With billions of faithful viewers scattered across every continent, the medium of television is considered by many marketing experts to be the ultimate platform for targeted advertising. A single 30 or 60 second television commercial broadcast during an event such as the Super Bowl or the Olympics can easily reach the eyes and ears of billions of potential customers. Television advertising may be more expensive to produce and broadcast than other forms of advertising, but it also has the power to connect with the broadest audience simultaneously.
Visual as well as audio interest is very important in television advertising. Instead of employing a single voice-over actor to read the advertising copy over a musical bed, actors can create a visual image which further enhances the appeal of the commercial. Images of a happy family gathering around a dinner table can enhance the appeal of a new line of canned soups, for example. An attractive man surrounded by beautiful models can suggest the sex appeal of a new cologne as well.
Because television viewers can easily discern a cheaply produced television commercial from regular programming, many television advertising agencies employ professional copywriters, directors and actors to produce professional caliber commercials that viewers will remember long afterwards.
Even if the images or copy appears to have little to do with the actual product or service, viewers often remember shocking or nostalgic or humorous imagery in a commercial. One famous television ad from the 1970s featured a menacing football player named Mean Joe Greene accepting a soft drink from a young fan. The inspirational imagery created a favorable impression of the soft drink, even though it only appeared in the actual commercial for a few seconds.
Television advertising is similar to radio advertising in other ways. Because of time limitations, most televisions spots must be precisely 30 or 60 seconds in duration. Advertisers pay television stations to "drop" the commercials during a set number of local breaks, which is why viewers tend to see more locally produced commercials during overnight or afternoon hours. During prime time hours, commercial breaks are generally filled with spots produced for national or regional clients. The cost of having a television spot run on a particular station can range from a few hundred dollars for a small local station to several million dollars for a single TV commercial aired during the Super Bowl.
Types of television commercial
Since the time the first ever commercial to be aired on television of Bulova Watch Company in July 1, 1941 many categories of advertisements have been formed. The advertisements have become a part and parcel of daily life and are playing a significant role in decision making of the consumers. Such has become the power of advertisement that even a politician cannot assure his success in election campaign in if he hasn't advertised on television. The different categories of television advertising are political advertising, promotional advertising, infomercials, television commercial donut, promo, and sponsorship.
Political advertising is nothing but reaching out to the citizens of a particular region to capture their vote bank. It's the most influential advertising method and is also very important as it affects the nation in a big way. The two main platforms to advertise for a political campaign are television and radio known as broadcast media. This also depends on the money raised through political campaigns. The earlier the money raised and the more the money raised, the better the method of advertising. Usually the candidate's party committees contribute the money. To advertise through television specialized consultants are be contacted to buy slots on local or national network. It has been observed that even a candidate for local office position places an ad on television.
Promotional ads or product placement ads are commercials placed on television by marketers involving commercial products to increase their sales and services. Promotional ads can be featured on television, movies, music videos, books, websites and even video games. Good amount of money can be saved by consulting sales executives and by renting location, models and props.
Television commercials are popular with automobile industry and James Bond movies are credited for promoting them. Promotion of cigarettes or any other tobacco products in movies have always been a point of controversy as most of the State Governments have set up a limit for promotion of such items. Authenticity of the products and services being advertised are many times questioned by the consumer as some of them can be misleading. To tackle this, many consumer groups have been formed who ask for complete disclosure of the product from companies advertising them. In case of any refusal for cooperation of any kind these groups are liable to slam a case against the product and its company. The product ads can be differentiated on the basis of appearances like sponsorship, cost reduction oriented, brand integration and fee based. Sponsorship is the contribution by the company to soaps or sports matches. Brand integration is known as the annexing of the product in a movie or video song.
Infomercials are differentiated from other television advertisements on the basis of time. They are usually thirty minutes long like a regular program. They are also known as teleshopping or paid programming. One can catch them at odd hours of the day like early morning or late in the night. It's actually a commercial letting out the complete information about a particular product like expert advice on the product, how it should be used, its cost, and where it is available. They resemble more like a talk show than to a commercial as the advertisers communicate to viewers with the help of catchy phrases, celebrities and experts.
Television commercial donut is a template. Its like a blueprint and has all the necessary elements to make a finished commercial but the actual product is missing. Usually advertisers who find producing a commercial difficult use it. The local networks in return of purchase of airtime on their respective channels usually provide the commercial donut. It is a very cost effective method but it has a lack of creativity that will not ensure customer attraction. With the advancements in video editing technology this option is becoming increasingly popular among advertisers.
Promos or network promotional advertising involves television advertising. The amount of commercials that are being hosted on local and national television has been rising by the day and has featured almost everything one can imagine in the world.
Benefits of television commercial
Television is a powerful advertising medium. It relies on both sound and visual effects. These effects can be used in combination to catch the attention of your audience and then reinforce their retention rates by repeating the message using both audio and video. Advertisers can brand their advertisements by using the same theme for multiple TV advertisements, turning the commercials into a type of television show with dedicated followers.
Mass Appeal
TV has mass appeal. Individuals watch TV for a variety of reasons: Some watch it to get the latest news and financial information; other individuals watch it for entertainment and enjoy viewing dramas, comedy shows and sports shows. People of all ages and races watch TV. TV reaches a large variety of individuals with different backgrounds which makes it cost efficient for advertisers to reach a mass audience.
Intrusiveness
Some might view intrusiveness as a bad thing, but for advertisers it's a way to get their foot in the door and to reach customers. Some TV viewers might leave the room during commercials, but many will stay because they do not want to miss the beginning of their show when it returns from commercial. This generates a captive audience for TV advertising.
Appeal
A well-created TV advertisement draws an audience to want to watch the advertisement. Think of the Super Bowl. Each year as the Super Bowl approaches, viewers look forward not only to the game but to the commercials as well. The ability to make graphically entertaining commercials can help the advertiser create a following who enjoy watching their commercials. In this way the advertiser can develop a loyal customer base.
Viewing Times
According to a study by Ball State University, the average individual watches TV for more than 4 1/2 hours a day. This is more time than individuals spend listening to the radio or reading the newspaper. This increases the visibility of TV ads. Unlike radio, which has options available for customers to purchase without commercial interruption, television has a regular placement of advertisements during that 4 1/2 hour viewing period during the day. Although TiVO allows viewers to watch their programs without advertisements, the technology is not yet widespread.
Television Uses Multiple Communication Methods
Radio advertisers can only appeal to one of the senses of their listeners: hearing. Television on the other hand can take advantage of both the senses of hearing and of vision. By appealing to both senses a TV advertiser can use these to reinforce each other. A sale price can be spoken during the TV advertisement and then reinforced with a graphic on the television. Using a high quality graphic can make it easier for the customer to remember the product than just hearing about it on the advertisement.
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