Is Television Advertising Right For You?

By: karen grahams
July 14, 2008

Television is the dominant medium in most U.S. households, even beating out the Internet, according to a study by Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The general population spends over 4.5 hours per day in front of their TVs, making TV watching one of the most common recreational activities.

These results shouldn’t come as a surprise since TV advertising is the most powerful form of advertising. It’s popular because you get to show millions of people your product, business or service at one time. You can demonstrate your product in action, or use testimonials of people talking right into the camera, as if talking right to the person on the couch.

A good TV ad must have a great script that emphasizes a great offer, or shows a product’s wonderful benefits. With the advent of cable TV, lower production costs and the ability to reach a niche audience, TV advertising is now a viable option for small and large businesses alike.

But is it worth it? Commercial time is sold in 30-second blocks. A 30-second national commercial during a popular television show can cost upwards of $350,000. The normal half-hour TV show has 22 minutes of the actual show, with 8 minutes of commercials; 6 of those minutes go to national ads and 2 minutes go to local ads. Most less-watched programs during non-prime times can have more affordable commercial costs – about $100,000 per 30-second slot.

Local advertising is much cheaper, so you may want to start with that to get your feet wet. A 30-second time slot in a mid-sized market can cost $5 per 1,000 viewers. The TV stations will be able to give you exact numbers of different times of the day for different days. Keep in mind that these prices are just for buying air time, not the cost to actually produce the commercial!

If you aren’t sure whether you want to leap into the TV advertising market, here are some pros and cons to consider about this type of advertising:

TV Advertising Pros
TV ads reach larger audiences than local newspapers or radio stations. Even though many people change the channel on commercials, more than not, people stick to their original station so they don’t miss their show coming back on.
It’s easier to get your message across with sight, sound and motion. TV commercials tend to get messages across more clearly than radio or print ads – you can show someone reacting to your offer the way you want your audience sitting at home to.

It can create memorability of you, or of your business. You’ll be a local celebrity – and people are fascinated by celebrities. It can push people to buy from your business if they are actually buying from you personally when they enter your store.

TV Advertising Cons
It can deplete your advertising budget pretty quickly – not only do you have to pay for the 30-second slot, you need to pay the actors, script writers or an ad agency. Plus you have rent costs for the studio or location if you don’t do film it at your store.
      
It’s hard to correct mistakes. When you buy TV advertising, you can’t just correct a typo with no money lost. You might need to re-shoot the entire commercial, or even just a small part of it, which will cost money again in rent, actor pay, etc.
       
It can be hard to reach your target audience. If you don’t have the money for prime-time advertising, when most working people are home, you’ll end up wasting your money if that’s your target audience. Make sure you’re not just running a TV ad to say you ran a TV ad. If it’s not shown at the right time of day, it’s a waste of your money.

If you decide to go for it, make sure your commercial matches your other marketing materials – brochure printing pieces, flyers, etc. – keep the look and feel consistent so people make the connection between your commercial and your other marketing materials.

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