Demographic-Based TV Buys Not Enough

TV advertisers can now judge the effectiveness of their campaigns more accurately than ever. Thanks in part to the market research and rating company TRA, marketers are now comparing second-by-second TV viewing data with shopping behavior recorded by frequent shopper cards. Advertisers can now tell if single advertisements increased the likelihood that a consumer would buy their product. These data also allow more intricate use of advertising based on “target-rating points”. For instance, certain ads may be more effective on people who purchase soda. New data streams are allowing market research companies to find out what programs soda drinkers watch so that advertisements appear accordingly. Although demographic buys are still an effective tool at reaching one’s audience, whether its advertisers hoping to reach an older age group at CBS or younger Americans on Fox and ABC, advertising is becoming a finer art with ever-greater accountability and complexity.