Facts About TV Commercials
Television advertising is a versatile way for companies to promote their products and services. From their inception in the 1940's, television commercials have varied in format, price and content. While television commercial content is always under scrutiny and can be expensive, it remains one of the prominent ways companies reach their buyer audience.
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History
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The TV commercial was first sanctioned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in May 1941. The commercial aired July 1, 1941, on the National Broadcasting Company channel (NBC) featuring advertiser Bulova, an American watchmaking company. The commercial aired during the live telecast of a baseball game and cost the watch manufacturer $9 for the air time.
Features
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Television commercials are priced based on the length of the commercial an advertiser desires. There are 15-second, 30-second and 60-second TV spots offered for traditional commercial air time. Other variables that impact the price of the advertisement include time of day, programming the advertiser wants to appear with as well as size of the viewer audience.
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Infomercials
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Infomercials were first introduced to television in the 1940s but gained prominence 40 years later when the FCC changed the regulations for advertising content and format. Informercials are long-format direct-response advertising efforts ranging from 30 minutes to four hours in length. Formatted to look like a talk show or instructional program, informercials permit advertisers to go to great lengths to describe their product, conduct comparative analysis and engage an audience. They are priced differently than standard commercial spots and are subject to different time slots and television network availability.
Super Bowl Commercials
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One of the most expensive slots to purchase in television advertising is during the National Football League championship event, the Super Bowl. In 2007, the CBS network considered charging advertisers over $2 million for a 30-second spot during premium viewing periods. As the event draws one of the largest television viewing audiences each year, advertisers benefits from an audience that watches for the commercials as much as the event.
Warning
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The effects of television advertising on children is a topic consistently researched by pediatric and psychological associations and youth advocacy groups. According to the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), children in the United States view 40,000 television commercials each year. Two thousand of those commercials typically promote alcoholic messaging and with over half of all ad content promoting fast food. Researchers fear long-term exposure to these messages may contribute to childhood and adolescent health concerns including obesity, poor nutrition, and substance abuses.
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