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TV is Still the Top Media Choice for Advertisers, ANA Survey Reveals

Almost Half of Marketers Have Increased TV Budgets Since 2009

NEW YORK (Oct. 24, 2011) — A survey by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) shows that nearly half of marketers (47 percent) increased television advertising budgets since 2009. Thirty percent of respondents said that budgets remained the same, while 23 percent noted their budgets decreased. 

Television is still the top media platform for advertisers. However, 60 percent of respondents indicated that television is facing stiff competition from other media. Other threats to television advertising's effectiveness include: 

  • Fractured attention, due to surfing the internet and/or texting while watching television (57 percent)
  • Commercial avoidance due to the use of DVRs (56 percent)

At the same time, respondents identified opportunities associated with TV advertising. The top two are comparable metrics across all media, and video/commercials extending to the internet, mobile devices, etc.

The vast majority surveyed are interested in receiving individual commercial ratings (82 percent). This finding supports a recent ANA initiative that found a growing desire for reporting brand specific commercial ratings.

"There was much chatter in the past about the television medium and 30 second spot being dead, but this survey has shown that TV advertising is very much alive - perhaps even more so than in the past," said Bill Duggan, Group Executive Vice President, ANA. "Even with the risk of competition from other media platforms and the use of DVRs, there are still many opportunities for marketers to optimize TV into their marketing mix."

In regard to television and marketing strategy, survey findings suggest that there are differences between how business-to consumer marketers are leveraging TV for growth compared to business-to-business marketers. Since B2C companies tend to have a broader consumer base and a larger advertising budget, television advertising may be a more effective media channel for them. This is demonstrated by the fact that 64 percent of B2C marketers reported that their television budget has increased over the past two years, compared to 27 percent of B2B marketers. On average, more B2C marketers surveyed (36 percent) said that television advertising has become increasingly important to their marketing strategy in the past two years. By comparison, just 13 percent of B2B marketers agreed with that statement. 

This survey was conducted online by the ANA during July and August of 2011. In total, 135 client-side marketers responded. On average, respondents of this survey have 15 years of marketing experience.

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About the ANA

The mission of the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) is to drive growth for marketing professionals, brands and businesses, the industry, and humanity. The ANA serves the marketing needs of 20,000 brands by leveraging the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda, which has been endorsed by the Global CMO Growth Council. The ANA’s membership consists of U.S. and international companies, including client-side marketers, nonprofits, fundraisers, and marketing solutions providers (data science and technology companies, ad agencies, publishers, media companies, suppliers, and vendors). The ANA creates Marketing Growth Champions by serving, educating, and advocating for more than 50,000 industry members that collectively invest more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually.

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