What Are the Advantages of TV Advertising in 2024
Around 90 million households in the US watch linear TV (and around 104 million stream their favorite shows on a TV, with more than half of these using a blend of "traditional" and digital TV.)
And yet, despite the massive numbers, the death of TV has been prophesied, announced, canceled, and re-ignited a thousand times since the advent of online video streaming.
Yes, traditional TV is in decline, but it's not going away anytime soon—it's still finding ways to evolve.
Advantages of TV advertising in 2024
Without a trace of doubt, TV advertising continues to offer distinctive advantages for brands and marketers. Some of the essential ones include:
Large audience
TV's unparalleled reach allows advertisers to communicate with a vast and diverse audience spanning various demographics and interests. This broad exposure helps brands reach a wide range of potential customers, making it an efficient and cost-effective method of advertising.
Due to modern technology (and hundreds of cable networks to choose from), TV advertising is also easier to scale—as compared to older, more manual TV media buying processes. Even buying scatter TV ads, traditionally considered hard to scale, is now available for brands with streamlined, automated buying solutions (like Simulmedia's TV+, for example) at scale.
More trustworthy
The internet's got a bad rap for trustworthiness. The general consensus is that pretty much anyone can post anything online (which is not untrue). According to research from Kantar, TV continues to rank as the most trusted media channel.
A similar phenomenon happens with advertising as well. Sure, buying things off of TikTok is all fun and games -- but research shows television, radio, and print still hold more sway when it comes to making purchasing decisions.
The trustworthiness of TV advertising translates into better brand recall and consumer trust, which should help drive more website/app visits, higher conversion rates, and ROI for advertisers’ direct and other paid and owned channels. TV ads are easier to run than ever, so there's not much excuse for sending them to the collective dustbin of history.
Unskippable ads: An effective channel for your message
Ignoring banner ads has become the norm. Ad blockers and banner ad blindness have become significant hurdles for digital advertisers. But with TV, viewers don't get to skip ads (unless they change channels), making it a much more effective channel for delivering your message.
TV also offers the chance to create visually appealing and emotionally resonating advertisements that capture audiences’ attention and leave a lasting impact. From memorable jingles to heartwarming commercials, TV ads have the potential to become part of popular culture and be remembered long after they've aired.
You know Christmas is near when the Coca-Cola Christmas truck ad runs on TV. And you know that the Super Bowl just isn't complete without new and creative TV ads to watch during the game. On TV, ads don’t just need to act as a filler, with the right creative, they can be part of people's entertainment experience.
Building brand personalities
TV advertising uniquely enables brands to build and showcase their personalities in a way that resonates deeply with consumers. Through creative storytelling and emotional engagement, television ads can help companies establish a memorable identity and foster a strong connection with their audience. This medium allows for a rich, multi-sensory experience that can elevate a brand's presence in the public eye and differentiate it from competitors.
You can repurpose TV ads
TV ads are not just for the TV. With the rise of digital media, TV ads can be repurposed and shared across different platforms, such as social media, websites, and online streaming services. This allows for increased exposure and reach for the ad, making it a versatile marketing asset that can continue to generate results long after it has aired on TV.
You can still tap into digital media
Leveraging digital media in conjunction with TV advertising offers unparalleled opportunities for brand engagement and interaction. Today's viewers often engage in "second screen" behavior, meaning they watch TV while simultaneously using their phone or tablet. This habit opens up a dynamic channel for advertisers to connect with their audience in real-time. By syncing TV ads with digital content, brands can drive engagement and conversion rates while amplifying their message.
In addition, tools like Simulmedia’s allow you to integrate TV advertising with advanced data and targeting capabilities, making it possible to zero in on the programs and dayparts where you can find large numbers of your unreached target audience. With this level of precision and targeting, advertisers can optimize their campaigns for maximum effectiveness and measure the results accurately.
The screen is all yours
Open any page and any app on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, and your screen will likely soon be filled with a never-ending display of bright, flashing ads.
For some viewers, the constant deluge of digital advertisements can quickly become overwhelming and intrusive, leading to ad fatigue and a lack of engagement. TV ads offer a full-screen viewing experience without trying to draw people’s attention away from the primary content they’re trying to engage with. On a TV screen, the time-based separation of ad and content allows for more focused attention on the ad's message and greater potential for impact.
Disadvantages of TV ads: Myth vs reality
TV ads are not perfect; they are commonly associated with several cons. However, most of these downsides are historical in nature (largely because modern technology has bypassed or overcome them entirely.)
Here are some of the things you should know about TV ad cons:
Lacking audience data
Myth: Traditionally, TV advertising was broad and, by its nature, quite difficult to measure. Unlike digital advertising, TV ads offer little in the way of audience data beyond age and gender.
Reality: with more advanced analytics and data capabilities now available for TV ads, this disadvantage is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Using platforms like Simulmedia's TV+, advertisers can now use insights and metrics that go beyond basic age and gender demographics -- like life stage, interests, affinity, habits, behavior, preferences, and more, particularly when planning and buying scatter TV ads, where advertisers can place ads on TV channels at short notice.
Verdict: Linear TV is not "lackluster" in terms of audience data. It may not always be as granular as digital, but it can still provide more than valuable insights if leveraged effectively.
Interruptive
Myth: There is a general perception that TV ads are disruptive, and imposed upon viewers without their consent.
Reality: While it's true that TV ads interrupt the viewing experience, the truth is that most times, viewers actually expect the breaks. What’s more, the very fact that, in streaming TV, people are willing to watch ads (for a cheaper subscription – which must not be ignored, but nevertheless, just one of the many decision factors). This goes to show ads aren’t evil per se – good timing and a careful calibration of ad loads can and do make a major difference in just how much of a nuisance ads are perceived as.
Plus, (most) digital ads are just as, if not more interruptive than TV ads. Online ads are about more than just interruption, though. They can be highly annoying, especially when they slow down your browsing experience, but to add insult to injury, they’re also intrusive. The entire digital advertising ecosystem is built on “following” consumers around online – a highly intrusive practice in itself (even if you ignore ads that block content, slow down your page load, and so on. Sure, linear advertising has its own ways of measuring success and, yes, TV ads can be interruptive – but all in all, they’re guilty of lesser sins than most other forms of advertising.
Verdict: The idea that TV ads are interruptive is not entirely false, but it's also not the full story—and even less so when you consider how intrusive online ads are (especially on certain websites).
Video production is expensive and complicated
Myth: Producing a TV ad is too expensive and complicated for small businesses or startups to afford.
Reality: While producing a high-quality TV ad can require a significant budget and resources, that doesn't mean smaller companies can't leverage this medium. With the rise of online video production tools (including AI and animation tools), self-service platforms, and the proliferation of creator-generated content that, with some editing skills, can be stitched together into a compelling, authentic ad experience, there are now more opportunities for businesses of all sizes to create and air TV ads.
Verdict: While producing a TV ad may require some investment, it's not an impossible feat for smaller companies with tighter budgets. TV ads offer a unique opportunity for these companies to stand out from their competitors and reach a wider audience, making it a worthwhile investment in many cases.
Getting on national TV is expensive
Myth: Showing your ads on a national TV channel involves a budget of millions of dollars.
Reality: This might be partially true, largely because the concept of “expensive national TV ads” revolves around the Upfront market. However, significant efficiencies can be found across multiple networks beyond just the Upfront deals. The scatter market provides opportunities for more cost-effective advertising, allowing for tighter budget management and flexibility in spending.
Verdict: The cost of putting your ads on national TV varies greatly – so don’t assume your situation will be on the more expensive end of the range. You have options – one of them could be exactly what your business needs.
It takes a long time to produce & launch a TV campaign
Myth: Creating and launching a TV campaign will take weeks (just from a planning and negotiation perspective.)
Reality: Yes, traditionally, producing and launching TV campaigns can be time-intensive. The typical process would involve a marketer discussing details with an agency, negotiating pricing, calling each network to see what placements are available, and building the media plan according to what’s available (and where they think their audience will be.)
Once the client approves the media plan proposal, the agency needs to call each network in the media plan and place the order (assuming the spot is still available – otherwise, they’ll need to do another round of planning and approvals). That entire process can take up to a few weeks (3-4, for example, in the scatter market.) However, Simulmedia allows you to launch your campaign in a week. We have pre-negotiated rates, integrated with all major networks (and read their real-time availability into our system), and have vast amounts of viewership data to feed into our sophisticated machine-learning models to assemble the optimal media plan.
All these benefits allow our customers to deliver a media plan to the client with maximum efficiency. After approval, the streamlined placing of orders (at the push of a button) means activating an approved plan takes very little time.
Verdict: When good technology is available, most of the “downsides” of traditional/linear TV ads are a thing of the past.
Traditional TV is not known for speedy campaign launches, but with Simulmedia, they get on air within a week.
Slow campaign reporting
Myth: Traditional TV campaign reports are very slow, and you will have to wait for weeks after the end of your campaign before you can get your results.
Reality: That does have partial truth to it. Every network you buy ads from needs to deliver their post logs, which agencies need to reconcile manually, and every network has a different format for them. Once the media agency collects all this data, it is manually aggregated and delivered to advertisers. Still, with Simulmedia, you get real-time reporting on your TV ads (because we integrate with major ACR vendors.) We also have automated postlog processing – so you don’t have to wait for manual reconciliation. These automation and systems help us provide you with all the data you need to optimize your campaigns once a month.
Verdict: Linear TV reporting is slower than other channels (especially digital) – but with the right partnership and tech, you can considerably slash the time it takes to push an ad (and gather reports)
Is it still effective, though?
In short, yes.
The world is drowning in digital content. TV ads can be your way of standing out and building real connections. Whatever perceived faults or shortcomings TV ads may have, they are largely unfounded in the modern advertising landscape.
TV ads offer unmatched reach, sophistication, and impact when executed well. With the integration of digital tactics and advanced data analytics, it presents an even more powerful tool for advertisers to connect with their audience and achieve their marketing goals. So go ahead, tap into the power of TV advertising, and make your brand's message stand out.