The marketing reach of television has become incredibly strong over the years and remains so to this day. For example, the first quarter of 2019 TV reach in the United States among all adults aged 18+ was 90%. TV remains a powerful medium that advertisers can use to reach and engage with their target audience.
Of course, two of the most popular forms of television are broadcast and cable. In this article, we'll discuss what broadcast and cable TV are, what differences exist between them, and how you can use one or both of these marketing channels in the best way for your brand.
Let's begin with a definition of these two terms:
Now that we've defined broadcast and cable TV, let's drill down into each marketing channel’s strengths and weaknesses.
The Pros of Broadcast TV:
The Cons of Broadcast TV:
The Pros of Cable TV:
The Cons of Cable TV:
How can you determine which advertising medium will be most cost-effective and yield your brand’s highest ROI? The first step is to identify and define your key business objectives clearly. Once that is done, utilize the medium that more closely aligns with your brand's goals.
For example, suppose you want to run a national brand awareness campaign or market to groups within specific DMAs (designated marketing areas that encompass large geographic regions). In that case, you may decide that spending your marketing dollars on broadcast networks is the best option for your company. Running a commercial during the Super Bowl or another, more geo-specific sporting event would be one way to meet this goal.
Suppose your strategy focuses on building frequency for your marketing message or targeting consumers on a more granular level (either geographically or according to shared interests). In that case, it may be more cost-effective to invest in cable TV advertising. For instance, you could buy advertising spots around a particular program on one of the cable networks, like the DIY channel, if you're targeting DIY-ers.
In summary, broadcast TV has a greater reach, and cable TV allows for a more targeted advertising approach. However, both mediums can offer significant benefits for your brand. You may want to take advantage of both channels to further your company's marketing plan.
Of course, if TV advertising is not one of your core competencies, then you may want to reach out to an experienced media partner for assistance. Whatever the case may be, when you use broadcast and cable TV advertising in a practical, goal-aligned manner, your brand will experience measurable growth as a result.