The Effectiveness Of TV Advertising Essay Example for Free

The Effectiveness Of TV Advertising Essay EXECUTIVE SUMMARY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Television and advertising have conjoined to form a powerful tool for marketing around the World. The growing influence of advertising and the impact of television have been concomitant. The power of advertising on television is indicated by the vast reach of the medium. The commonly quoted example is of World Cup Football Finals, when 2.84 million viewers watched television around the globe on 9 July 2006. In terms of the economy of advertising on television, the market in Canada alone is estimated at $ 5. 6 billion in 2005. The influence of television on students has been significant. Being a visual medium, the tube has the ability to attract even those who may not be particularly proficient with the language in which the program is being aired. The video can captivate the imagination and overcome the barrier of language.   Nanaimo is a small township with a large community of students with a proportionate number of international students which can provide significant inputs on the influence of television advertising on the community. The study thus envisages an examination of television advertisement as an effective medium of communication for influencing students, local and international of Nanaimo, British Columbia despite growth of alternative media such as the internet and mobile phones.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Malaspina University College is the main under graduate college in Nanaimo. This population is felt representative of a wide segment of the overall student universe in Nanaimo and will form a focus in the study. The impact of television advertising on students is based on psycho social factors which are difficult to quantify given the limitations of the study. Thus a realist approach was adopted combining both the positivist and interpretivism to a large extent. The research also had to rely on a large body of secondary sources which has constrained the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not with standing the above factors, there are firm indications to reveal that television continues to be the prime commercial as well as information medium for students. The, â€Å"tube† is the first point of contact and other sources are utilized as add on to supplement the information gained from television. Some of the drawbacks established of television as an advertising medium indicated that it needed repeated attempts to generate a recall in students. This was also supported by the Rand Study on impact of alcohol advertisements on students and young children. This makes spots on television relatively expensive, despite which the medium does have an edge over others amongst students. Thus the study conclusively proved the hypothesis that television advertisement is an effective medium of communication for influencing students, local and international of Nanaimo, British Columbia. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TV ADVERTISING ON STUDENTS IN NANAIMO, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Introduction Advertising is generally referred to as promotional campaigns used by paying for communication distributed through a mass medium such as television. This marks the key difference between advertising and other forms of marketing such as sales promotion or public relations which do not use mass communications to advantage. (Cable Television, 2006). Advertising is a powerful medium for conveying the message to the target audience and over the years it is gathering importance for commercial, educational as well as social purposes. Television as a medium of advertising has had a long history. There has been intimate linkage between television and advertising since its inception in the 1950’s. While advertising has a long legacy dating back to ancient times, modern advertising has come of age only after the growth of television. The number of people watching television is far greater than all other mediums including new media such as the internet. The total volume of television viewers in Canada can be gauged by the number of people who watched the World Cup Football finals, reported as 2.84 million on 9 July 2006. This indicates the scope and vast reach of television. (Viewers on CTV, 2006). The financial volume of the TV broadcasting market can be seen from the $ 5.6 billion revenue that was generated in Canada in 2005 through this medium. Though this was the smallest year on year increase, yet it is considered significant to be a driver for the television and advertising industry. (Television Broadcasting, 2005). Despite the slow down which has affected all sectors of this segment such as conventional, pay and specialty television, this remains a mass medium of contact. Nanaimo is a small township which comprises of a highly integrated community. The large base of students represent one sixth of the total population. Television as well as other media such as the internet has made very deep inroads in the student community. The effectiveness of television advertising can be easily gauged through its impact on students, both local and international in Nanaimo. Students as a community are open to influence by media as television and to that extent the significance of the study is considerable. (Television Broadcasting, 2005). Problem Statement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The impact of television advertising on students needs deliberate analysis. There is very limited information on this issue, particularly in Nanaimo. As advertisement expenditure by companies has increased considerably definitive parameters to assess the impact of communication on the community of students need to be evolved. The growth of a large number of media such as the internet, mobile phone advertising, SMS and so on has also resulted in a number of channels available for distribution of advertisement content. The student community is progressive, is attuned to the future and can provide an educated and informed response. The trends observed in the student community also enable forecasting in the future. However there is a general tendency to neglect students as they do not represent a substantial marketing block possibly due to lower spending power than others. Given these considerations there is ample scope to analyze the best option for distribution of advertising content to the student community through television. As no major study on the subject is available, it is essential that this be undertaken with particular reference to a small community as Nanaimo, which can be suitably modeled for a larger population at the national and regional levels. The proportionately greater number of international students in Nanaimo also has an impact on effectiveness of advertisements. This issue can also be evaluated in detail as the same has also not received due attention so far.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hypothesis Statement. Television advertisement remains an effective medium of communication for influencing students, local and international of Nanaimo, British Columbia despite growth of alternative media such as the internet and mobile phones. Purpose of the Study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study is focused on gauging effectiveness of television advertising on students in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The aim is to assess the impact of advertising on the student community in particular especially in the light of growth of parallel media such as internet, mobile messaging and so on. This study is proposed as a model to demonstrate the effectiveness of television advertising which could possibly be applied across the board to a larger audience. Thus though the focus is limited to Nanaimo, wide spread application is envisaged, in the state or national context as well as to the student community as a whole. This is particularly so as the study is based on research of secondary sources for greater universal applicability. The presence of international students in Nanaimo in sizeable numbers adds another dimension to the study which becomes increasingly relevant as more and more students from different parts of the World come down to Canada for education. Thus Canada is becoming a preferred destination particularly a small town as Nanaimo which offer international atmosphere, is easy to adjust to and is far less intimidating than larger cities and campuses to students from other countries. Thus the study proposes to establish the effectiveness of television advertising on local and international students in Nanaimo. Importance of the Study Television broadcasting market is highly valued. In Canada alone it is said to have generated revenue of $ 5.6 billion in 2005. (Television Broadcasting, 2005). A considerable advertisement amount is spent on television as it is regarded as a visually significant and challenging medium by both advertisers as well as viewers. The student community in particular is dependent on television as a major source of entertainment, education, social and recreational cues. Thus television advertisements targeted at the student community will provide significant benefits to advertisers. This being the prime medium for advertisement spends; correct targeting would result in optimum utilization of allotment for promotion by the companies.   It is also important that the spend is correctly focused to avoid superfluous expenditure as television advertising is expensive. Recognition of the impact on the target audience is thus important. While a nation wide model for the same may be of benefit to the advertisers, it would be cost prohibitive. On the other hand a review of a small student community as in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, would enable assessment of the impact of television advertising at a very economical cost and can be further applied across the board. Thus the study is considered very important. References    Active Response. 1959. The Active Response Test of Television Commercials. The Marketing and Social Research Newsletter of the Psychological Corporation, Spring, 1959, 4. 2006. Internet WWW page at http://www.answers.com/topic/advertising. 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