TV's Value

Content drives consumers. With the convergence of video and the web, content is now syndicated and disseminated in many more places, and can be accessed on a variety of devices.

What you might find surprising, is that television is still a consumer’s preferred screen. Most people prefer to watch a show when it first airs. What’s better than watching your favorite show on a big screen with surround sound, on a comfy couch with a remote? It’s a more enjoyable experience than viewing the same content on a small hand-held device.

Online viewing doesn’t diminish the audience; it expands the audience. According to a Nielsen, forgetting to watch or tape a TV show episode when it aired on TV as the most common reason for watching it online, followed by catching up on current or past seasons. (For stats on TV vs. web viewing, check out NielseShow alln)

So, how effective are the ads? According to a poll by Adweek and Harris Interactive, 37% of Americans say that TV ads are most helpful to them in making a purchase decision. Newspapers ranked second (17%), followed by internet search-engine ads (14%), radio ads trailed at 3% and lastly internet banner ads at 1%. More than a fourth of Americans reported that none of these types of ads are helpful to them in the purchase-decision-making process.

Notably, the majority of consumers surveyed (87%) pay attention to TV and radio. The same study showed almost half of Americans (46%) ignored internet banner ads, followed by internet search engine ads (17%), television ads (13%), radio ads (9%), and newspaper ads (6%). (See study here)

A strategic tool in a marketer’s arsenal, TV remains a very effective way to reach a mass audience, build brand awareness and drive sales. There’s an art and a science to developing the right media plan, targeting the right audience with the right metrics in place to make it a good return on investment.