TV Commercials: Are They Still Necessary Today?

The advertising landscape has changed completely over the past two decades, yet it has still somehow remained the same. Along with modern innovations such as online marketing, content marketing, and social media ads, you can still see the traditional outdoor signage in the Philippines, some direct mail marketing material in France, promotional posters in Venezuela, and flyers and brochures in Canada.

This also includes commercials on television in all parts of the world.

While some may argue that TV promotional spots are outdated and impractical in this modern world, we would like to believe otherwise. We have listed below some factors that support how effective TV advertising still is.

Reach

Watching TV is still the number one leisure activity in the world. Given that fact, it is highly illogical if you take out your arm with the widest and longest reach.

Studies show that 60 out of 100 consumers are most likely to buy products they see on TV compared to only 40% that see the same ads online. Similarly, TV spots have the upper hand compared to radio commercials because the audience for radio is much smaller compared to television. This is because there are a lot more radio stations than there are TV stations.

If you take the same number of audience and compare numbers, you will see that the audience of one radio station is significantly fewer compared to the audience of one TV network.

Focus

TV ads allow you to reach your specific target market in a more focused and intentional way. If you are marketing toys, then you can pay for TV spots during the times when kiddie shows and cartoons are on. Local restos and bars can have their ads played during sporting events.

Strategically purchasing air time during specific schedules allow companies to reach their target demographic more efficiently.

Popularity

TV, despite all the other online options, is still the most favorite video output of people all over the world. On average, 90% of video viewing time is still spent watching TV. This is true regardless of generation.

Resilience

Even as technology continues to give us other viewing options, TV remains a constant in all households regardless of demographics. It is also found that the older a person gets, the more time they spend watching TV.

For instance in Spain, the amount of time spent watching TV has increased to 3 hours and 51 minutes in 2016 from only 3 hours and 39 minutes in 2006. The same can be said for Italian millennials, especially once they started having children. Many 16 to 24-year-olds spend 2 hours and 13 minutes a day; 25 to 34-year-olds clock in 2 hours and 38 minutes; 25 to 34-year-olds with kids spend around 3 hours and 23 minutes daily.

Impact

What makes TV ads so impactful is its ability to draw its audience in. For most of us who grew up watching TV and seeing all those ads, we tend to associate certain products with childhood memories. Nostalgia is always a great seller and marketer as it can trigger emotions from its audience that translates into interaction from them with a product purchase.

Trust

TV spots are not exactly cheap, yet promotional material on TV is still a great way to market your product because most consumers still trust the products they see on TV compared to other mediums.

TV commercials can show the product, demonstrate how it works, and explain what its advantages are if you buy it and not the other brand. Simply put, it gives you a realistic overview and expectation of the product.

For these reasons and more, advertisers and marketers should still invest in TV advertising because it still works. It still is very effective in conveying a message and can draw out not just emotions, but more importantly, interaction from consumers. At the end of the day, it has proven to still be the top reason why consumers buy and patronize products.

Isa Lillo

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