trusted resource for manufacturers, retail stores, contractors, restaurants, hospitals and other businesses.
Well-Known Store Brands Shifting to Online Sales
It’s important to remember that TV advertising doesn’t need to be a recurring thing. Even if you primarily utilize digital advertising for your business, an advertising spot on TV may be appropriate for ensuring potential customers get important messaging.
When large retailers with brick-and-mortar store locations shift to selling their wares online as well as offline, it’s a pretty big event. TV advertising can help the business direct new and loyal customers to its website, setting off a chain reaction that can lead to a lot more people shopping online.
E-Commerce Businesses
A common misconception is that businesses that focus on selling products on the internet don’t need TV advertising. In reality, e-commerce businesses can benefit from smart TV spots that reach their main audiences. TV ads increase the effectiveness of digital advertising.
You can think of a television ad as the match that lights the fire, and online marketing as the wood that keeps it burning. Many people feel curiosity about products they see mentioned on TV, which can prompt them to do a quick Google search on the brand. Before you know it, your website has a lot more page visits and potential customers.
As with B2B companies, e-commerce businesses usually only benefit from TV advertising if they have a large market. Niche businesses are better off taking advantage of other marketing types.
What Advantages Does TV Advertising Offer?
It’s hard to ignore the benefits that a well-made TV commercial can have on people’s emotions. Ads can stir emotions and drive purchasing intent. Don’t believe it? Think back to the last time you saw a TV ad of a juicy burger or a wood-fired pizza. Chances are it made your mouth water and your stomach growl.
The images, sounds and music of TV ads are hard to ignore. They can change the way audiences view a company, potentially increasing a brand’s popularity and recognition. Many large brands owe their loyal followings in large part thanks to TV ads portraying them as friendly, cool, trustworthy or professional. This type of advertising can highlight a company’s “personality” effectively.
What Alternatives Are There To TV Advertising?
In the past, one of the biggest advantages of TV advertising was its enormous audience. Even if the ads themselves were staggeringly expensive, these time slots could deliver excellent return-on-investment considering the sheer number of viewers.
These days, things have changed. Many Americans spend more time online or streaming than they do watching traditional television channels. How can you take advantage of this new audience?
- Pay-per-click advertising: Search engines offer many tools that allow businesses to provide targeted advertising like never before, such as pay-per-click ads. Instead of spending money advertising to random people, PPC marketing lets you advertise specifically to your target audience online.
- Social media marketing: If most of your potential customers and past clients spend a lot of time on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, it’s time to go where they are. Use your business’s social media reach to attract new clients and create amazing brand loyalty.
- Video marketing: Thanks to popular video-sharing sites such as YouTube, creating videos and using them for digital marketing is relatively easy. You can take advantage of the same visual impact, music and sounds like a TV ad but pay far less for it.
