The other night I was doing my part and sitting through a dreadful television show my wife couldn’t wait to see. I don’t think I was exactly the target demographic the TV producers had in mind for this particular show. A commercial break came on, and in rolled the advertisements for products such as fabric softeners, household cleaning supplies and minivans (products usually purchased by women, although I do the best laundry in my house). As the TV spots are playing, my wife said, “Wow, I guess there must not be many men watching this show.”
Targeting a demographic
Her doctorate didn’t help my wife figure out that I probably didn’t care to watch that TV program, but it was the basics of demographic targeting — she must be reading my columns — that connected the dots for her that I was a good husband for watching that home and garden special.
That’s the great thing about exploring television advertising for your business. Unlike other media that offer limited targeting, you can take your pick of broad, or very specialized, audiences.
One of my clients is an upstate resort, looking to attract families from the New York City area. The client is looking to market to women between 25 and 54 years old, the group research points to as the usual decision-makers in most households when it comes to family vacations. So, marketing to a generally broad segment of women in New York made ABC Channel 7 a great fit. From “Good Morning, America” to “Live with Regis and Kelly” to “The View,” that’s who’s talking to these potential customers.
Cable TV a good bet
But what if you’re product or service is geared to very specific groups, like seniors, or even kids? You may find broadcast TV a very expensive option when you’re looking for a smaller piece of the pie, but cable offers dozens of diverse channels, many of which super-serve more narrow demographics. If you’re selling motorized scooters for seniors, advertise on CNN and The History Channel, both of which have diverse audiences, but perform well with seniors. Or if you have a shop that sells products geared toward teens, you’ll get real efficiency for your marketing dollar by advertising on MTV.
TV offers an entire world of target marketing, even with specific shows allowing you to drill down even deeper demographically. While TV is certainly not for everyone, it’s a great choice for business to consumer products or services, offering large audiences that can be broad, or segmented to meet more defined targets.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a leading Hudson Valley advertising and public relations agency. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 294-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at www.advertisingandpr.com.
