tv ads

[greenoak]

we are doing an ad on the local cable tv....whats the scoop on tv ads?
what do you think the production cost would be?
its a 30 sec ad...mostly christmas but a few secs of furntiure.....
any hints?
its kind of exciting....
ann

[Steve B]

I did one recently - there was no charge for the production cost. It was included with the contract of air time. Mine was a two minute spot that was also on local cable. You can see it on my website if you want.

[KristineS]

Ann,

The thing to watch with cable ads is where the ad will be placed. A lot of cable companies sell ads on a "run of schedule (ros)" basis. That means your ad can run anywhere on the television schedule between set times which are usually something like 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. These schedules are usually very cheap, but they don't translate into a lot of viewers.

The majority of the cable day doesn't see a lot of people watching. Popular cable shows may pull in viewers, but space in those shows is usually sold at a higher rate, and isn't available for ROS ads.

The cable company should give you a placement statement after your ad has run for a few days. If you've selected to run in specific shows make sure you're in those shows. If you've done an ROS schedule, make sure that the majority of your ads aren't running in the crap times of day.

I used to work for network tv, so I have some understanding of how this works. Cable can be a good buy if you're diligent.

[greenoak]

the video on your site seems to say it all in a really nice way.....thanks kristine...good points....its all done now....i havent herd anything yet....i had to pay for production....the sales guy wasnt the cable company.... dang!!!
ann

[Paul Elliott]

I realize it's too late for this run, Ann, but do you have a way of specifically tracking that ad, e.g., special offer, unique price, etc.?

Paul

[Spider]

I've always thought that the value in a TV ad is not the response you get directly - unless you are Guthy Renker running 30 min. infomercials with order-takers on standby. The value is in being able to say, "As seen on television," along with the station's logo. A standup counter card at point of sale will last a lot longer than the 30-second ad which will be seen by few people even if it runs at the busiest time of day. (My television has been on commerical stations most of today, and I haven't seen a single ad!)

An "As seen on TV" badge on all other advertising you do can be strung out for years after you've paid the bill to the television company.

[greenoak]

i loved the ad ...of course..FIRST TIME ON TV...
..and i know you need to track.... but had no way in place.... and got little comment on it....the tracking advice hasnt worked for me on other projects...
WE NEVER WATCH ADS. either tivo, netflix, roku or cable.....
whats the point of as seen on tv? sounds good...lol..
ann

[Spider]

...whats the point of as seem on tv? sounds good...lol..Consider two identical advertisements for two competing companies selling the same product in which you have an interest. Yellowpage ads, billboards, doesn't matter what. The only difference between the ads is the company name, address and phone number. All other wording, colors, layout, images, are the same.

Except that one has a small section of the ad where they have several logos and wording that says, "As seen on CBS, ABC, Bloomberg, CNN and Your-Local-TV-Station."

Picture those two ads. You don't know either company but you are interested in the product.

Which company would you be more confident of buying from?

[greenoak]

you are so smart!!!! its kind of tricky and hokey but what the heck...it would be true...
ann

[Paul Elliott]

Except that one has a small section of the ad where they have several logos and wording that says, "As seen on CBS, ABC, Bloomberg, CNN and Your-Local-TV-Station."

Which company would you be more confident of buying from?

Very good point, Frederick. It's an excellent example of "psi" marketing -- appealing to the subconscious where the decision is really made.

Paul