What Does a TV Advertising Agency Do?

A TV advertising agency is a company that will design an advertising plan for a business, product, or service for delivery on various television stations. The company may be dedicated exclusively to TV advertising, or it may be able to accommodate advertising through a variety of media, including newspapers and magazines, radio, and the Internet. A business may hire a TV advertising agency to ensure marketing dollars are efficiently spent and target audiences are reached; most agencies will have a good handle on which television stations will be most appropriate for the ad, as well as what times the ad should run.

Hiring a TV advertising agency is a good idea for any business owner who wants an effective ad created that will reach a target audience. While many business owners may attempt to create an ad campaign on their own, hiring a TV advertising agency gives the business owner the advantage of market knowledge as well as ad design strategies. The agencies will know what key words and images are likely to attract potential customers, which television stations cater to the target audience, what time slots are likely to be best for reaching that audience, and what other advertising options may complement the television ads.

If the business owner wants an advertising campaign that uses more than one medium, the TV advertising agency may or may not be able to accommodate this request. Some agencies are able to write press releases, design print ads, formulate radio ads, or even design Internet-based ads, while others are dedicated solely to television advertising. The production of a television ad generally takes more money, time, and effort than other types of advertising, which means the company may invest only in the equipment, software, and personnel trained to create television spots. Very often, however, a TV advertising agency will be able to convert the TV spot into a computer-ready file that can be shown on the Internet as well.

One of the most important things a TV advertising agency might do is an analysis of the ad's effectiveness. Measurable goals may be set before the ad runs so the agency can tell if the target audience is being reached, if the advertising is being converted into sales, how often the ad is running, what times the ads run at, and any other information that may help the business owner decide if the campaign has been a success. This can take time and patience, and a business owner usually won't be able to do this on his or her own; hiring an agency gives the business owner a leg up and prevents him or her from having to invest more time than is necessary into the campaign.