Why TV still matters in advertising

Dubai - No media platform matches the selling powers of television

The first music video to ever air on MTV was for a song called 'Video Killed the Radio Star' which reflected and criticised (perhaps almost ironically) the upcoming cultural revolution due to shifting technology.
35 years later, radio is still around and MTV almost hardly plays music at all. What hasn't changed is just that culture of speculation over whether old media platforms will remain relevant with the advent of any new technology. For instance, it is now widely presumed amidst marketers that the growing online advertisement sector is a reason that television ads are no longer worth the investment
Online ads, for one thing, have proven to be a reliable platform to learn more about a customer base, as it is cheaper to try a few small ads online than to purchase multiple TV spots to track the metrics. In this way, digital avenues provide the capacity to know more about customers before launching a full-fledged marketing campaign.
But while digital advertising may have a very important place in a marketing mix, there are still plenty of reasons to not disregard the value of a good investment in television advertising just yet.
A recent research by Nielson shows that even today, no media platform matches the selling powers of television - both, in terms of impact and cost effectiveness. The study stated that only 48 per cent of consumers trust video ads they see online but 63 per cent trust the ads they see on television.
One of the main reasons for this disparity is that consumers often find online advertising 'annoying' because it tends to interrupt what the consumers are trying to accomplish.
Nielsen evaluated that because people are usually more passive while consuming entertainment on television, they tend to accept commercial interruption more effortlessly. Thus, even when the content of an online video is the same as that of a TV commercial, customers will react more positively to the televised advertisement.
In addition, online ads often request some sort of engagement, usually as a click or a fill-in form. They also have to compete for attention with the rest of the content on the page.
In direct contrast, television doesn't ask consumers to do anything and only seeks their relaxed and very passive attention towards the screen.
"Television also allows a wider audience to be reached at a lower price per person while earning more of their attention than its online counterparts," says Vince Pinto, a freelance video director and producer.
But most marketers, particularly for small or medium sized businesses, no longer consider television as a necessary platform in their plan. Even though the UAE is the region's advertising and media hub, television advertising is primarily only used by blue chips and very large companies.
Emirates Airline, for example, released its first advertisement featuring Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston after signing a deal reportedly worth $5 million earlier this year. The advertisements formed part of a larger $20 million global campaign.
Other companies included in the list of those that not only spend the most on television advertising but also make the most 'remembered' ads in the country include likes of Etisalat, Du, Samsung, and Carrefour, according to the Dubai Lynx Mena Showcase.
While it is understandable that the marketing teams with the largest budgets make the most extravagant ads and can afford the most watched airing timeslots, it does not mean that they are the only ones that can make the most effective ads.
According to Laeds Dubai, a UAE based marketing company, television ads costing start from around Dh30, 000 to just about as high as you want to go.
"Because they [TV ads] are usually no longer than 30 seconds long, the only thing that truly matters is making them stand out from other commercials bookending them," noted Pinto.
Celebrity appearances and larger than life production tactics help, but are not necessary - a good story that captures the attention of the audience while reinforcing the brand image will take you just as far.
Rabiya Shabeeh is a freelance writer based in Dubai.