Yes. We’d say that, obviously. So here’s the evidence rather than the opinion.
What we’ve seen
CI Group (then Conservatory Insulations) sold through leaflets and newspaper ads. Their first TV ad ran on Channel 4 South in 2018 and returned £5 for every £1 spent on airtime in the first five weeks. They kept spending, the return climbed to 11 times ad spend, and the business beat its previous year’s turnover in under six months. They’re now the market leader.
Crocodile has been on TV with us since 2013. The ads we made in 2016 are still on air ten years later. Their media agency puts it simply: TV is still a very successful driver for the business.
Optegra had a beautiful TV ad that wasn’t converting. We rebuilt it for response, and consultations booked went up 164%.
Those aren’t brand-awareness numbers. They’re phones ringing.
Why it still works
- Attention. A TV ad gets the whole screen and the sound. A social ad gets a thumb flick.
- Trust. People still assume a company on TV is established and legitimate. That matters more for big-ticket purchases, like a conservatory roof or eye surgery.
- It makes everything else work harder. When the TV ad is on, more people search for you by name, click your social ads and pick up the phone.
- It’s more flexible than it used to be. Regional airtime, addressable TV and streaming mean you don’t need a national budget to start.
When it isn’t the right call
TV isn’t for everyone. Be careful if:
- You can’t handle a spike in calls. A TV campaign can work too well for a two-person sales team.
- Your product is very niche. If your buyers are 400 procurement managers, TV is the wrong tool.
- You can only afford one week of airtime. TV builds over weeks. A one-week burst rarely tells you anything.
- Your offer isn’t clear. TV amplifies a good proposition. It doesn’t fix a muddled one.
The short version
TV works when the ad is built for the job, the airtime is planned properly and you measure the response. Our piece on measuring TV advertising covers that last bit.