by Dr. Kevin Nunley
articles
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Nothing gets the phone
ringing and the orders coming in like lots of big media
advertising. Newspapers, TV, and major Internet sites
reach thousands, even millions, of potential customers
around the clock.
Even with the breathtaking
development of the Internet, Television remains the king
of media. Almost 99% of North American homes have at least
one television. The average person watches TV seven hours
each day. And people consistently say they get most of
their news and information from television, especially
local TV news.
TV advertising is also
very expensive. With prime-time 30 second commercials
in medium-sized cities costing several thousands dollars
each, broadcast TV ads are out of reach for most small
and medium sized businesses. Mass appeal television lacks
the ability to closely target the audience. Even if you
can scrape together enough for a few TV commercials, much
of your investment can be wasted on thousands of people
who aren't interested in what you sell.
Cable TV provides a solution,
especially for small business. Cable TV ads tend to be
dirt cheap, even though their audience is huge. Over half
of all American homes subscribe to cable. Cable's subscribers
watch more television and have higher incomes. Cable also
has the ability to send your commercials to specific parts
of town and neighborhoods.
LOW COST AND TARGETED
Many media experts are
recommending cable TV advertising to their clients. "Prime
time spots on broadcast TV cost $2,000 to $3,000 in this
area. Prime time cable spots go for $175," says Leslie
Speidel, a media buyer in Raleigh, North Carolina (www.TheMarketingCoach.com).
Commercials on cable
systems in the suburbs outside New York City are cheaper.
Your 30 second spots run on CNN and ESPN for $25. Nick
goes for $20 and TNN, BET, and VH-1 are $15 per commercial.
Expect to get better rates when you buy packages of multiple
spots.
Small town cable prices
are even lower. It is not unusual to buy commercials for
$2 to $3 in a town of 40,000 people.
While most of the commercials
on cable TV programs are national spots for major corporations,
four to six commercials per hour are made available to
local advertisers. New digital technology allows many
cable systems to easily and accurately schedule your commercials
on specific channels to be seen in chosen communities
and neighborhoods. "This new digital capability is great
for placement purposes. The target is very focused. The
geographic area is as big or as small as you want," Speidel
points out. "Plus, the price of spots is affordable."
The ability to target
specific groups of viewers is one of cable's most important
advantages. A clothing store specializing in kids cloths
can advertise on the Family Channel. A pool maintenance
service can put their spots on the Weather Channel. In
most cases, regular broadcast TV with more general programming
would be inefficient advertising for specialized businesses
like these. Take claims of big audiences with a grain
of salt. It's not the number of eyeballs watching but
a carefully targeted audience that gets results for your
business.
PLACING YOUR ORDER
AND PRODUCING YOUR COMMERCIAL
Cable rates, like everything
in media, are highly negotiable. Some channels will cost
more than others. The zones you choose to send your spots
to, the size of your town, and the time of year will all
have an influence on the spot price you pay. Don't wait
until the last minute to place your spots. Plan weeks
in advance. Placing your order early will ensure you get
the times and channels you want at a lower price.
Call the sales department
of your local cable operator. Find out spot rates and
coverage areas. Take some time to build your plan. Media
sales people are good at devising clever strategies to
use your entire ad budget, so trust your own instincts
and stay in control of the process.
Getting your commercial
produced can be expensive and time consuming. A razzle-dazzle
TV spot will easily cost thousands to produce. Keep costs
down by planning your spot carefully. You won't want to
make costly revisions while the production crew is there
with the hourly meter ticking. Look into small one and
two person TV production services popping up in many cities.
Dramatic commercials
with actors are best left to the networks. For a small
business on a limited budget they rarely work out and
often look amateurish. Keep your concept simple. Limit
the number of locations. Budget time for changing lighting
and mics from shot to shot. Shoot outside to avoid indoor
lighting hassles.
THE FUTURE BRINGS
MORE FEATURES
Cable is leading the
way to a digital future when "smart" TVs will be coupled
with a computer. Cable has the ability to transmit Internet
web sites 33 times faster than a phone line. TCI Cable's
@Home Internet service paid almost $7 billion for Excite,
one of the most popular sites on the web. Cable TV is
rushing to toward a high-tech future where your TV, computer,
and the Internet all work together to provide more choices
and better targeting for advertisers.
No matter how large or
small your ad budget, check out Cable TV. The power of
television to demonstrate your products and services is
hard to beat. Low cost cable is a sure winner for small
business.
