The first officially paid TV dvertisement hit the airwaves 75 years ago. Since then, little has changed in television advertising for most people. Ads still appear between cuts of the shows you want to watch. With the advent of digital advertising (think online), it’s hard to imagine that there is still space for this relatively old marketing method.
Unexplored Potential
But don’t dismiss it just yet. While smart targeting might not be TV advertising’s strongest suite, there are many opportunities in the medium to take marketing to the next level. Imagine watching your favourite TV show but without the commercial break every seven minutes. The entire cast is fighting, a latecomer walks in with a bottle of Coke, and everyone is happy again.
Delivery of television signal to the home has also evolved. From one-way broadcasting, digital transmissions can create pathways for better data exchange between networks and viewers.
Bridging the Gap
The future, however, is not about online taking over. It’s about building the bridge between TV and other modern avenues like online advertising. Many companies have been attempting this method. They tie up content they show in TV ads with what is exclusively online. Most broadcasted ads nowadays end with URLS or leave their Part IIs online for audiences to “discover”.
Why TV Just Can’t Die
Believe it or not, online advertising has not been displaying a purely upward curve. The results they give on several KPIs still show some unpredictability, losing to the reliability of the results achieved with TV advertising. In addition, the reach of traditional TV advertising remains unbeatable.
Advertising in the modern day can be very challenging. It is also the reason that opportunities for success abound. While TV advertising is not for all businesses, cutting TV ad budgets due to it being arcane is misinformed. The couch and the tube will have to stay in the living room.