Study: Television Advertising is Alive and Well, Thank You

By Stewart Gandolf, Chief Executive Officer

From time to time, the subject of television advertising comes up in our work with healthcare providers. What follows, typically, is a little three-act cycle of “rejection,” to “reluctant testing,” to “enthusiastic surprise.”

Right up front, I need to say that broadcast television advertising isn’t right for every client situation. There are production and media buying costs to be considered, and it’s not a fit for every medical practice marketing plan or market.

That said...when it IS appropriate to recommend TV advertising, doctors are often reluctant (at best) to consider it. Perhaps they think it’s not efficient, or maybe they imagine it as “too flashy.”

But the fact remains that television is still the most effective advertising medium. And a study by marketing-analytics company MarketShare for Turner and Horizon media offers the most recent validation. What adds to the weight of this report is that MarketShare “meta-analyzed thousands of marketing optimizations used by advertisers from 2009 to 2014.”

Much like the nation’s healthcare delivery system, broadcast TV has been reinventing itself in the face of increasing competition for “eyeballs”—such as streaming video/movie providers and the Internet itself.

But... “When it comes to driving sales,” according to an in-depth article in Adweek, “TV still dominates over all other advertising media.” And among the study's key findings, they report:

“MarketShare analyzed advertising performance across industry and media outlets like television, online display, paid search, print and radio advertising and found that TV has the highest efficiency at achieving key performance indicators, or KPIs, like sales and new accounts.”

What’s more, television plays even better with others. “TV marketers can optimize their spend by leveraging data sources, including high-frequency consumer interactions like website visits and inbound calls, to improve TV advertising performance.”

The bottom line…

Broadcast/cable television is not the best path for every healthcare advertiser, and if it can’t perform for you, turn off the tube. But our experience demonstrates there are many situations where its effectiveness can shine as a solid performer for select doctors, medical practices and market situations.

So before you reject TV as an option for your marketing mix, there’s a ton of evidence that demonstrates the Return-on-Investment success potential. And, if you’d like a candid (and confidential) assessment, please give us a call. We’d love to share some success stories.

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Stewart Gandolf, MBA