Stop Writing Off TV Advertising
Many would say that TV advertising is outdated, and in many ways, they’re right. New media is shiny, hyper-targeted, and undeniably dominant in today’s marketing conversation. As Suleiman and Lawal note, digital platforms offer unmatched customisation and expansive reach. .
But here’s the catch: TV hasn’t stopped delivering in terms of advertising effectiveness. In fact, several studies suggest that television remains one of the most effective advertising channels when it comes to long-term ROI. This isn’t just theory. James Hurman, in his provocatively titled piece “TV’s Been Dead for 25 Years,” on Thinktv.nz makes a counterintuitive point: TV is far from dead. In terms of building brands and driving market share growth, it consistently outperforms almost every other medium.
That caught our attention and led us down a rabbit hole.
First, Let’s Get This Straight…
One insight we often overlook is that reach is not the same as attention. Yes, digital media may reach more people, but that doesn’t guarantee that content is being noticed, remembered, or acted on.
The Limits of Algorithmic Persuasion Online
Researchers Voorveld, Meppelink, and Boerman highlight how digital platforms use algorithms to serve hyper-personalised content. While this can increase short-term engagement, it also fosters echo chambers and reinforces cognitive biases. They define this as “algorithmic persuasion”, a deliberate attempt to influence beliefs and behaviours via algorithmically mediated content.
However, as Resnick and Albert argue, this doesn’t necessarily make digital ads more effective. Instead, it can contribute to “ad blindness”, where people instinctively scroll past anything that looks like an ad. Ironically, the more tailored an ad is, the easier it is to ignore, as it blends seamlessly into the user’s feed.
A Cookie-less Future
NZ Marketing Magazine recently underscored a key shift: we’re evolving to a cookie-less digital future. Cookies, those tiny data packets that allow precise online tracking, are disappearing due to consumer pushback and regulatory changes. That means targeting is becoming more challenging online.
TV, however, remains unaffected by this shift. In fact, it’s evolving too, with BVOD for example, but it still offers reliable reach across demographics and geographies. In a world where digital targeting is getting harder, TV’s ability to deliver at scale makes it increasingly attractive again.
Strength in Shared Attention
Despite the shift to digital, TV’s strengths have remained remarkably stable. It continues to command shared attention, particularly during live events and prime-time programming, where ad-skipping is minimal and immersion is high.
There’s also a psychological dimension at play. Watching ads together as a family or a nation, creates a shared experience that lends social proof to brands. This form of communal viewing sends a signal that this brand is big, trustworthy, and worth noticing. Lv et al. call this the “watching-eye” effect. When people know others are viewing the same content, it enhances recall and brand favourability. Ads can become part of collective memory, which is powerful for brand building.
This effect isn’t limited to traditional broadcast though. Shared viewing online can create similar psychological cues, but TV still holds an edge on scale, predictability, and environment.
It also offers something the digital world still struggles to guarantee: brand safety. TV advertisers have far greater control over when, where, and alongside what content their ads appear. This minimises the risk of placement next to polarising, misleading, or inappropriate material which is a concern in digital environments.
Format and Environment Matter Too
Alongside psychological impact and contextual control, the format itself plays a major role. Data from MNTN Research shows that traditional ad lengths still outperform shorter formats. 30- and 45-second spots are more effective than the six- or fifteen-second versions popular on digital platforms.
Screen size matters too. Ads viewed on a large screen, like a TV, are up to ten times more effective than those seen on mobile devices. The size, setting, and context all shape how messages are received, remembered, and acted on.
Regional Differences in Media Consumption
Media environments vary greatly by region and what's happening in the U.S. doesn't necessarily translate to Oceania.
In May 2025, U.S. data from Nielsen showed streaming accounted for 44.8% of total U.S. TV usage, overtaking the combined share of broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%), which together made up 44.2%. — Nielsen U.S., 2025
In Australia, the situation is reversed. As per OzTAM StreamScape’s quarterly report (May 2025), broadcast TV alone accounts for 61.5% of video viewing, with BVOD contributing another 8.4%, making Total TV nearly 70% of all video consumption.
In New Zealand, data from NZ On Air’s “Where are the Audiences 2024” report that linear TV reaches about 60% of the population daily, while BVOD services have stabilised at around 35% daily reach after strong growth in recent years. Because many viewers use both platforms, total unique reach across linear and BVOD is close to - but not simply the sum of - these figures. This underscores that traditional TV formats, including BVOD, remain central to video consumption in New Zealand.
So... Why Did Advertisers Leave?
TV hasn’t lost its power; rather, advertisers have simply been seduced by the promise of precision. But as the digital landscape fragments, and trust in online targeting wavers, TV’s value becomes harder to ignore.
It’s not a question of either/or, but rather how TV can work alongside digital to create both reach and resonance.
TV advertising still delivers. Period.
Sources:
Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2014). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=jjxHEQAAQBAJ
Lv, J., Xin, Z., Zhang, H., & others. (2025). Watching eyes effect on prosocial behaviours: Evidence from experimental games with real interaction. Current Psychology, 44, 1920–1932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-07225-5
Nielsen. (2025, June 17). Streaming reaches historic TV milestone, eclipses combined broadcast and cable viewing for first time. Nielsen. https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/streaming-reaches-historic-tv-milestone-eclipses-combined-broadcast-and-cable-viewing-for-first-time/
NZ On Air. (2024, August 26). Where are the audiences? 2024. NZ On Air. https://www.nzonair.govt.nz/news/where-are-the-audiences-2024/
OzTAM. (2025). Streamscape: Total video consumption in Australia – Q1 2025. OzTAM. Retrieved July 25, 2025, from https://oztam.com.au/Streamscape.aspx
Resnick, M., & Albert, W. (2014). The impact of advertising location and user task on the emergence of banner ad blindness: An eye-tracking study. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 30(3), 206–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2013.847762
Sarney, C. (2023). Cookie-less and confident: The evolving role of television commercials in New Zealand. New Zealand Marketing Magazine. Retrieved July 25, 2025, from https://nzmarketingmag.co.nz/cookie-less-and-confident-the-evolving-role-of-television-commercials-in-new‑zealand/
ThinkTV. (n.d.). TV’s been dead for 25 years (and it’s been the most effective advertising media for every one of those years). ThinkTV. Retrieved July 25, 2025, from https://thinktv.nz/why-tv/tvs-been-dead-for-25-years
Voorveld, H. A. M., Meppelink, C. S., & Boerman, S. C. (2023). Consumers’ persuasion knowledge of algorithms in social media advertising: Identifying consumer groups based on awareness, appropriateness, and coping ability. International Journal of Advertising, 43(6), 960–986. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2023.2264045
Yap, M. (2022, July 19). Ad length impact on attention is minimal, but content tips the scales. MNTN Research. https://research.mountain.com/creative-analysis/ad-length-impact-on-attention-is-minimal-but-content-tips-the-scales/