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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
11. Evaluation of Broadcast
Media
With the growth of cable TV, advertisers refine their coverage further by appealing
to groups with specific interests such as sports, news, history, the arts, or music, as
well as specific demographic groups. Exhibit 11-2 shows an ad promoting Court TV
and its ability to reach the 18-to-49 market.
Advertisers can also adjust their media strategies to take advantage of different geographic
markets through local or spot ads in specific market areas. Ads can be scheduled
to run repeatedly or to take advantage of special occasions. For example,
companies such as Anheuser-Busch and Gillette are often major sponsors during baseball’s
World Series, which allows them to advertise heavily to men who constitute the
primary market for their products.
Limitations of Television
Although television is unsurpassed from a creative perspective, the medium has several
disadvantages that limit or preclude its use by many advertisers. These problems
include high costs, the lack of selectivity, the fleeting nature of a television message,
commercial clutter, limited viewer attention, and distrust of TV ads.
Costs Despite the efficiency of TV in reaching large audiences, it is an expensive
medium in which to advertise. The high cost of TV stems not only from the expense of
buying airtime but also from the costs of producing a quality commercial. Production
costs for a national brand 30-second spot average over $300,000 and can reach over a
million for more elaborate commercials. 5 Many advertisers such as Burger King,
Coca-Cola, and others develop commercials specifically for certain ethnic markets
such as African-Americans and Hispanics. 6 More advertisers are using media-driven
creative strategies that require production of a variety of commercials, which drive up
their costs. Even local ads can be expensive to produce and often are not of high quality.
The high costs of producing and airing commercials often price small- and
medium-size advertisers out of the market. IMC Perspective 11-1 discusses the most
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Exhibit 11-2 Court TV
promotes its ability to reach
an important demographic
segment
353
Chapter Eleven Evaluation of Broadcast Media