In the beginning there was soap - Soap Opera's that is. Originally a
radio broadcast program, soap's migrated to TV in October 1946 when the
US TV station Du Mont began broadcasting Faraway Hill, a serial based on
the eternal love triangle.Programs like Faraway Hill were called soaps
because they were either owned or sponsored by detergent companies such
as Proctor & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, to name just two.
Soaps were aimed at family centric women, and became very popular
amongst that demographic as it took them away from the drudgery of daily
house chores. Soaps soon became an important marketing tool to their
sponsors because it allowed them to embed product messages within their
text. Furthermore, soaps targeted a specific market - the housewife and
end user of detergents.
As TV audiences became more sophisticated, product placement within
soaps was toned down and the entertainment value was turned up. Instead
of overt product placement, program producers began selling ad space
around their soap schedules, thus adding a further advertising income
stream to their programming content.
This new ad format focused solely on product information. The ads lasted
only a few seconds and were designed as short, sharp, clear product
messages.Although initially successful, it wasn't long before audiences
became desensitized by TV ad content. In more modern times people tend
to reach for the remote control and switch to another channel during TV
commercial breaks.
TV ad audience penetration was and still is dependent on the ability of
the TV Company to attract viewers for its programming content. Moreover,
TV ads are also expensive to produce and are limited by a time
constrained format.With the advent of the Internet and the introduction
of online video, advertisers, big and small, were handed a new cost
effective medium through which to channel their marketing campaigns.
Unlike TV ads, web video can take on a life of their own, and can either
use product placement within an entertainment format or simply be a
straight forward informational text.As an entertainment format, lasting
from a few seconds to a few minutes, online video can extend the life of
the advertiser's message, much in the same way as the original soaps
used to. Conversely, a TV ad only runs as long as the advertiser is
willing to pay for the commercial slot within the TV Company's
programming schedule.
Furthermore, a successful web video, one which balances entertainment
with information, has the potential to go viral. In other words, people
who have been entertained by an online video will tell their friends and
relatives about it, bringing into play the most effective form of
marketing known to advertisers - word of mouth. Very few people talk
about TV ads, but many millions of people do talk about online video,
especially those online videos which have struck a chord with their
audience.
While TV advertising slots have come down in price in response to
competition from other marketing platforms, they still, nonetheless,
remain beyond the reach of advertisers with small marketing budgets. On
the other hand, online video, with its low entry costs, offers the small
business or marketer an opportunity to reach a targeted audience
without actually breaking the bank.
So, in summary, the difference between TV ads and online video is:·
Online video is a far more cost effective marketing utility than TV
advertising· Unlink TV ads, online video can extend the product message
of the advertiser through entertainment· Online video is versatile and
is not constrained by time or format in the same way as TV ads. Online
video can use either an entertainment or informational format· Online
video has greater potential for reaching a more targeted demographic
than TV adsFor further information on how online video can help your
company, why not visit our case studies page at
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