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Most brands believe that TV advertising is only for brand building campaigns and cannot be used for performance marketing. Is this true?

With the tools we have nowadays to effectively measure the impact of a single TV spot on leads, so-called TV attribution software, this is no longer the case. If your business has an e-commerce platform, we can tell you whether that Carte Blanche spot holds the value you think it does. TV has a role as a brand building medium – but that is not its sole function anymore. Utilising the longer durations to establish your brand and convey product messaging is absolutely required but the question you should be asking is “when can I start spending less money and seeing actual returns?”

Companies like DCMN have the ability to measure the direct response to your brand ads and long-term effects on your brand and start building performance campaigns with lower cost values. Whether you’re a born digital that is focused on e-commerce or a traditional business shaping up to embrace the e-commerce market: We can give you the data to help you make these tough decisions and optimise their impact.

Should only brands who can afford to advertise during prime time be advertising on TV?

No. We have found that with the change of media consumption, across multiple platforms and devices, the traditional view that a brand needs to be on prime-time TV to make an impact isn’t always the case anymore. We have experienced – with several of our clients – that a higher number of site visits and leads are generated during daytime spots. This simple but powerful finding means that brands can reach their leads target on a smaller TV budget simply because we can now make data-driven media decisions.

TV planners usually want to include the “big” channels to deliver on media KPIs of reach and frequency. How is DCMN’s approach different?

DCMN has a data-driven approach to planning – we understand that driving media KPIs is important when building a brand. When building a performance TV campaign, however, there are different targets to be achieved. Driving conversions or generating leads doesn’t need to come at a high cost. With the data at our disposal, we can analyse and determine the channels you should be considering, the daypart that lends itself to higher conversions and the programs that deliver the leads. Data is at the heart of everything that we do. This means not talking to the masses, but talking to your key target group – wherever they may be.

And what about time of day? Do you have clients that benefit from advertising outside of prime time?

We have smaller clients that don’t have ‘big brand’ budgets but are on TV and are seeing the results. Advertising in off-peak slots are very cost-efficient and are effectively delivering site visits and leads. When the data says that advertising during 9am to 12pm on a Monday, on a niche channel, will give you 13 leads for spending on TV media, would you still follow your gut or rather respond to the data and adapt your strategy accordingly?

Can a brand with a relatively small budget really advertise on TV? And how will they know whether it is effective or not?

Yes. If an e-commerce client has not been on TV because they don’t think they have the budget to do so, they should consider running a test campaign over a period of two weeks. The leads generated will not only show the success of the campaign but will also give them insight into their consumers and a data-supported strategy moving forward. Spending less money on a media campaign because you’re a start-up or a small brand doesn’t mean you compromise the value of the outcomes. Every rand, whether from small or large budget, has value! You just have an informed choice on how to use it smarter.

How can brands make sure that they make the most of TV advertising?

There is so much media clutter to consider when planning TV advertising. Every brand is looking for that bold, impactful TV advert that is going to set them apart from the rest. But how much impact can you make with your 30-second advert when you’re one of 11 ads flighted during a break in a prime-time show? Brands will only know the real impact of their campaign if they use TV attribution software. This allows them to track the performance of one campaign to help them make data-driven decisions for the next  – or any other campaigns in between.

GROWTH HUNGRY? Want to know more about effective TVC creation and adding TV as a performance channel to your marketing mix? Reach out to us at hello@dcmn.com or this contact form. We look forward to hearing from you