What is the Best Time to Advertise on TV?

Despite common misconceptions, TV Advertising is still extremely effective and popular amongst many companies. TV marketing and advertising can help expose your brand, products, and services to a wider audience and drive conversions. Determining the best time to advertise on TV, however, requires strategic planning and understanding of viewer habits throughout different times of the year.

The best time to advertise on TV advertising is often linked to specific seasons or events that draw high viewership. Each period of the year offers unique advantages for TV marketing campaigns. Keep reading to learn why! 

 

The Best Time to Advertise on TV:

1. Event-Driven Peaks

Major sporting events like the Super Bowl attract millions of viewers and provide an unparalleled platform for advertisements. This is the biggest football game of the year!

The weeks leading up to such events also see a significant spike in viewership as people tune in to watch their favorite teams in the playoffs. This offers a captivated audience for your commercials and advertisements.

The best time to advertise on TV - 2 men watching the super bowl

What makes the Super Bowl so appealing for advertising? It has one of the largest live television audiences and is one of the few remaining events where people are not just skipping through the ads. Having an engaged and captivated audience is rare, so take advantage of this opportunity! Just to put things into perspective, in 2022, roughly 99 million people watched the Super Bowl, and in 2023, the viewership spiked to 115 million!

 

2. Post-Holiday Season

The best time to advertise on TV - woman turning on netflix in a room decorated for the holidaysWhile it is important to have a consistent advertising strategy throughout the entire year, January and February are two of the best months to advertise on TV. This period, often considered an “off-season” for advertising, allows brands to maintain visibility when competitors might be reducing their ad spending.

These slower times are great for focusing on building brand awareness, too. A smart, well-crafted television campaign can develop, and, over time, viewers will come to know who you are and what you stand for. No other form of advertising does this better than TV. When other companies are slowing their advertising after the holiday season, you can jump in and take advantage of this opportunity to be seen and heard.

Additionally, you can use the January and February months to find new customers through your TV advertisements. You should have more time to dig deeper into the market and competitive research.

 

3. Seasonal Shows and Series Premieres

Advertising during popular TV series premieres or seasonal shows can also be effective. These periods often attract dedicated viewerships, offering a consistent audience for your ads.

The launch of a new season or series often generates significant buzz and anticipation among viewers. This excitement translates into higher engagement levels, making it an opportune time for you to capture audience attention.

Another benefit of advertising during these shows is the ability to attract specific demographics by aligning your ad with a show whose viewership mirrors your target audience. That way you can tailor your message more effectively and increase its relevance.

 

So, what is the best time to advertise on TV?

The best time to advertise on TV varies depending on your specific goals and target audience. While some periods offer higher viewership due to events or seasonal trends, the effectiveness of your campaign also depends on how well it aligns with your audience’s interests and habits.

 

Why should you advertise on TV?

TV marketing campaigns help to boost your company’s overall credibility by exposing your brand, products, and services to a large, diverse audience. People spend time with television, and it attracts loyal viewers to things like local news, live entertainment, sports, and popular serial shows. By advertising for loyal viewers, you can create loyal customers.

If you’re considering a TV advertising campaign, now is an excellent time to start planning. Whether targeting event-driven peaks, seasonal shows, or any other high-viewership periods, Nartak Media Group is here to guide you in crafting an effective TV marketing strategy.

Contact us today to explore the best opportunities for your company and get your message across to the right audience at the right time.

Contact Nartak Media Group Today! Let's talk.

Glossary of Common TV Buying Terms

When we work with clients at Nartak Media Group, we understand that paid media comes with a lot of industry slang, so to help our clients gain a better understanding, we’ve put together a glossary of TV buying terms.

TV Buying Terms:

Bookend Approach: This approach is where there is a set of two matching or related commercials. One commercial will play at the beginning of a commercial break and the other will be played at the end of the commercial break. This is best used for companies who want to use repetition to have viewers remember their message. TV Buying Terms: Bookend Approach To TV Commercials

TV Buying Terms Competitive Separation: Competitive separation is the length of time between commercials for the same service or product from a competitor. This is also known as commercial protection in broadcast and typically lasts about 10 minutes between commercials.

 

Crawl: These are simple lines of text scrolling across the bottom of the screen. They are similar to weather information or secondary headlines found at the bottom of a newscast.

TV Buying Terms: Crawl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daypart: Dayparting is the act of dividing the broadcast day into parts that are reflective of the demographic and target audience viewership during a segmented period of time, such as early morning.TV Buying Terms ; Dayparting

 

 

 

 

 

Fixed Position Spots: These spots are guaranteed positions for TV advertisements that cannot be moved by the provider.

Flowchart: A flowchart is a summary of the information on the medium, placement, budget, and run time of your spot, serving as a roadmap for your spot’s television lifetime.

Frequency: This is the measure of how many viewers see your spot after the initial contact.

Makegoods: Makegoods are rerun credits that are given to an advertiser by the medium, radio station, television station, publication, etc., that are used to compensate for an error in timing, composition, or placement of an advertisement. TV Buying Terms

Reach: This is a term that refers to the total number of different households or people that are exposed to your spot during its run at least one time. This measures how far the spot makes it in reference to the medium and distance.

Spot: This is a catch-all industry term for commercials and advertisements. A regular spot runs from about 30 to 90 seconds, whereas long-form spots can run between 5 and 30 minutes. Long-form spots are more content-rich and tend to be infomercials or pitches.

Zoned Cable Television: Zoned cable television allows networks to air different commercials in specific geographic areas. This means spots can be run on certain shows, channels, and devices. Spots can even be run during on-demand programming.

With a better understanding of television buying terms, you may be thinking that TV advertising is best for your products. If you are interested in TV advertising, the experts at Nartak Media Group are ready to help.

Award-Winning Full-Service Media Agency in Pittsburgh

Nartak Media Group has crafted valuable relationships with the media and can help you create an effective strategy and plan for a campaign to help you meet your advertising goals. Contact us today to discuss TV advertising as well as our selection of digital, print, and radio advertising options.