The Power of Television in Marketing

2. Why TV is #1 • Television should be the centerpiece of any marketing plan. • Broadcast TV’s household penetration is about 97.4%, meaning it reaches more people nationwide than any other medium. • The average American watches about 35.5 hours of television each week, so there are lots of chances to catch viewers’ attention.

3. Why TV is #1 • Broadcast television is the home to local news and weather, making it especially beneficial to local businesses hoping to connect with a local audience. • Television audiences are also diverse and industry tracking makes it easier to find out who’s watching when. This makes it easier for advertisers to place effective ads. • TV viewers are also engaged in the media. They’re also in a position to jot down the name of a business or look up a company website if a particular ad interests them.

4. TV’s Four-Pronged Approach • The four tools in TV’s arsenal include: sight, sound, motion, and emotion. These come together in a multisensory message that can leave a strong impression. • TV gives advertisers the flexibility to create ads that convey their business’ personality. • TV is the perfect way to demonstrate how a product works, so consumers better understand how it fills their needs. • Displaying the packaging or showing a picture of your store’s exterior also lets consumers know exactly what to look for while shopping.

5. Cable’s Strengths • The four-pronged approach: Cable ads use the winning combination of sight, sound, motion, and emotion. • Greater Opportunity to Run Longer Ads:Cable is more likely to provide an outlet for longer ads and infomercials. • Audience:The cable TV audience is often younger and higher-income, and many are loyal to their shows, giving advertisers a better chance for repeat exposure. • Targeting: Cable’s interest-specific programs appeal to smaller demographic subgroups. If a product has limited appeal, cable might be the best way to home in on consumers.

6. Cable’s Weaknesses • Fragmented audiences: Cable audiences have so many choices that there are fewer viewers watching each channel. • Smaller market coverage: Cable’s 48.5% household penetration rate is weak, and dropping quickly as people cut costs and turn to program downloads and online viewing. • Ad clutter: Ad clutter is rampant on some cable networks. This reduces ad retention and frustrates audiences. • Unreliable measurement data:Sifting through audience data can be a challenge for advertisers.

7. Internet & Social Media • 63.5% of American households have broadband internet access. • Internet users spend a weekly average of 3 hours and 52 minutes surfing the web at home. • Social media networks make-up 11% of all web traffic among American users, and that number is growing.

8. Internet & Social Media Strengths • Tracking: Internet ad views and clicks are easy to track. Social media effectiveness can be measured by the number of fans or followers on a business’ site. • Instant gratification: The web provides consumers with what they’re looking for at the exact moment they’re looking for it. Social media promotions work best when they’re offered for a limited time and constantly changing.

9. Internet & Social Media Strengths • Interactivity: Some internet ads use attention-getting quiz questions or interactive games to involve web users. Through the world of social media, businesses can have an open dialogue to find out what their customers like, what they don’t like, and what they want. • Flexibility: Both internet and social media allow business owners to change their ads or pages right away with the click of a mouse.

10. Internet & Social Media Weaknesses • Clutter:Web users hate ad clutter, and the internet is filled with it, making it hard to get attention. Ads compete with other ads, as well as primary content, which is what users are most focused on. • Limited demographics: Even though almost two-thirds of Americans have access to the internet, it’s hard to take advantage of the vastness of the internet audience. The number of people who will see a particular ad is limited to those already searching for similar products. Social media runs into similar problems, with new followers being referred by existing ones.

11. Internet & Social Media Weaknesses • Brand degradation:The continuous barrage of internet ads lowers consumers’ impression of overexposed brands and products. • Privacy concerns: The federal government is coming down on internet and social media companies for infringing on consumers’ privacy. Legislation is in the works to regulate how market data can be collected, stored, and used. This could have a negative impact on web and social media advertising.

12. Newspaper Strengths • Audience: Newspaper audiences tend to be well educated and have high incomes. Local newspapers are also a great way to target consumers in a specific location. • Tangibility: As one of the only physical media, newspapers ads and coupons have a tendency to stick around—at least until recycling day. • Flexibility:Advertisers can choose: Big ads or small ads? What section? How many days or weeks? It’s also easy to make changes to ads on relatively short notice.

13. Newspaper Weaknesses • Diminishing readership: Circulation is dropping rapidly. In 2008, the number of Americans that read daily newspapers was just shy of 115 million, but total circulation was only 49.1 million. • Limited medium: Newspaper ads rely on static images to get the point across. It’s hard to make an ad stand out and hard to be creative. • Cost: Large ads can be expensive, especially in papers with national circulation.

14. Radio Strengths • Targeting:Each radio station has its own distinct personality and following, so businesses can connect with specific demographic subgroups. • Coverage: Radio ads extend for miles beyond the city limits, reaching potential customers who could get missed by the Yellow Pages or local newspapers.

15. Radio Strengths • Household penetration: Radio is free so anyone can pick it up. 90.2% of Americans listen for a weekly average of 22 hours per person. • Listener loyalty: Radio listeners present good opportunities for repeat exposure since they tend to listen to the same station or two during the same times of day.

16. Radio Weaknesses • Fragmentation:Due to the number of stations in any particular area, radio audiences for individual stations tend to be quite small. To reach a range of consumers, businesses will need to advertise on multiple stations, and that translates to higher costs. • Audience distraction: Most people are multitasking when listening to the radio, so audiences don’t give ads their full attention.

17. Radio Weaknesses • Limited “primetime” hours: Most radio listeners tune in during the morning rush hour, but audiences are smaller and less reliable during other times of day. • Limited medium: Without sight and motion it’s harder to leave listeners with a complete memory of your ad.

18. Yellow Pages Strengths • Recognition and penetration:Nearly every household has a copy of the local Yellow Pages, and 99% of adults have heard of it. Consumers trust the listings to be accurate and current. • Convenience:The Yellow Pages is convenient at times when internet searches are not. The listing itself is simple to maintain, as it only needs to be updated once a year. • Range of listings: The Yellow Pages lists businesses in over 4,000 categories all in one place.

19. Yellow Pages Strengths • Supplementary strategy: The Yellow Pages is a good back-up ad listing. If consumers forget the name of a business they saw on TV, the Yellow Pages would be one of the first places they’d look. • Cost: A basic listing is inexpensive and can strengthen a business’ image.

20. Yellow Pages Weaknesses • Clutter:Yellow Pages listings can seem cramped and cluttered, making it hard for consumers to choose. • Online competition: Online directories can sometimes be easier to use. They often include maps and direct links to websites. • Limited medium: Static, colorless print ads are as good as it gets in the Yellow Pages. It can be hard to stand out and create a lasting impression. It’s also impossible to update a listing mid-year should your business move or change phone numbers.

21. Yellow Pages Weaknesses • Cost:Larger ads are attention grabbers, but they come at a cost—often tens of thousands of dollars depending on the market region. • Fractured audience: The people searching the Yellow Pages already need your service. Top-of-mind awareness via other media can preempt a Yellow Pages search, making your business more competitive.

22. Direct Mail Strengths • Tangibility: Direct mailings are hard copies of your business’ image. Ads that are especially appealing or unique are likely to stick around so potential customers won’t need to remember their message. • Targeting:It’s possible to target consumers based on a number of factors including location, household income, age, and membership or subscriptions to related organizations.

23. Direct Mail Strengths • Frequency: The direct mail audience eliminates the guesswork of figuring out where your customers are. A message can wait in the mailbox until they’re ready to collect it, making direct mail especially good at providing repeat exposure. • Tracking: Direct mail effectiveness is easy to track through coupon usage. • Household penetration:Nearly everyone has a mailbox.

24. Direct Mail Weaknesses • Cost:Basic printing and mailing costs aren’t cheap, and targeted mailing lists and professional design increase the price even more. • Limited flexibility: Once materials are printed, it’s too late to make changes or updates. Lead-time for design and production can also take weeks or months, so advance planning is critical. • Competition:Direct mail arrives alongside flyers, brochures, and other unsolicited “junk mail.” Being affiliated with “junk mail” can damage a brand’s reputation, and the quantity of other mailings can result in mailbox clutter.

25. Direct Mail Weaknesses • Limited medium: Direct mail is another medium that only hits half of the four prongs of successful TV ads. No sound or motion makes it that much harder to stand out and present a complete picture of your business. • List maintenance: Like social media, direct mail advertising lists are time-consuming to cultivate and maintain.