Does TV Advertising Still Matter?

Sometimes, it’s easy to question TV’s value as a marketing channel when thinking about the popularity of digital advertising.  

After all, brands can easily connect with a potential customer across the world with a strong paid search strategy or attention-grabbing Facebook ad. 

But looking at the evidence, TV’s continued value is undeniable. It’s still the second-largest marketing channel by ad spend. 315 brands across 74 categories launched TV for the first time just last year. The channel is evolving quickly, actually merging with digital through the growing popularity of Connected TV. And traditional channels in general are experiencing a renaissance as brands look for ways to cut through digital clutter and avoid challenges posed by new privacy regulations. 

But TV also matters because it provides opportunities for growth, unlike any other channel. 

 

TV uses emotional storytelling at scale to create famous brands.  

TV advertising boasts all of video’s classic advantages—the power of visuals and audio combined to tell a compelling brand story that sticks in consumers’ minds. 

Additionally, TV is capable of sharing that powerful message with a massive audience. Nearly 120 million US households have at least one TV set in their home. And while audience fragmentation is growing as a result of the increasing number of ways available to watch content, linear TV still boasts the largest audiences. 

The reach and visibility TV provides while facilitating meaningful brand-consumer connections helps grow a brand’s awareness—and ultimately fame. This proves true when we stop to list the largest, most well-known brands in any given category. Brands like Progressive, Verizon Apple, Disney, and Amazon.   

All of which happen to be among the top spenders on broadcast TV last year. 

 

Famous brands grow more. 

Numerous studies have found strong links between how well-known a brand is in its category and market share. As fame grows, so does market share.  

This can be attributed to how fame creates mental availability, making a brand more likely to be thought of when a consumer is in-market for their product or service. This then increases the likelihood of that consumer making a purchase. For brands advertising on TV today, they can think of intentionally using TV to drive brand fame as creating “future demand.” And investing in long-term growth. 

 

Learn more about TV advertising in the digital era.  

Listen to Angela Voss and Chuck Hengel explain how TV works with digital to improve campaign performance.