Effectiveness of Television Advertising on 20-Something Females

¶ … Television Advertising on 20-Something Females

Effectiveness of Television Advertising

Television is a traditional, yet the largest communication medium used by business corporations to promote their products and services to their potential customers. Advertisements done on television reach large target audience in both urban and rural areas. Every television advertisement has a specific target audience which constitutes the most potential customers for the company. The response rate and reaction of audience to television advertising is much greater than all other traditional and contemporary marketing mediums. Companies use targeted advertising on this medium to achieve better results of their marketing efforts.

This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of television advertising to young female consumers with age group of 18-25. It is widely believed that television advertising largely influences the behavior of young females which then becomes their attitude. Young females with age group of 18 to 25 are highly active viewers of television. They spend a considerable time on watching television at their home and pay pure attention to advertisements which are attractive and informative. They respond to brand commercial advertisements and campaigns quite favorably.

Marketers believe that young females are a better source of word of mouth for their brands. Young females also play a major role in making purchase decisions for the whole family. 20-something females do research about the products which they like on television advertisement. If they find some product interesting or useful, they also research about its specification, features, and price so that they can make a better purchase decision. Moreover, young female consumers are more price-conscious when it comes to grocery and consumer products.

Young female consumers are also considered an important target audience because they have better analytical ability than teenagers and aged people due to their high exposure in the outdoor advertisements. Additionally, celebrity endorsements, attractiveness of the television advertisements, and fashion consciousness of females largely overcome the pricing factor which is considered an important purchase decision parameter. In order to make their advertisements more effective, companies choose movies, music shows, cooking shows, dramas, reality shows, beauty and health care programs, etc. For this highly potential target audience.

Introduction:

This paper presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of television advertising on young female consumers. The paper starts with an introduction to the television as an important advertising medium and highlights how television advertising targets different age groups of the society. The major sections of the paper discuss how young females are a potential target audience for television advertising from different perspectives. For example, young females give purity of attention to television ads; give equal importance to economic factors like price and the functionality factor like performance and usefulness of the products. The paper also explains how young female consumers influence the purchase decisions of the whole family on the basis of price, performance, and ads exposure.

In the light of relevant literature, the paper explains different factors which influence the effectiveness of television advertising for this particular target audience. These factors include celebrity endorsements, attractiveness of the television advertisements, selection of television programs during which advertisements should be run in order to achieve better results, and fashion awareness of the young female consumers.

Television: an effective Advertising Medium

Television is one of the oldest and most popular advertising mediums. Its popularity and effectiveness has never been downgraded by any of the modern marketing channels or advertising mediums so far. Business corporations use television advertising to promote their brands and communicate their important messages to their customers, investors, supply chain members, and other key stakeholders. Messages communicated through television advertising reach the largest target audience for businesses in the most economic and effective way. Due to their effectiveness, target reach, and popularity, business organizations are allocating huge portions of their marketing budgets on television advertising (Frith & Mueller, 111).

How Television Advertising targets different Age Groups:

Although television advertising equally targets all age groups, income classes, and geographic segments; not all of these groups or segments give equal attention to the messages communicated through this channel. Unlike its rival marketing channels (e.g. print media, Internet, etc.), television advertising gives shorter time to its audience to memorize the contents and shape their attitude. Television reaches a wider and captive target audience which includes children, teenagers, youngsters, adults, and aged people. On the other hand, social media, internet, and print media have limited target audience as compared to television. Moreover, television advertising uses vision, audio and emotions to communicate its message to the target audience. These important components are not present altogether in newspapers, outdoor ads, and other print mediums (Viren & Joanna-Marie, 168).

Television Advertising to Young Female Consumers:

Televisions are considered as one of the most essential electronic equipment bought by households. The response rate and reaction of audience to television advertising is much greater than all other traditional and contemporary marketing mediums. Businesses prefer to use this medium over all other mediums due to its greater target reach, high response rate of consumers, and use of sound, visuals, and emotions that are highly effective in changing their behaviors and attitudes (Debra, Diederik, Frans, 1030).

How Young Females are a Potential Target Audience for Television Advertising?

Young consumers are considered as the most potential target audience for television advertising because this channel of communication directly reaches their minds and hearts. It is widely believed that television advertising largely influences the behavior of young consumers which then becomes their attitude (Viren & Joanna-Marie, 160). This changed attitude then influences their daily life and purchase behavior. Young females with age group of 18 to 25 are highly active viewers of television. This age group constitutes females who are either college or university going students; newly recruited employees; entrepreneurs of some small or medium scale business; or newly married individuals (Frith & Mueller, 79).

Purity of Attention by Young Female Consumers:

In addition to their routine activities, these females also spend a considerable time on watching television at their home. They enjoy watching movies, music, dramas, sports, documentaries, and other television programs that seem interesting or informative to them. Researchers have proved that young females with age group of 20-something give purity of attention to television advertising. They respond to brand commercial advertisements and campaigns quite favorably (Wan-Hsiu, 85).

Opportunities for Marketers:

Keeping in view the effectiveness of television advertising and a positive response from the younger generation, business organizations are using televisions to promote their new brands and communicate important messages about their existing products, services, and business affairs. Modern marketers believe that young generation, especially young females pay good attention to television advertisements and consider them highly informative and authentic than Internet, social media, and personal marketing. Above all, they believe that young females are a better source of word of mouth for their brands. Reason being, they give purity of attention to television advertisements and think out of the box while making purchase decisions on the basis of these advertisements (Debra, Diederik, Frans, 1035).

Young Females have larger Exposure to Advertisements:

Young females also play a major role in making purchase decisions for the whole family. A college or university going student is more exposed to brand advertisements and marketing campaigns through different communication channels. This outdoor exposure, supported by the television advertisements which they watch at home becomes a source of building their attitude in favor of those brands. In order to make their purchase decision in favor of those brands, these young and energetic consumers do necessary research and finalize their purchase with or without consultation with their family members (Viren & Joanna-Marie, 161).

Influencing Family Purchase Decisions by Targeting Young Females:

Television is widely watched in all small and large households. Therefore, the exposure of target audience with this communication medium is also much higher than other rival channels; like internet, newspapers, bill boards, and outdoor campaigns. Targeting one family member in some television advertisement creates a chance that he or she may influence the purchase decision of the whole family (Frith & Mueller, 98).

Keeping in view the effectiveness of this communication medium, business organizations prefer to target that family member who is more knowledgeable, educated, or at least remains under higher exposure from promotional advertisements and marketing campaigns. This is another reason why television advertisements are more focused towards younger generation. Moreover, female consumers are considered the most potential target audience because they can influence the family purchase decisions in all types of products -- from simple eatables to highly expensive luxurious items (Wan-Hsiu, 85).

The Economic Factor:

In addition to the choice of products based on different purchase decision parameters, young female consumers also play a major role in influencing their family decisions from economic perspective. For example, 20-something females are more likely to research about the products which they like on television or newspaper ads. When they watch a television advertisement for some product and find that product interesting or useful, they also research about its specification, features, and price through different other ways so that they can make a better purchase decision. Similarly, they suggest products to their friends and family members according to their purchasing power and needs (Debra, Diederik, Frans, 1041).

Focused Advertisements:

Female consumers are more price-conscious when it comes to grocery and consumer products. Marketers have realized this fact and started advertising their products and services through targeted strategies, i.e. they design their marketing strategies which are specifically targeted towards younger generation. Some marketers also design television advertisements which give more focus on price factor rather than functionality or performance factor.

Price Consciousness:

It is widely known that the majority of the target audience for television advertising consists of low and middle income groups in both rural and urban areas. Therefore, the marketers have to keep in view their specific target audience for every particular product they offer in the market. The research has also found that consumers tend to buy those products which are advertised more frequently on television, newspapers, and other marketing mediums. Since young female consumers are more exposed to television advertising, marketing firms design their marketing campaigns which are attractive and appealing for younger generation. They use colors schemes, characters, location, and brand promises which attract consumers from younger age groups (Wan-Hsiu, 86).

Building Brand Loyalty:

Another factor which makes television advertising highly effective to target the young female consumers is the potential to make them brand loyal in the early ages. Young female consumers are also considered an important target audience because they have better analytical ability than teenagers and aged people due to their high exposure in the outdoor advertisements.

Financial Ability:

One of the most contributing factors in targeting young female consumers is the financial ability which makes these consumers a potential target audience for television advertising. Since 20-something females are either in the end of their studies or beginning of their professional career; they are likely to spend more on the products and services which they find attractive and consider useful for their near future. Keeping in view this prospective, marketing firms increase the frequency of their advertisements on television and target young females in these advertisements (Gary, 3).

Celebrity Endorsements:

In addition to financial ability at younger age and purchasing power parity of the whole family, young females are also targeted through television advertisements because they are more attracted when the messages in these advertisements are endorsed by celebrities. For example, the television advertisements of beauty and skin care products mostly show film and television celebrities; sports products like shoes, jackets, accessories, etc. are endorsed by renowned sportsmen and athletes, etc. Celebrity endorsements have always been one of the most effective tools to create brand loyalty among target consumers (Ulf, 486).

Changing Purchase Behavior and Attitude of Young Females through Celebrity Endorsement in Television Advertisements:

In some cases, celebrity endorsements in television advertisements largely overcome some important purchase decision parameters which young female consumers consider in buying products or services of their choice (Ulf, 486). For instance, if a female consumer has not used some product in her life or does not like its advertisement on television, she cannot say anything positive or negative about it. However, if the same product is endorsed by some celebrity, she may make her mind to purchase it or at least think of it as a good brand (Hanan, 43).