Television advertising is an invaluable yet underrated conduit between businesses and target customers.

Delve deep into the nuances of TV advertising, and you’ll find this medium is just as important today as it was in the pre-internet era. Some even argue that modern TV advertising is even more important than that of yesteryear.

Contrary to popular opinion, television advertising is still an essential means of presenting the utility or features of a value offering to a target demographic. If your brand needs to take full advantage of the golden opportunity that is TV advertising, now is the time to dive in headfirst. Television advertising establishes connections that can elevate your business to new heights in the short term and in the years and decades that follow. Here’s why.

Recognizing the Opportunities for TV Advertising

TV programs, viewers, and habits have changed as time has progressed. The days of watching Leave It To Beaver and The Tonight Show Starring Jonny Carson are long gone. Instead, today’s TV viewers have diverse interests ranging from niche sports to colorful animated shows, playful sitcoms, tragic dramas, and news broadcasts.

TV provides an essential nexus point, connecting target prospects with your brand regardless of the specific product or other value offerings in which your business specializes. Recognize the opportunities presented by TV as a medium, feature your ads in a highly strategic manner, and you’ll establish potentially invaluable inroads with the buyer personas your company needs to fulfill its true potential.

Zeroing in on the Target Audience

The value of TV advertising lies in its flexibility. Businesses looking to connect with nationwide, regional, or hyper-local audiences are empowered to do so through TV broadcasts of all different varieties. For example, localized companies can now air one-time commercials in specific zip codes, zeroing in on potential buyers within a relatively small area. Alternatively, nationwide businesses can use TV to expand their reach to the countrywide market. The happy medium between these two extremes is regional television advertising, in which companies air commercials during carefully selected programs and at specific times of the day to connect with those in a concentrated geographic region.

Television advertising targeting combined with capabilities for optimization and ongoing measurement ultimately empowers businesses to connect with specific demographics and buyer personas directly. In short, TV advertising paves a path to establish brand recall and an all-important rapport with those who need or desire a product or service.

Though audiences are becoming more fragmented as entertainment options increase and demographic diversity expand, most people still consume TV, especially after school and work come to an end for the day. So resist the temptation to shift most or all of your marketing dollars to inbound channels on the web, continue advertising on TV, and your brand will make the most of what this essential medium offers.

TV is Still Democratized, and Likely Always Will Be

Your brand deserves the full advantage of TV advertising as this medium is optimized for mass consumption. Thinkbox reports that 75% of the average viewer’s video consumption is from TV. Furthermore, the same study reveals that more than 90% of video ads display on TV. These statistics make it abundantly clear that TV still has an extensive reach and will likely continue to have such a reach for the foreseeable future.

Whether your company tailors its value proposition to a narrow group of customers in a small demographic or a comparably large swath that spans the entirety of a region or even the whole of the country, you will significantly benefit from the golden opportunity that is TV advertising. Unlike the internet and social media, TV is in most homes. There is no barrier to viewer entry but for the cost of a TV and an antenna. In particular, businesses looking to connect with locals have the perfect opportunity to do so through local broadcasts that do not require a costly monthly cable subscription.

Shining the Spotlight on TV Advertising Success

There is a popular misconception that TV is phasing out in favor of other mediums and forms of entertainment. Though it is undoubtedly true that video games, social media, and the internet are drawing in younger demographics, TV is still highly effective. Take a close look at TV advertising statistics, and you will find the year gone by was a record one for advertising on the medium. Nearly 1,300 advertisers used television for the first time or reverted to the medium after being away for half a decade or longer.

The significant spike in TV advertising represents a 50% increase across the past two years alone, revealing the somewhat startling truth about the efficacy of commercials. These facts and figures make it clear that TV advertising still has a strong appeal with businesses that are new to the medium and those that have taken a break from commercials.

Nielsen, the TV ratings specialist, recently revealed that ad spend on TV increased by nearly 25% in 2021 alone, moving up to almost $7 billion, a figure that exceeds that of the pre-pandemic period. Moreover, in early 2022, industry specialists accurately predicted that it would be a year in which advertisers proactively addressed new TV viewers as marketers shifted to breakthrough mediums like addressable ads to pinpoint lucrative opportunities for audience growth.

Viewer Engagement that Leaves a Meaningful Impact

TV content is easily accessible, allowing businesses to directly engage target audiences with impactful visuals that leave a distinct and potentially permanent impression. The medium of television is ideal for developing and reinforcing brand awareness. Artfully crafted TV commercials with your target audience in mind, deliver your message through indelible video ads, and viewers will remember:

• Your company name
• Slogan
• Logo
• Theme song
• Other branding elements

Reinforce this initial exposure point with other inbound and outbound marketing mediums, and your overall branding will significantly improve. The quest to make such a lasting and profitable impact begins with TV commercials that plant a metaphorical seed in viewers’ minds.

TV Audiences are Open to Advertising Messages

Above all, recognize that the TV viewing audience is impressionable, especially compared to other mediums. For example, a ’21 study reveals that nearly one-half of all consumers reported TV and streaming video ads are more memorable than other ads. In comparison, brand recall for ads on social media was slightly more than 30%. Brand recall for mobile game ads was a mere 12%. To the surprise of many, audience brand recall for ads placed on internet sites was less than 10%.

Airing TV commercials legitimizes a company and brand. As a result, the viewing audience perceives a business advertising on TV as worthy of attention. In addition, viewers consider businesses featured in commercials to be reputable simply because they have the resources necessary to do so.