The Basics of Short Form TV

Short form TV is a wonderful marketing tool for companies that can afford to take their product or service this route. However, like with anything, every business should evaluate why this type of marketing would work best for them. In doing so it may be determined if short form TV is the right path and if so how to go about creating a campaign that will be effective and worthwhile. First of all, it is important to know a little bit about direct response television. Basically, there are two types to choose from, short form TV and long form. The short form is available most commonly in three different time lengths. The most common short form TV spot is 60 seconds in length, although you will find short form TV in 90 and 120 second spots as well. Some advertisers will find that the longer lengths really are important to their product or service while others may find it is better to pack everything into a short and easy 60 second format. The reason to use short form TV is to generate immediate sales and it is important to pick the right length of time as well as spokesperson, information covered, and the like, to ensure the spot is as successful as it can possibly be. Short form TV is great for advertisers because during and immediately after each advertisement there are always sales, which means measurable cash flow. Having immediate respond to the commercial is truly a benefit to this type of advertising and one of the reasons so many advertisers use this technique. Risk is minimized with this type of marketing, which is important for many marketers, especially those with new products on the table. Marketers will also appreciate the fact that each direct response short form TV spot is aimed at the consumers viewing at that particular time of the day. During the middle of the day during the week the ads may be targeting housewives while early morning ads on the weekends could be targeting kids. Ensuring the ads are targeting your market is very important and will significantly impact sales. Since the market can be targeted based on viewing time and time of the week marketers are able to make the most of their ad and increase their sales. Similarly, when a product is sold in this manner it avoids all of the costs of sending it to retail, meaning consumers can get a better deal. All around, short form TV is better for consumers and marketers from a price stand point.