Despite the rise of other forms of advertisement, to this day, television advertising is often regarded as the most trusted form of video advertising.

In 2023 alone, ‘the average time spent per individual watching broadcast television in the UK amounted to 158 minutes per day’. Clearly, television advertising still offers huge potential for businesses and organisations of all sizes.

Many ingredients make a TV ad effective. With the correct elements, a compelling TV ad can capture the audience’s attention and convey a message they’re sure to remember.

In this guide, we’re going to cover some key factors that make a good TV advertisement to help ensure you’re making the most of your television advertising efforts.

Let’s get started.

Creative storytelling
Clear and concise messaging
Audience targeting
Engaging visuals
Clear call to actions

1. Creative Storytelling

The first factor that makes a TV ad successful is creative storytelling.

Storytelling is a powerful tool for establishing an emotional connection with your target audience, and TV ads are the perfect vehicle for this.

People love stories, and storytelling has the power to evoke emotion in audiences, which in turn can help improve engagement.

A recent study found that ‘55% of people say that a great story captures their focus and keeps them engaged’, highlighting just how influential good storytelling can be.

Prioritising storytelling will help ensure that your ad lingers in your audience’s mind long after it's finished.

In 2023 alone, ‘the average time spent per individual watching broadcast television in the UK amounted to 158 minutes per day’.

2. Clear & Concise Messaging

Another component that makes a good TV ad is clear and concise messaging.

Effective TV ads contain simple messaging that’s easy to understand, as this promotes higher engagement while ensuring audiences understand precisely what you are trying to sell and why your audience should care.

Simplifying your messaging will ensure your audience not only remembers your product or service but can also tell others about what they’ve seen.

Speaking of your audience…

3. Audience Targeting

All great TV adverts target their preferred audience.

Knowing your potential customers enables you to tailor your TV ads to resonate with their needs and preferences, demonstrating the power of planning a targeted ad campaign.

That said, understanding your audience goes beyond knowing basic demographics such as age, gender, location, and income.

You’ll need to delve deeper into psychographics, such as their lifestyle, opinions, and values, and will want to consider geographic targeting, behavioural targeting, and more.

Are you interested in advertising your business on the small screen? Say Hello to us today to discuss your targeted, results-driven television campaign and find out how to get started.

As a media planning and buying agency, everything we do is designed to get you maximum attention and measurable results.

Knowing your potential customers enables you to tailor your TV ads to resonate with their needs and preferences.

4. Engaging Visuals

The best TV ads also recognise the value of using engaging visuals.

Engaging visuals can work wonders to capture the attention of an audience during the first five seconds of the ad, which is often considered the most crucial time to catch their eye.

Engaging visuals should always be relevant to your product or service and might include CGI, animation, or creative camera angles.

Your visuals should convey your brand’s identity and maintain consistent colours so that they become synonymous with your business and so that your audience can better recognise your brand over time.

Engaging visuals can work wonders to capture the attention of an audience during the first five seconds of the ad.

5. Clear Call To Actions

Lastly, effective TV ads contain clear calls to action.

Including a clear and direct call to action in a television ad helps guide the audience on what to do next, turning its message into action.

Why Are Calls to Action Important?

In short, calls to action are essential because they create a sense of urgency to take the desired action, boost sales, and help you maximise the ROI of your advertising campaigns.

After all, you’ve worked hard to capture your audience’s attention, so make the most of it whilst you still have the opportunity!

Do you see your business on TV?

At Hello Starling, whoever and wherever your audience is, there is a media mix to reach them and grab their attention.

Our media planning and buying experts recognise that there are no other media options that offer the brand-building power of TV.

Say Hello today!

What Makes A Good TV Ad?