AAdvertise on TV Cheap!

Pennies on the Dollar!

Have you ever seen a commercial on TV that ran over and over? Did you ever wonder why? Well most of the time it is because they have unsold inventory. In other words, they did not sell those spots, so they are re running their best customers advertisement. They do this as a deed to their best advertising customers because they had no other advertising to sell. What most people don't know about advertising is that time is the commodity. Once that time has passed they can never recoup it. So in other words some sales are better than none. Would you rather have a little money for your time or none? Most TV channels will have a dedicated person to sell "remnant space". That is they sell TV time slots for way cheaper than they normally do in order to maximize their profit by selling what would have been "lost time".

Here is the delicate balance. They do not want to advertise that they have "remnant space" because then everyone wants to buy it and expect a discount. However they do not want to let TV space go "unsold" to where they have no money for lost time. This is why most stations will have a manager that is over this process and if you are teamed with the right people you can take advantage of this. What’s the catch? Well if your commercial was scheduled to air at 8 pm tomorrow because know one has bought the space, and then at the last minute they sell it for full price, you get bumped to the next day, or the next open slot. Usually they will give you a time frame for running your commercial. For instance it might be between 4pm and 10 pm. If you don’t run that day between that time, then you will go to the next day, and so on. However more than not there is usually always unsold space.

There are two types of TV commercials. The first is what I call "institutional" advertising. I am sure that you have seen a commercial for Coke, or Pepsi, or Dodge. These commercials build up a name. They are telling you about their latest products, and re enforcing their product name in your mind so that the next time you are out shopping you will think to buy a coke, or if you are looking for a car that you will consider a Dodge. This is in order to build up a name brand. However they can never really judge the immediate effect of their advertising, because people just don’t jump up and go buy a dodge, or a Coke when they see a commercial. So many times they do not know if their advertising dollars paid off.

The second type is called "Direct Response". Have you ever seen a commercial for the "80's greatest hits"? Or a new NordicTrack exercise equipment? At the end of these commercials, they have a 800# and ask you to call to order with your credit card. That is direct marketing. They get a direct response from their audience. They know that after their commercial aired that they made an X amount of dollars, and their commercial cost them an X amount. They know if that advertisement was worth what they paid for it. For this reason they get a discount when a direct marketer buys a commercial. TV channels realize that they know the true value of their commercials, and willingly offer discounts.

We can negotiate both remnant Time and Direct Response airtime for you. We can also guide you on what to say in your commercial for the maximum response. If you are looking to get on TV with your business please set up a time to discuss with us your plans. We specialize in getting your air time cheaper, and getting you the largest response possible.