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What Are the Different Types of National TV Advertising?

Alex Tree
Alex Tree

Sponsorships, game show and product placements, and commercials can all be types of national TV advertising. Closed caption sponsorships are methods of advertising in the credits of a show while supporting captions for the hearing disabled. Game show placements are products or services that contestants win. Product placements are real products seen in movies and television shows and sometimes used or endorsed by the star characters. National TV commercials are the typical 10- to 60-second commercials, but they are targeted toward the audience of the foreign country.

Closed captions are a method of visually describing what is taking place on TV. This method replaces audio for people who cannot hear properly or simply prefer not to. National TV advertisers can sponsor closed captioning as a way of spreading their message. Some organizations tout the public service aspect of sponsoring closed captioning. If a business is looking for a way to look like a good citizen, sponsoring closed captioning services for the hearing impaired could be advantageous.

Sponsorships, game show product placements, and broadcast ads are all forms of national TV advertising.
Sponsorships, game show product placements, and broadcast ads are all forms of national TV advertising.

Game show placements are a well-used type of national TV advertising, because a lot of countries have popular game shows. The product is advertised by having a contestant use or win the item. Even companies that do not have a physical product can advertise on game shows. For example, if the company owns a hotel, the game show contestant can win a seven-day vacation. Alternatively, if the company owns a landscaping service, the contestant could win a free makeover for her yard.

Advertising is usually geared toward certain audiences depending on when they air.
Advertising is usually geared toward certain audiences depending on when they air.

Product placement is a type of national TV advertising used by businesses to increase awareness of their brands. This type of advertising is typically designed so that it does not look like advertising to consumers. For example, a carbonated beverage may be consumed by an actor in a TV movie. In this case, it may not be immediately obvious to a consumer that the beverage is an advertisement. Advertisers typically seek for consumers to develop emotional connections and think favorably about their products because of product placement.

Commercials are a traditional type of national TV advertising. The commercial is usually written to appeal to the target audience, with actors from the target country rather than the country the company is based in. For a well-viewed commercial, a company must buy a slot at a good time, such as during a popular television show when the demographic of the audience meets the company’s needs.

Discussion Comments

Laotionne

@Feryll - I agree that product placement is more effective than the 30 second and 60 second commercials, especially since so many people record programs and simply fast forward through the commercials. Companies are wasting a lot of money on these commercials.

I thought once product placement took hold we would eventually see the end of the commercial breaks. Unfortunately, that has not happened. I guess the TV stations are trying to get every penny possible from TV advertising.

Feryll

I think product placement as it was described in this article is a great way for advertisers to get their message across, and when done properly this type of advertisement does not get in the way of the program you are watching. Actually, I remember product placement ads more than I do the traditional TV advertising with the commercials breaks. I usually zone out during the commercial breaks or go to the kitchen for a snack or make a bathroom run.

Drentel

My least favorite commercials are the political advertisements that are all over the TV during election time. If half of the advertisements were truthful or said anything of any importance then I wouldn't get so upset when they are all over the TV, but these messages are useless.

There have been times when I simply turned the TV off because I did not want to see another political advertisement telling me why candidate A is so great and why candidate B is akin to the devil. I would say the networks and local stations should stop taking so many political ads, but they make their money by selling TV ads, so you can't blame them.

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    • Sponsorships, game show product placements, and broadcast ads are all forms of national TV advertising.
      By: MarcoGusella.it
      Sponsorships, game show product placements, and broadcast ads are all forms of national TV advertising.
    • Advertising is usually geared toward certain audiences depending on when they air.
      By: xalanx
      Advertising is usually geared toward certain audiences depending on when they air.