If you’re a challenger brand looking to get on to TV, need a cost-effective Direct Response Television (DRTV) campaign, or you simply have a limited budget for TV, RIGHT NOW is the best time of year to act to get the most bang for your buck and to give yourself the best chance of success.
When is the cheapest time to advertise on TV?
You need to get cracking right now in order to get the cheapest TV slots you can buy. Here’s why:
In the build up to Christmas, all the major brands are chasing the same TV slots. As you might expect, this pushes up the cost of buying TV airtime over this period. But did you know that the cost of TV airtime falls almost immediately on boxing day?
The beginning of the year has some of the best TV air-time deals you can buy. January is recognised as the cheapest and most effective month to advertise on TV. There is little advertising spend in the market but also audiences spend more time at home due to the weather (and having overspent at Christmas!).
So, if you have a limited budget for TV, need maximum return for your investment, or perhaps you think it might not even be affordable… think again! With some clever planning, and by acting now so that you’re ready for the cheapest airtime of the year, you can get your brand on TV with minimal cost.
It’s important to consider that the longer you allow for your pre-production and production stages – generally the smoother the process will go. This is why to be on air in January, you need to start planning right away.
With that in mind – here’s some top production hacks to make the most of your budget:
TV Advert Production Tips
Define your budget early on
The sooner you can fix your budget, the better. It allows more time for developing creative concepts that can be realistically achieved on the budget. As a general rule of thumb, the split between media buying and production costs is often considered to be 80/20, so the lions share going to buying the actual slots, and the rest going on production. You don’t need to stick religiously to this ratio, but it's worth considering.
Work concepts back from the budget
Develop realistic concepts, scripts and storyboards that are achievable for the money. Good effective TV that delivers response and results doesn’t need to have a massive spend. There are many ways to realise the same core concept – whether that’s a live-action shoot, animation or motion-graphics.
Allow time for your production
Agree a detailed production schedule. Start now if you want to be on air in January! Build in some slack and contingency – as things will inevitably change as the production progresses.
Consider regulatory approvals
Unlike with internet advertising, Clearcast need to pre- approve every single TV ad on air in the UK. So build time for Clearcast script and final video clearance into your schedule. Consider wisely the claims you make in your script. Sometimes a simple bit of word-smithing early on in the process can save weeks of headaches trying to substantiate marketing claims with Clearcast.
Maximise production value
Do you even need an expensive shoot? Can you re-use existing assets instead? What about stock library footage? Are all your talent fees going to add up? Can you make another version at the same time to avoid copy fatigue?
For top tips on all these production matters - and more, see my previous article on maximising production value.
Decide the most effective duration
Traditional linear TV is bought in chunks of 10 seconds, with 30” being the ‘typical’ length of a TV ad. You will pay a slight premium for buying shorter slots (eg. 10”s and 20”s). But if your messaging can be made to fit, then these shorter lengths will allow you to buy more individual slots and ultimately get more eyes on your ad.
Affordable TV ad examples
Lets take a quick look at some examples of cost effective TV ads.
UK Meds: Here’s a TV ad we made for UK Meds, an online pharmacy. We used their existing illustrations from their website, and kept production simple with clean 2D animation to bring them to life, avoiding unnecessary actor fees and keeping costs down.
Poland Travel: This TV ad promoting Poland as a tourist destination was realised entirely using existing library footage. We added very simply animated illustrations and captions to bring it all together into a unique treatment. No expensive shoot involved!
Numan: And finally, here’s one from a few years ago. We can’t take the credit for this particular production, but I think is a fantastic example of how a creative concept can be realised cheaply and effectively. This (post-watershed) TV ad for Numan is essentially just basic text and a voice over – but it certainly grabs your attention!
These examples show that you don’t need to break the bank to create effective TV ads.
Summary
Timing and strategic planning are crucial for challenger brands aiming to maximize their TV advertising budget. By acting now, you can take advantage of the post-Christmas drop in airtime costs and secure the most affordable slots possible for your campaign.
With careful budgeting, planning, and a detailed production schedule, you can achieve high-impact results without breaking the bank. Using these production hacks, your brand can stand out on TV and achieve a significant return on investment.
Make the most of this prime opportunity, get in touch today to see how Logic+Magic can help get your brand on TV.
Producer and Head of Broadcast
