TV Advertising
H O P P E R P E D I A ©
-Brian Hammons
June 14, 2010: 970 hits
TV advertising is a two sided coin:
TV ads are generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format, reflected mainly by the high prices TV networks charge for commercial airtime during popular TV events.
On the flip side, TV ads are considered an annoyance and typical viewers can anticipate which ads will be bothersome, prompting the viewer to be mercilessly selective in their viewing.
In general, advertisers covet the 18-49 age demographic. The number of viewers within the target demographic is more important to ad revenues than total viewers. Because a single television advertisement can be broadcast repeatedly over the course of weeks, months, and even years television advertisement production studios often spend enormous sums of money in the production of one single thirty-second television spot. This vast expenditure has resulted in a number of high-quality advertisements with high production values, the latest in special effects technology, the most popular personalities, and the best music. A number of television advertisements are so elaborately produced that they can be considered miniature thirty-second movies. Many film directors have directed television advertisements.
Future of TV advertisements
The introduction of digital video recorders (also known as digital television recorders or DTRs), such as TiVo, and services like Sky+, Dish Network and Astro MAX, which allow the recording of television programs onto a hard drive, also enable viewers to fast-forward or automatically skip through advertisements of recorded programs.
Other forms of TV advertising include:
Product placement advertising in the TV shows themselves. Ad Overlays (Banners, or "Logo Bugs" and 2E Secondary Events ) are placed at the bottom of the TV screen during show braodcasts and have become popular. But caution is advised; these banners can take up as much as 25 percent of the viewing area and viewers complain that they "block" the broadcast.
Online video directories are an emerging form of interactive advertising, which help in recalling and responding to advertising produced primarily for television. These directories also have the potential to offer other value-added services, such as response sheets and click-to-call, which greatly enhance the scope of the interaction with the brand.
