5 Common Mistakes in TV Advertising
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Transcript of 5 Common Mistakes in TV Advertising
Tel +44 191 375 9013
www.thetvagency.com
© Copyright 2014. The TV Agency
Tel +44 191 375 9013
www.thetvagency.com
5 Common Mistakes in TV Advertising
This information is a guide only and is the opinions and work of Anthony O’Neill, MD @ The TV Agency. With over 10 years experience working in TV Advertising, I have worked with some of the largest agencies and clients in the UK, as well as small regional clients and agencies.
Tel +44 191 375 9013
www.thetvagency.com
© Copyright 2014. The TV Agency
Tel +44 191 375 9013
www.thetvagency.com
© Copyright 2014. The TV Agency
1 - Timing
If it is not normally a busy month in August, why would
you want to launch a new TV campaign that month?
Occasionally, clients will say to me, ‘Should I not
advertise when I’m not so busy, so that I am busy all year
round?’ It seems a reasonable question but ask yourself
this, is there a reason you’re normally quiet on a
particular month? If its down to demand being less for
that month, as is often the case, then advertising on TV
might have a slight increase, but I would argue that
advertising on your busiest month would be more
effective, because following the same guidance, if this is
a busy month, because it’s when your product or service
is often bought, then advertising at this time will help you
reach more of your target audience at a time when they’re ready to buy. Sometimes you will have several
months a year or seasonal trends when demand is high, if
you’re lucky it may even be all year round, but these are
the months you should advertise. Cost is also a
consideration and in TV the price changes on a monthly
basis, for example, your budget in January will go far
further than in October due to the difference in demand
for TV advertising.
Time is right!
2 - Call to Action
I’ve lost count of the number of times a new client
complains that their TV campaign delivered poorly,
in terms of sales or responses. I then look over the
commercial they ran only to find that there is no call
to action. If you don’t give viewers a reason to
engage with your commercial/ brand then they
won’t! Be aware, a branding campaign will not
deliver instant sales! Offers or events etc. should be
mentioned several times in the commercial, if not
throughout to gain the maximum response. Adding
a location, address, website or phone number at the
end of the advert is a mistake! The first ten seconds
of your commercial are the most valuable as that is
when viewers are most engaged, and it’s now
becoming an art where advertisers are taking their
commercials on to the likes of Youtube and getting
the offer across in the first five seconds, before you can skip!
One of the country’s first direct response
campaign’s
Tel +44 191 375 9013
www.thetvagency.com
© Copyright 2014. The TV Agency
3 - Choosing a Production company In my experience, your commercial can be the biggest factor in a successful TV campaign. Anyone with a camera will
tell you they can make a TV advert, in reality though, it’s a lot more complex! Don’t get unnecessarily stressed with a
inexperienced production company! Ask the broadcaster about who’s hot at making TV adverts locally. Avoid
unnecessary expense on your TV advert. Yes the John Lewis advert cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to make,
but you can get a basic graphic advert from less than £1,000 and live action from around £3,000. What can often
affect cost are actor’s fees, music rights and voice over artist fees. Make sure you are aware of your usage rights - you
don’t want to have to pay every time you run your advert or even risk having someone refuse a relicense, leaving you
with an advert you can’t use any further! Remember, you own all the footage so if you feel you need to change to
another production company, get a copy of everything shot!
4 - Appointing a TV buying agency It seems obvious, but ask yourself and the agency if they have bought a TV campaign before. If not, then how do they
qualify in buying your TV advertising? You would be surprised at how many times I came across an agency that had
decided (or the client had) that they wanted to book a TV campaign, having never booked one previously, thinking
they can pick it up along the way. Or you have an agency who comes across as having TV experience and show you
clients they work with who are large TV advertisers, only to find they don’t actually handle the TV, they only do the
digital but use another agency to handle your TV buying, marking up the costs. Check with the broadcasters if their
credentials are valid.
5 - Get a Quote Always get several quotes! You want to make sure you are getting the best value! Ask any agency what service they
can provide for your TV booking? If it’s just delivering you a schedule or if they struggle to answer, it is unlikely they
know how to buy TV correctly. A quick way to tell is to ask some basic questions, for example: What is a TVR? Or ask
the broadcaster what their media spend is, if its less than 1 or 2 million, then its unlikely they are experienced in TV
advertising. Ask for a copy of their professional indemnity, since TV advertising is not covered by standard agency
professional indemnity, as it is a specialist media. Do they have any specialist media software? If not, then they should
not be buying TV advertising, as they can’t provide you with accurate BARB data, meaning they can’t determine the
final value of your TV campaign.
Tel +44 191 375 9013
www.thetvagency.com
© Copyright 2014. The TV Agency
Action Points
Choose a month to advertise when chances of success are high and cost to advertise is low (January often
falls in to this category).
Promote a call to action throughout – Call now! Sale On! Event this weekend!
Set budgets on production, 20% of your media spend is the norm but it can be less or more, depending on
how often the advert will be used.
Make sure your production company is Clearcast registered! What is their clock code? What do they expect
to have to substantiate in your advert? What Supers will appear on screen?
Appoint a TV buying agency with experience; ask what their buying power is and confirm this with
broadcasters.
“It’s very reassuring working with The TV Agency! Their
knowledge of the TV industry is second to none and they have proven that to us time and time again. Working with them, from production all the way through to planning,
buying and managing our campaigns means that we have confidence in our TV advertising from start to finish.”
Steve Ferry – Sales & Marketing Director Vertu Motors
Want to know more? Visit our site for other eBooks or Contact us on the details below
www.thetvagency.com
Tel +44 191 375 9013