Back in the good ol’ days…
TV commercials were powerhouses. Companies spent boat loads of money on commercials. They just threw those ads on channels and knew they were reaching millions of viewers. Advertising was limited to print on billboards, newspapers, magazines, and television commercials.
Now…
TV just isn’t the powerhouse it used to be. It has major competition as advertising has expanded in a million different directions. So does this mean that TV commercials are dead? Should companies save their advertising money to use in social media ads?
Yes AND No…
Today, companies have to be way more strategic with their advertising than they were in the past. They cannot rely solely on TV alone as the majority of people spend more and more time online than watching TV. The number of people even owning cable has significantly decreased.
So what’s a company to do?!
Create incredible, targeted content that will be shared online. Dollar Shave Club created an ad back in 2012 that was incredible, targeted, and easy to share. It received over 22 MILLION views. Sharing videos is not something that was possible with TV commercials, but it has made video advertising way more effective. Think of how many times your friends or family send you a viral video online? At least daily.
Companies have realized creating quality, entertaining content that tells a story rather than just sells is what viewers actually want. We had no control over TV commercials back in the day. All we could do was change the channel or sit and wait for it to be over and only companies with a lot of cash got their commercials on TV.
Now, viewers have control and companies of all sizes are competing for those views. Creative, quality content has never been more important as viewers can skip an ad whenever they please.
Take a look at the 10 MOST WATCHED ADS OF THE MONTH and notice what they all have in common. They all have a creative, quality, and emotional story. Remember we buy with our emotions.