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What is the perception of TV advertising as a communications tool, now as compared with five
years ago (has it improved, stayed the same or got worse)?
If it has declined, then what is driving this change – is this just a perception problem or are there
studies to show it is less effective than it once was?
Reports of the death of TV as an advertising medium have been greatly exaggerated. TV
remains a compelling and durable medium. Despite the proliferation of new media from all
corners such as social media and the internet itself, TV continues to be among one of the
most enduring entertainment options available. On the other hand, due to increase in TV
channels available and other media, the audience has become fragmented and speculation
that the effectiveness of TV is declining continues. However, based on the last four years
data across the globe, empirical evidence refutes that speculation. The empirical data
demonstrates that the increase in digital media influence has not caused a decrease in TV’s
influence (Jamhouri and Winiarz, 2009).
TV remains the most effective medium, however, the increase in new media forms has
resulted in a broader range of consumer touch points which has resulted in multi-media
being more effective then the use of a single medium. Hence, it is essential to find the right
combination of media to complement TV as it is significantly important to a campaign’s ROI
(Elms and Galpin, 2009).
TV engagement is mainly of the subconscious kind and it is effective at building strong
brands, due to the low attention to TV ads, the emotional stimuli are more effective because
the viewer does not notice and therefore counter-argues against them (Heath, 2009).
Information Resources Inc conducted an analysis on the results of 50 recent real-world TV
advertising tests to update findings from research by Lodish et al, 1995 and Hu, Lodish and
Krieger, 2007. Overall, the results revealed improvement of TV advertising sales
effectiveness from the media weight increase is significant for established products and
consistent with previous studies and further confirms that TV advertising effectiveness has
improved during recent years (Hu, Lodish, Krieger and Hayati, 2009).
Abstracts from related articles
Study Reveals TV as Most Effective Medium for Delivering High Emotional Engagement, Cognitive
Recall
Treutler, T. a. G., T (2010). "Study reveals TV as most effective medium ofr delivering high
emotional engagement, cognitive recall." The Television Bureau of Canada.
A comprehensive biometric and eye tracking study by Innerscope Research revealed
television to be the most effective medium at delivering high emotional and cognitive
responses to advertising. The research examined the advertising of 24 national brands and
found that television spots were more effective at generating high emotional engagement
and aided next-day recall than online video, online display, radio and newspaper. The study
observed 100 male and female participants aged 18-49 as they experienced ads within each
of these media environments. Results showed that:
•
Television ads delivered three times more high emotional engagement and three
times higher aided next-day recall than radio ads.
•
1.8 times more high emotional engagement and 1.4 times higher aided next-day
recall than online video ads.
•

Five times higher aided next-day recall than online display ads.
5.5 times more total emotional engagement and comparable aided next-day recall than
newspaper ads.
Can Old Media Enhance New Media? How Traditional Advertising Pays off for an Online Social
Network.
Pfeiffer, M & Zinnbauer, M. (2010) Can Old Media Enhance New Media? How Traditional
Advertising Pays off for an Online Social Network, Journal of Advertising Research, 50, 42-49.
The trade-off between online channels (display advertising and search engine marketing)
versus classic communication (television, radio, print) has been ardently discussed during
the last decade. In practice, online channels are often being favoured for their direct
accountability in terms of cost per click. To prove the actual value of various channels, the
authors present a marketing mix modelling case study examining the business impact of
various communication channels and the role of other external factors that influence usage
of the website. Results of this study found that classical advertising with a clear focus on TV
clearly pays off and outperforms pure search-engine marketing with regards to generating
new registrations.
Emotional engagement: how TV builds brands at low attention
Heath, R (2009) “Emotional engagement: how TV builds brands at low attention” Admap,
July/August 2009, Issue 507, pp. 29-31.
This paper discusses an apparent paradox: TV advertising is found to be very effective, yet
has little attention paid to it and is often poorly recalled. The first step is to understand
`engagement’. Engagement can be defined in terms of attention or emotional response: the
former shows no correlation with growth in favourability towards brands, but emotion
(fuelled by creativity) is so correlated (research evidence quoted). TV engagement therefore
seems to be an emotional rather than a rational construct. Following Damasio, emotions
precede conscious thought and can gatekeep, or lead directly to, decisions. Other research
(described) has shown that attitudes about a decision are formed by emotional and
subconscious rational processing before conscious thought, which then either supports the
decision or argues against it. This leads to two definitions of `engagement’: the amount of
subconscious ‘feeling’ going on when an advertisement is being processed; and level of
attention – the amount of conscious ‘thinking’ going on when an advertisement is being
processed. With TV it can be shown that attention is low, much lower than print (research
quoted). Therefore, if TV is effective at building strong brands, it follows that TV
`engagement’ is primarily of the subconscious, emotional kind. The low attention to TV ads
means that the emotional stimuli are more effective, because the viewer does not notice
and therefore counter-argue against them: example quoted from an experiment with the
musical soundtrack of the British Airways campaign. It is empathetic creativity in TV
advertising that builds strong brand relationships.
Maximising media synergy for cost-effective brand building
Elms, S and Galpin, J (2009), “Maximising media synergy for cost-effective brand building” Admap,
July/August 2009, Issue 507, pp. 32-34.
This paper argues that, while TV may still be the most effective medium, multimedia always
work better than a single medium. Research evidence from modelling studies is quoted
showing that other media add to TV alone both in effectiveness and efficiency. Various ways
in which media synergy works are discussed: 1) increased message distribution; 2) media
interaction effects, either a) a ‘magnifying’ effect due to an increase in the impact of the
message by communicating it through different contexts coincidentally, or b) a ‘resonance’
effect, where prior exposure to one media helps a second medium to perform better; 3)
activating different (complementary) brand drivers. How synergy can be managed in
campaign planning is discussed.
An Update of Real-World TV Advertising Tests
Ye Hu, Leonard M. Lodish, Abba M. Krieger, and Babak Hayati, Journal of Advertising
Research, Vol. 49, No. 2, June 2009, pp. 201-206.
An analysis is performed on the results of 50 recent real-world TV advertising tests
conducted by Information Resources, Inc. to update the findings of Lodish et al. [Journal of
Marketing Research 32, 2 (1995): 125–39] and Hu, Lodish, and Krieger (Hu et al.) [Journal of
Advertising Research 47, 3 (2007): 341–53]. Overall, the improvement of TV advertising sales
effectiveness from media weight increase is significant for established products, consistent
with Hu et al.’s finding based on tests completed after 1995, further confirming that TV
advertising effectiveness has improved during recent years. The new results continue to
confirm that using valid and reliable pretests to assess TV advertising effectiveness should be
an important practice in the industry. From an issue of JAR devoted to `empirical
generalisations’: the papers were first presented at a conference at the Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania in December 2008.
The Enduring Influence of TV Advertising and Communications Clout Patterns in the Global
Marketplace.
Jamhouri, O., & Winiarz, M. L. (2009). The Enduring Influence of TV Advertising And
Communications Clout Patterns In the Global Marketplace. Journal of Advertising Research,
49(2), 227-235.
Historically television has been one of the most powerful marketing contacts. But the recent
proliferation of TV channels and influence of digital contacts resulted in audience
fragmentation and additional media clutter. These caused speculation that the influence of
TV is waning. Based on the last four years' data across the globe, the empirical evidence
refutes that conclusion. The data show that TV retains its clout among target audiences.
Increased digital media influence has not caused a decrease of TV influence. However,
influence of any communication contact varies by market. In closing we show contact
influence in an electronics category in 12 global markets.
TV Consumption is growing - Latest trends in TV consumption worldwide
Braun, J and Callay, A (2009) “TV Consumption is growing - Latest trends in TV consumption
worldwide” ESOMAR, Worldwide Media Measurement, Stockholm (May 2009).
Over the last 10 years, it has been said that TV consumption has been decreasing, losing out to the
development of the internet around the world. However, supported by data from EurodataTV
Worldwide, this paper argues that television viewing has actually increased since the popularisation
of the internet. Distribution, equipment and enhanced contents are key drivers for this growth,
whilst cross-fertilization between media also contributes to the trend - even though television
audience measurement systems have yet to capture it.
Empirical evidence of TV Advertising Effectiveness
Rubinson, J. (2009). Empirical Evidence of TV Advertising Effectivenes. Journal of Advertising
Research, 49(2), 20-226.
A vast amount of articles have questioned the effectiveness of TV ads in the digital age, with
many proclaiming the 30 second spot is dead. However, this immense study conducted by
the Advertising Research Foundation to factually confirm whether or not the effectiveness of
TV advertising, has substantially decreased over time proves otherwise. The study analyzed
388 case histories from 7 different research agencies which revealed that TV is not only as
effective as ever, even possibly increasing in effectiveness. TV was also the leader in terms of
raising awareness. The author states that it is possible that TV’s effectiveness is stable or
increasing because marketers are getting better at deciding when to use TV in light of a
growing number of available media options.
Television: Back to the Future
Sharp, B., Beal, V., & Collins, M. (2009). Television: Back to the Future. Journal of Advertising
Research, 49(2), 211-219.
Over the years and in line with the proliferation of technology, TV is continuously changing
and viewers have more alternatives than ever. However television viewing behaviour
continues to follow some law-like patterns that have remained in place over the past 40
years. These empirical generalizations suggest that TV will remain the preeminent fast and
vast advertising medium, if a more complex and expensive one. Knowledge of these
empirical laws, including the special reach of high-rating programs, channel loyalty, low
program repeat rates, lack of segmented audiences, and weak genre loyalty, can be used to
guide advertisers in buying the most effective TV schedules. They give us confidence that TV
will remain an effective advertising vehicle for many years to come.
TV ad positioning: it’s make or break
White, S and Dawson, C (2008) “TV ad positioning: it’s make or break” 496, 34-36.
The problem of TV commercials failing to get attention by being lost in clutter is increasing
as commercial channels proliferate. This article reviews research evidence about specific
positions, such as first or last in the break, and whether it is worth paying a premium for
these. It is recommended that advertisers should think about paying premiums for breaks
within programmes, and for first or last position in break wherever possible. They should
also decide early on what position they are aiming for, since that helps agencies to secure
better positions without paying a premium. Setting positioning benchmarks and measuring
performance in terms of position in break is also crucial, and agencies should explain why
positioning is so important.
Real-time monitoring of TV advertising performance
Horrell, C. (2008) “Real-time monitoring of TV advertising performance”, Admap, 43 (6)495,
54-56.
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) has become a mainstream video delivery platform. IPTV
means delivery of TV over a fixed line network using Internet Protocol, and while uptake has
been slow in the UK, it has been slightly better in Europe and elsewhere, and can be
expected to grow substantially. TV itself has become more like the internet: It is an exciting
medium because it allows for accurate real-time audience measurement, and more accurate
viewer profiling, thus offering a level of accountability previously associated only with the
internet. The model makes TV advertising affordable for local and niche businesses.
Similarly, while IPTV does not replace standard mass TV advertising, it certainly does add to
it by extending TV opportunities to local businesses for which the barriers were previously
too high.
Interactive media: it’s everywhere and it works
Edmonds, D., Brown, M., and Hess, S (2008) “Interactive media: it’s everywhere and it
works” Admap, 493, 50-53.
Interactive media and entertainment has a range of strengths and weaknesses, as well as
providing a variety of challenges. What is beyond dispute, however, is that this sort of media
is changing the ways communications work; indeed, at its best digital interaction can change
consumer behaviour, resulting in what can be termed a significant 'impact on
communication' effect. A study comparing how consumers responded to an ad shown on
interactive TV and non-interactive TV showed that interactivity lead to greater enjoyment,
allowed people to learn more about brands and improved levels of comprehension, appeal
and consideration. A 'trigger ad' was found to greatly increase the numbers of respondents
interacting, while allying interaction with traditional media like TV changes an ad from being
an end-point in communication to a facilitator leading to a more enriching experience for
consumers. Another study compared TV with online and found that the different (more
engaged) context of online further enhanced the interactive effect and in a different way. As
such, it may be that the internet is better for rational appeals, and TV for emotional
communication.
Technological and behavioural understanding drives media insight
Makin, C and Greenbank, M (2008) “Technological and behavioural understanding drives
media insight”, Admap, September 2008, Issue 497, pp. 30-33.
Digital technology is breaking old models of new product adoption. Successful formats
create platforms where other formats co-exist, and which develop like ecosystems. Adoption
is thus no longer linear: early adopters may not be needed, price is often no barrier, and
individuals frequently develop their own networks of applications. Media behaviour is being
defined by access to technology rather than demographics. New technology has not
supplanted older media such as television; rather it has enhanced and supplemented them.
Consumers take the bits they want but do not abandon ingrained media habits or social
aspects such as shared viewing (the social value of watching live television with others is
greatly underrated). Five broad population groups can be defined by media behaviour,
ranging from the most technologically advanced to those who are technologically
disenfranchised. The most advanced group spends 20% more time consuming media than
the disenfranchised group.
Why Do Consumers Stop Viewing Television Commercials? Two Experiments on the Influence of
Momentto- Moment Entertainment and Information Value
Elpers, Josephine L.C.M. Woltman, Michel Wedel, and Rik G.M. Pieters (2003), “Why Do
Consumers Stop Viewing Television Commercials? Two Experiments on the Influence of
Momentto- Moment Entertainment and Information Value,” Journal of Marketing Research,
40 (November), 437–53.
This study demonstrates the positive effects of moment-to-moment entertainment and the
negative effects of moment-to-moment information value on consumers' likelihood to
continue watching during a television commercial. A notable finding is that both the
entertainment and the information value have a strong multiplicative effect on the
probability to stop viewing. A high EV (Entertainment Value) ensures that consumers
continue viewing the commercial, and a high IV (Information Value) induces consumers to
stop viewing. Consumers who stop viewing a 30-second TV commercial after a few seconds
may still have been exposed long enough to the brand and to the key message to learn
about the brand. However, there is evidence that stopping TV commercials before their
natural end erodes their effectiveness in terms of lower brand recall and recognition.