Television – the role in Media
The GLAMOUR form of media… lights, camera action! Who are the personalities on screen – is it some actress or muscled labourer? Do you get to be there during the filming and what recognition do you get. Without doubt you won’t be signing any framed images of your commercial, but you will be signing cheques. However you will have an advertisement that can be presented on various television stations and also uploaded onto your own website. Now that’s a great bonus!
Television has well and truly become part of every family… the way they relax. Some people eat in front of the television; others go to sleep with it turned on in the bedroom. People seem to watch more television in the ‘after-hours’ of the day, gathering all the family together to watch yet another cooking or garden make-over program.
A television commercial is only successful when it capitalises on other media. By cross promoting in magazines, websites, radio and television it is feasible to capture every possible market.
Your television commercial should refer people to your website. Your magazine advertisements should refer people to your website, your adverts on television and your attendance at events. Your radio advertisements should cross-promote your website, your “as seen on TV” statements, etc. Even advertising on other websites should all link back to your own website, in addition to your online television commercial.
Free-to-Air versus Cable
Television is not always the most effective, nor necessarily the form which your audience will be watching. Advertising on cable television may work for some companies, but not all. There is more people watching free-to-air than who watch cable television.
Popular gardening television programs include:
- ABC Gardening Australia (channel: ABC) – no advertising allowed on ABC (however they seem to advertise their own stuff to the extreme)
- Better Homes and Gardens (channel: 9)
- Costa’s Garden Odyssey (channel: SBS) – no advertising on SBS
On cable, there are an assortment of garden related programs from Australia, United Kingdom and the United States of America. In years gone by, cable was once promoted as free of commercials and with plenty to watch. Now… there cable channels are flooded with commercials (I would say worse than free-to-air) and repeats. Don’t get me wrong, there are programs I always love to watch on cable, but sometimes I just get fed of the repeats and switch over to free-to-air.
Costs
There is no doubt that advertising on television is the most expensive form of media. A short commercial during a prime-time gardening-related program may well cost the same as a full year marketing package with a magazine. Is it worth that much?
The value of television can be put down to a few key questions:
• Do you like having a ‘live’ advertisement during a related-topic (i.e. gardening) program?
• Do you have the money to budget on television?
• Do you wish to show the product being used?
• Is television one of a bundle of media you will be adopting?
Before advertising on television, find out the demographics of WHO watches the program. You will be quite shocked when you find out what you think is an adult-targeted show actually turns out to be preferred by children, and visa-versa.
Tips for Television Media
• Aim to advertise in a time slot that your audience will be watching
• Disguise the commercial in the form of information (i.e. ‘info-merical’) so that watchers take note of your advert and can learn how to use the product
• Background music can be very important to keep the audience’s attention
• Who will front the commercial? If using a person, verify their ‘talent’ factor. Will you use a recognised industry personality?
• Do not create a cheesy commercial (no ‘closing down carpet sale’ type of commercial)
• Television is not suitable for all products and services…test it, but if it does not work, move onto magazines or alternative media.
Clearly with the options available for most horticultural business in terms of advertising on television ( and the cost) it ends up being an economic (and wise) decision to look at other forms of media such as magazines, internet and radio.
Your Comments
Please tell us your experiences with television so that others may benefit from your success (or not) stories.
Refer to other Media articles:
Magazines | Websites | Television | Radio | Newspapers | Letterdrop | Newsletters
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