Post 6: CH 11, #2

(Honda "Hands" commercial 2013)

An advantage of TV is creativity/impact: "possible dramatic, lifelike representations of products and services" is what gears an audience towards purchasing a product or trying out a new service (Belch 365). This is an important advantage to national advertisers who focus on "spot advertising" which reaches a determined geographic market (381). The advertising medium of television is beneficial in this respect because a wide range of people are able to experience to creativity of a TV ad at a national level. However, spot advertising does not always work for local companies who want to advertise because local cable systems "do not provide advertisers with strong support or much information" (381). This will affect how much money advertisers have put into the creative aspects of a particular ad because it may not be able to reach a large enough audience.

(Wonderfilled Oreo campaign commercial in 2013)

Another advantage: captivity and attention. Newer technology such as fast-forward buttons on DVR devices have made it easier for a consumer to consciously avoid commercials but most consumers are exposed to countless ads throughout their television watching time. This is an opportunity for advertisers to focus on "heavy repetition and catchy slogans and jingles" (367).  Both national and local advertisers have the benefit of narrowcasting which is defined as reaching specialized markets through TV advertising. On a national level, advertisers have much more material to sift through to find a particular demographic they want to reach. Local companies can narrowcast by finding a specific aspect or attribute they want to focus on through advertising to a small town or a big city (382).

(PETA's "98% Human" commercial)


However, there are limitations that TV advertising must experience. The first limitation being costs. TV advertisers must deal with purchasing air time as well as having the funds to make a quality commercial that will reach a large amount of consumers. Production costs are what really drive "small and medium-size advertisers out of the market" because their commercials are not of high quality and consumers will not pay attention to them. This factor negatively impacts both national and local advertisers because a lot of money can be put forth to make a commercial that no one likes or remembers.

(Target's "Flex Arm Hang"15-second commercial)


Another limitation is the fleeting message. To combat the high production costs, advertisers attempt to cut the amount of time a commercial may last. While this may seem like a good financial decision, it actually leaves the consumers wondering what the commercial was supposed to target or the consumer will miss the advertisement completely because of its short time span. Advertisers believe that "shorter commercials can deliver a message just as effectively as longer spots" but it should depend on demographic factors of the target market. Again, small and large advertising companies try to save money on media by morphing the TV world into 15 second ad clips but the negative impact is evident through a financial perspective.