Broadcast :: Cable

Cable television - most television viewers do not differentiate between broadcast television and cable television - it is all the same to them - a place where they can go and watch television programming. But in to the advertising world, cable television is in its own universe. Cable advertising offers the similar benefits of broadcast television advertising - your commercial can still be extremely effective with the right message and right creative production behind it, but unlike broadcast, cable networks have a more narrow, targeted audience that can present difficulties in creating an successful return on investment if not purchased right.

With broadcast television, approximately 90% of a total market viewing audience can be reached through this medium but with cable, that audience is smaller and more segmented. Most markets have about a 65% cable penetration in the viewing audience, meaning that your commercial, at the most, can only reach about 65% of the total people watching television. So right from the beginning, cable has cut out about one third of potential customers for your business. So you are probably thinking to yourself, why would I even consider advertising on cable then? I want as many people as possible to see my commercials!

The answer lies in the great advantage cable has over broadcast television. Cable advertising can be extremely inexpensive in reaching your best potential customers. To do this right, you must really know who you want to target for new customers and who you want to continue to reach for your existing customers. Taking that qualitative information and combining it with the demographics of the networks and programs on cable television, you can reach your targeted customer base! Cable is a frequency medium - meaning that in order to have an effective advertising campaign, you need to run your commercial as much as possible in order to reach your potential customers. With the lower rates on cable advertising versus broadcast, this can be done!

Cable networks offer prime time programming that has gained in popularity over the past years. With reality type programming still very popular across the desirable adults 25-54 demographic, cable networks are a great venue to run your commercial schedule. And with networks that are programmed to reach a specific audience, your business can reach right into the homes of your customers. From male-skewing networks of ESPN, Spike-TV, Versus, CourtTV to teen driven programming of MTV, VH1, Disney and Nickelodeon, you have many options in finding the networks and programs that your customers are watching.

Both media offer benefits and many options for your advertising needs - it takes knowing your business and knowing your potential customers to decide how to use each medium to your advantage. The Baer Edge ad agency's media planning and buying team can help you determine the best option in finding your customers! Let us maximize your budget and increase your return on investment!