QUICK READ: TV advertising is bad, I mean really bad. Effective frequency seems to be a phrase that most marketers don’t understand and the creative execution is about as exciting as a Madonna show.
Since I can’t go out much I watched a little TV here and there. First, I can’t believe that anyone would sit through a movie that has commercials but, more importantly, TV advertising is broken and stinks.
While it’s true that 70% of TV advertising’s impact comes from creative and that poor creative leads to poor ROI the other aspect that’s hurting TV advertisers is their belief that entertaining spots actually lead to conversion. I mean does anyone really believe that the Geico spots are going to make someone ditch their insurance?
The other issue with TV ads is the frequency at which their air. I don’t think some of these agencies or marketers have ever heard of effective frequency or the studies that show after an effective frequency is reached running your spots over and over actually hurts your brand.
As for TV itself, I have absolutely no sympathy for any of the so-called networks. They run movies we like but they are edited and the endless commercials remind us that we want to cut the cord or time shift so we can skip the annoying Flo commercials.
Don’t get me wrong, TV is a great channel to build awareness between new products and your audience but what marketers are missing is that the line between awareness and conversation is becoming more blurry.
Let’s use an example of a new Dove product. It’s an exfoliating body wash which is great but at my local grocery store, the product was hidden on the 3rd shelf which is almost invisible. Where was the POP or displays? Does Dove really believe women are going to write down the product on their shopping lists?
Finally, TV ads that show groups of people together are moot. Today we are all trying to practice social distancing so when I see a group of people together at the beach drinking a beer I want to yell “COVID distance!”.
Agency creative people are a strange bunch. Some are frustrated Steven Speilberg’s others are just too much out of touch with today’s consumers. No wonder brands are shifting more advertising to in-house creative teams who can be held more accountable.
