Digital advertising offers a wealth of metrics designed to report the results of an ad campaign. Sometimes those figures are a useful way to show the success of a campaign. They’re also great for A/B testing but it’s worth considering some data that isn’t in the reporting.
There are ways to measure the performance of TV ads too, but the most trusted metric is often enquiries or sales. However, if it’s data that you want, let’s look at some of the facts and figures that prove the effectiveness of TV advertising. The bottom line is that TV ads get more attention so let’s look at the numbers.
When it comes to video marketing some marketers are drawn to the data metrics and targeting available, attracted to channels such as Google, YouTube and Instagram. Precision targeting is great, as long as the audience is actually watching.
First of all, there’s a risk that the ads can’t be delivered because the audience is so small. There’s also an argument that the value of chasing a niche audience isn’t the most effective choice when considering the impact. This is especially true when you start to explore the attention levels - it’s all well and good reaching a small relevant target group but what’s the point if they aren’t paying attention.
Here are the numbers
An Instagram story achieves an average attention span of 1.7 seconds, with a non-skippable YouTube ad reaching 5.2 seconds. In contrast, a 30 second TV ad (which is of course non-skippable) has a higher average attention span of 11.8 seconds.
TV advertising exists in an environment where it is often the focal point of audience attention, whereas other media are delivering ads through mobile devices where long-term attention is not rewarded.
When it comes to reporting on ads, it’s possible to gain insights into the delivery of an ad but what is being overlooked is the attention paid to it. Of course delivery and click through rates are incredibly useful but they don’t always tell the full story.
The reality is that people are paying more attention to TV ads. Isn’t that what every advertiser needs, to have an audience’s attention?
If you’d like to find out more about the impact of TV advertising and how to use it for your campaign, email or call us on 0117 932 3001.