Background - 10 advantages of TV

The media world is becoming increasingly complex and consumers are navigating in a landscape saturated by choice – but at the end of the day the medium most embedded in our daily habits and our very society is and remains television.

1. TV is an integral part of everyday life

Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc.) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves.

(*) Source: IP key facts 2007

2. TV is a true mass medium

People continue to spend significantly more time with television than with other media – in Europe it was 227 minutes on average for 2007 (*). TV continually manages to instantly reach millions of viewers, allowing for a communication message to reach a broad mass within a short amount of time. When it comes to launching a new product, no other media can achieve significant national notoriety within just a few weeks.

(*) Source: IP key facts 2007

3. TV is emotional

For a start, TV stimulates the parts of the brain that other media simply don’t reach as effectively – namely the emotions and the long term-memory. The fact that TV is veritable feast of moving images and sound maximizes the opportunity for advertisers to engage their audience. And as recent engagement studies show, an engaged viewer is more likely to have a positive emotional association with a brand and is more likely to consider purchasing it in the future. By working with pictures, sound and movement, viewers are addressed in their head, their heart and their stomach. The advertising message thus attains a unique intensity and allows for the product to be more easily and quickly recognized in the store.

4. TV is the most persuasive

When asked to cite which medium’s advertising was the most persuasive, 69.9% named television rather than 9.5% for newspapers and 5.1% for the Internet (*). TV’s persuasiveness is in part due to the word of mouth element. Watching television with other people provides an ideal opportunity to talk about TV advertising and ‘pass on’ ads in the same time and space as the advertising itself (**). As already noted TV is able to reach many people in a short amount of time and can thus also make brands seem bigger than they really are, instilling a sense of authority and stature.

(*) Source: TVB, Nielsen Media Research Custom Survey 2008
(**) Source: http://www.thinkbox.tv

5. TV is credible

Television is closest to reality and in turn offers the greatest authenticity. Anything you see on the television screen, you have “experienced” and “seen with your own eyes”. Thus – be it consciously or subconsciously – TV is the most credible medium. For advertising this means that the shine of the clean laundry, the enjoyment of the premium espresso and the speed of a race car are best illustrated on TV.

6. TV advertising is everywhere, anywhere, anytime

The emotional and far-reaching conversations that brands have with their consumers are no longer limited to real-time or physical space. Technology has liberated TV advertising – TV ads can be watched or downloaded at the click of a mouse, mailed across continents and blogged about online. This sharing of TV advertising, both on and offline, makes TV advertising all the more powerful as it deepens its impact and strengthens the emotional connection we have with brands (*).

(*) Source: http://www.thinkbox.tv

7. TV delivers a measurable return on investment

As important as the medium itself, is the transparency of its effectiveness. Television is and will remain the most efficient form of communication with masses (TV viewing is still on the increase almost all over the world) but also with smaller target groups through niche and thematic channels as well as IPTV. It is the most measured medium and as the use of people-meters is almost universal for TV, it not only offers the most accurate data but also allows for some comparison across countries. Television should be used as a quality benchmark for other media, to encourage the same level of audience measurement reliability. The existing research does an exceptionally good job in providing a currency for buyers and sellers. This currency has been present for many years and has generated a degree of trust amongst all stakeholders in the brand.

8. TV strengthens the performance of other media

Television establishes the central idea of a campaign and helps it resonate through other media platforms in support of the communication. The reach and profile of TV results in a multiplier effect on other media used in a campaign. Every other execution reminds consumers of the television campaign and strengthens the impact of the message.

9. TV allows for precise targeting

Target groups (specific population categories: housewives with children or a geographical zone) can be made extremely precise and advertisers can therefore target a specific “universe”. Well-designed, creative commercial messages and judicious sales pitches targeted at the right audience and placed in the ideal programme environment will be memorised better than any other type of messages. Targeting can often be local or regional and is becoming even more fine-tuned as the digital era becomes a reality.

10. TV is creative

With a multitude of channels available, advertisers can place their product within the context of many different programmes in order to best reach their campaign goals. Television furthermore offers advertisers much more than a 30-second spot, but rather a wide array of special advertising formats such as sponsoring, split-screen advertising, single spots etc. Studies show that special ads deliver higher impact and recall thanks to their creative integration with programmes and their unique insertion (outside blocks).