Strategies for Success

Once a small business realizes that television advertising can dramatically improve their sales, they usually begin by calling up their local station and inquiring about production and ad time packages. As I've mentioned in earlier blog posts, local stations have a tendency to ask for a long term commitment and will usually produce the commercial for you - either for very cheap, or even for free. Unfortunately, these types of ads usually look something like these:

Both of these commercials tried to invoke an emotion. The pizza ad tried to be humorous, while the sleep ad tried to instill fear. Both of these commercials failed at their attempts because of the execution. Although being bizarre and humorous can often help people remember advertisements -  people should recall the commercial positively. If people associate your brand with incompetence then you will find it hard to attract customers to your business. Local television ads do not have to look like they were made by a 3rd grader (no offense to the 3rd graders that are reading this blog). Low budget TV ads can be produced professionally. At Tonangi Media one of most popular video production packages is our Bronze media package, simply because of the cost. For only $1,000 a small business can have a professional TV commercial that will be targeted to the appropriate demographic. Any good advertising agency will review your competitor's marketing strategy. By understanding your competitors, your target customer, and your product, a highly customized television ad with a professional voice over can be produced for a relatively low cost.

Or, you could take your chances with an unreliable advertising agency and hope your ad doesn't turn out like these:

A television commercial is not only used to get your name out to the public - it is also used to have people associate your commercial with your brand. When people associate a poorly produced commercial with a brand they typically stay away from the company. Just having your brand name out there for the public to see is not enough. A message with an emotion must be conveyed to your audience. It is not enough for the commercial to be compelling to watch, it also has to convince people to purchase from you rather then your competitors. Even if your commercial states that you are cheaper, more convenient, or trustworthy no one will believe you if your commercial does not reveal some sense of professionalism. When it comes to television advertising just remember you definitely get what you pay for. Don't fall for the free production that many local stations will try to persuade you with. They know their productions are not good enough for your needs, which is why they offer them for free. Of course, you will usually have to commit to a year of advertising - something that is not necessary with advertising agencies, like Tonangi Media.

 For more information on how Tonangi Media can help you advertise on television visit www.tonangi.com

Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | toll free: 877.817.MEDIA | fax: 619.566.4043

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When customers immerse themselves with a product (or service) advertising seems much more pleasurable, then an annoyance. Companies that try to instill some type of emotion generally find that it is more successful because it sticks with consumers on an emotional level.

Here are a few examples:

If you ask most iPhone users about their phone many of them will say that having an iPhone doesn't just mean that you are using a portable multi-function device. The would say that it's a lifestyle. iPhones users have an emotional attachment to their phone. So much so that there are blogs and podcasts [iTunes Link] dedicated to this single mobile device. Usually it is a brand (as opposed to a single product) that gets this type of attention. You can see this with luxury companies like Mercedes or Louis Vutton, but this is not limited to just expensive brands. Verizon Wireless has a huge following of customers that are willing to sacrifice the type of devices that they can use on the Verizon network to get the best service in the country. Verizon took wireless service, which is typically considered a commodity, and created a highly successful campaign around a simple phrase, "Can you hear me now?" This was based purely on one emotion: comedy, yet it reinforced Verizon's reliability. It was so successful that numerous amount of parodies started showing up on the net, which reinforced the original ad and continued to increase Verizon's exposure.

Most small businesses do not consider what they offer as an 'emotional' product. You may happen to own a pizza place or a used car dealership, but don't feel left out in the cold. A good ad agency will be able to take your product or service and create an ad that evokes emotion in people. Depending on your target demographic and your product you may want a feeling of 'coolness', empathy, comedy, excitement, or even fear to help attach an emotion to your product. Simply stating the facts is not memorable enough for the majority of consumers.

Unfortunately, when small businesses make their first attempt to advertise on television they usually talk to local cable companies who pressure them into entering a long term agreement. This requires a large minimum fee, and in return these cable companies produce the ad either very cheap, or for free. These ads always come off as 'cheesy', or irrelevant and can actually damage your brand. Potential customers can easily be 'turned off'. How many times have you seen a local television commercial and thought "How is this even on TV ?" This is not the impression you want to give to your potential customers.  After such a poor experience, and very little return on their advertising investment, small businesses begin to reject the idea that television advertising can work for them. 

This is why it is important to realize that the content of your advertisement is just as (if not more) important then the publisher that is distributing your advertisement. An ad can not simply state the obvious with text and logos fading in and out on the screen. A good ad agency can develop a concept that is right for your target demographic, and can also make sure that you don't waste your advertising dollars on ads and air time that won't generate positive results.

For more information on how Tonangi Media can help you advertise on television visit www.tonangi.com

 Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | toll free: 877.817.MEDIA | fax: 619.566.4043

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Now, more then ever before, local television has become the most cost-effective form of advertising. Some people are falsely led to believe that television viewership is decreasing, however they could not be more wrong. In fact, a recent Nielsen report showed that television viewership has actually increased since last year. Let's look at the facts. More then 99% of American households own a television, and 86% of all American households watch cable television.

Should you be worried about DVRs (Digital Video Recorders) like TiVOs? No. Only about 17% Americans have DVRs. Nielsen's study is the first to look at how many DVR users actually watch ads. The data suggests that about 50% of DVR owners skip ads. This means out of 264,472,157 people that watch local cable television ads, about 22,480,133 skip them. That's only a marginal 8.5% that would skip through your ad. What is even more interesting is that Americans are now watching television almost 5 hours a day, and many Americans are watching television on bigger sets in high definition.

The poor economy has given advertisers with cash flow an advantage over their competitors. Television advertising revenue has already dropped by 13%, and both local and national television stations are scrambling to acquire new advertisers just as many small businesses are trying to find new customers. Television stations are offering more spots for a much lower cost then ever before. Ad agencies, such as Tonangi Media, have already negotiated better rates with most partners. These cost savings make it more attractive to advertise on television exactly at a time when television viewership is growing. 

If you are interested in advertising your business on television please visit www.tonangi.com for more information.

 Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | toll free: 877.817.MEDIA | fax: 619.566.4043

<< Back to www.tonangi.com