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END-OF-CHAPTER SUPPORT
MARKETING DEBATE—Has TV Advertising Lost Power?
Long deemed the most successful advertising medium, television advertising has received increased
criticism as being too expensive and, even worse, no longer as effective as it once was.
Critics maintain that consumers tune out too many ads by zipping and zapping and that it’s difficult to
make a strong impression. The future, claim some, is with online advertising. Supporters of TV
advertising disagree, contending that the multisensory impact of TV is unsurpassed and that no other
media option offers the same potential impact.
Take a position: TV advertising has faded in importance versus TV advertising is still the most
powerful advertising medium.
Pro: Marketing managers must begin with an identified target market and the strategic direction of the
brand before choosing the advertising program. The selection of TV advertising as the medium should
be as a function of: the mission, money, message, media, and measurement. In addition, the marketing
manager must understand where the product is in its product life cycle and how the hierarchy of
effects affects his products. If these factors are known then the marketing manager can decide if
informative advertising, persuasive advertising, reminder advertising, or reinforcement advertising is
necessary. Television through its multisensory impact is the best medium for these advertising
conditions. In addition to the product’s life cycle, the product’s market share and consumer base,
competition and clutter, advertising frequency, and product substitutability affects decisions to use TV.
Properly designed and executed TV programs can improve brand equity by vividly demonstrating
product attributes and persuasively explaining consumer benefits, portraying user and usage imagery,
brand personality, and other brand intangibles. Critics of TV advertising may be focusing on the
“messenger” rather than on the “message.”
Con: Consumers have changed. We are now into the fourth generation of consumers using TV as a
marketing communications medium. The proliferation of new technologies has shifted the “power” to
the viewer rather than the “transmitter.” Current generations receive information through numerous
media channels: the Internet, cell phones, satellite, cable, radio, and others. The influence that TV once
had to stimulate, interest, and build brand loyalty due to its exclusivity is gone. Today, buyers are more
likely to review product performance on the Internet or to ask opinion leaders than they are to “act”
because they saw a clever commercial. As a result, with the exception of certain product categories or
product lines, TV advertising no longer reaches target consumers. More importantly, TV commercials
do not reach opinion leaders who are increasingly influencing consumer-buying decisions on a greater
scale. To reach this important group, companies must target messages through combinations of other
media and product usage.
MARKETING DISCUSSION
Pick a brand and go to the Web site. Locate as many forms of communications as you can find.
Conduct an informal communications audit. What do you notice? How consistent are the different
communications?
Student answers will differ depending upon their favorite Web sites.
Marketing Excellence: Red Bull
1. What are Red Bull’s greatest strengths and risks as more companies (like Coca-Cola, Pepsi,
and Monster) enter the energy drink category and gain market share? What are the risks of
competing against such powerhouses?
2. Discuss the pros and cons of Red Bull’s nontraditional marketing tactics. Should Red Bull do
more traditional advertising? Why or why not?
3. Discuss the effectiveness of Red Bull’s sponsorships. Where should the company draw the
line in terms of novelty and risk?
Marketing Excellence: Target
1. Describe Target’s marketing communications strategy. What has the company done well over
the years?
2. How does Target compete against mammoth Walmart, which has four times the revenue?
What are the distinct differences in their marketing communications strategies?
3. What are the risks and challenges associated with Target’s marketing communications mix?
Have these changed over the years? Explain.
