Television is a powerful advertising medium. It relies on both sound and visual effects. These effects can be used in combination to catch the attention of your audience and then reinforce their retention rates by repeating the message using both audio and video. Advertisers can brand their advertisements by using the same theme for multiple TV advertisements, turning the commercials into a type of television show with dedicated followers.
Mass Appeal
TV has mass appeal. Individuals watch TV for a variety of reasons: Some watch it to get the latest news and financial information; other individuals watch it for entertainment and enjoy viewing dramas, comedy shows and sports shows. People of all ages and races watch TV. TV reaches a large variety of individuals with different backgrounds which makes it cost efficient for advertisers to reach a mass audience.
Intrusiveness
Some might view intrusiveness as a bad thing, but for advertisers it's a way to get their foot in the door and to reach customers. Some TV viewers might leave the room during commercials, but many will stay because they do not want to miss the beginning of their show when it returns from commercial. This generates a captive audience for TV advertising.
Appeal
A well-created TV advertisement draws an audience to want to watch the advertisement. Think of the Super Bowl. Each year as the Super Bowl approaches, viewers look forward not only to the game but to the commercials as well. The ability to make graphically entertaining commercials can help the advertiser create a following who enjoy watching their commercials. In this way the advertiser can develop a loyal customer base.
Viewing Times
According to a study by Ball State University, the average individual watches TV for more than 4 1/2 hours a day. This is more time than individuals spend listening to the radio or reading the newspaper. This increases the visibility of TV ads. Unlike radio, which has options available for customers to purchase without commercial interruption, television has a regular placement of advertisements during that 4 1/2 hour viewing period during the day. Although TiVO allows viewers to watch their programs without advertisements, the technology is not yet widespread.
Television Uses Multiple Communication Methods
Radio advertisers can only appeal to one of the senses of their listeners: hearing. Television on the other hand can take advantage of both the senses of hearing and of vision. By appealing to both senses a TV advertiser can use these to reinforce each other. A sale price can be spoken during the TV advertisement and then reinforced with a graphic on the television. Using a high quality graphic can make it easier for the customer to remember the product than just hearing about it on the advertisement.
Tags: both senses, Super Bowl