Broadcast TV is still king when it comes to mass reach in your marketing strategy. Broadcast TV ads deliver the most impressions and provide a strong brand presence that should be complemented by streaming and other adjacent media — if your budget allows.

But as omnichannel options become more appealing, brands want to know the best way to invest in this powerful but pricey medium. Let’s break down the essentials for a brand looking to advertise on TV in 2023.

Like you, many brands are wondering how the relationships with video advertising and broadcast TV in particular have changed. Here, we have the answers to your most pressing TV marketing questions to get you started on the right path.

1. How have brands adjusted their TV strategies in recent years?

The influx of streaming TV is directing advertising budgets away from broadcast TV for a more strategic, frugal spend. Where once brands were buying placement on three or four major networks, those purchases have dipped to just one — maybe two — broadcast channels, with the remaining budget shifting towards streaming and OTT spends. 

Even so, traditional TV — particularly with the wide-spread reach of broadcast — manages to find far more potential customers within a designated marketing area. Ultimately, the ideal marketing mix that includes broadcast TV will depend on brand goals. Marketing leaders can’t ignore this medium, but they should be more tactful in how they balance it with other video formats that continue to emphasize marketing messaging and recreate the benefits of that reach in the aggregate of your budget.

2. What are some innovations in TV advertising I should consider?

Broadcast TV has evolved beyond the standard of :30 and :60 ads preaching a brand message. Innovations like picture-in-picture on news or sports help project original content or product placement in the context of ongoing broadcast TV programming — often at a cheaper rate.

But creative innovations in marketing continue to demonstrate more ways to hone your broadcast TV strategy. For instance, brands use :15s — often cutdowns of larger :30s — to bookend commercial air time and take advantage of viewer frequency. Similarly, some brands have leveraged on-screen QR codes to not only disrupt the viewing experience in an exciting way but also provide something rare to broadcast TV — a tangible way to track engagement.

3. How should brands work with marketing partners on TV?

TV accomplishes a vital but simple goal — get the name and the message out there, so the rest of a marketing strategy can do the leg work of converting sales. Today, a great broadcast TV buy will serve as a healthy complement to OTT and more targeted video campaigns.

This traditional medium drives top-of-funnel brand awareness, providing a baseline of recognition to help get your brand name out there. Broadcast TV helps direct potential customers down the funnel toward OTT, OLV, and other more hyper-targeted, interest-based messaging that push a shopper closer to a purchase. In essence, this interwoven broadcast/OTT campaign allows each medium to play off the other perfectly, generating the interest needed to boost your business.

Power Marketing and Your Broadcast TV Ads

With more than two decades of experience in advertising across numerous mediums, Power Marketing delivers strategic expertise that can make the most of your broadcast TV campaign no matter your brand’s budget. If you’re interested in starting your journey of TV creative, reach out to us today for more information.