Prime time vs daytime
As a DRTV marketer, I’m looking for the least engaging television programs possible to place my ads in.
Why is that? People aren’t silly. They know that if I make an offer, and ask them to make a phone call or study some information, it’s going to take them away from whatever they are doing for at least 15 minutes. If they are watching their favourite show, they’re just not going to get up and leave their show at its most exciting point , and do what you tell them !
Prime time is what we describe ‘appointment viewing’ – it’s active, high involvement viewing. If you really like a particular show, you make an appointment to watch it – and no matter how compelling my offer is, you don’t want to leave that program to respond.
On the other hand, viewers generally watch daytime TV to relax between other tasks or activities. It’s low involvement – therefore, it is the best time to talk to someone, and it’s the best chance for your offer to stand out as more exciting than what they’re doing at the time.
The economics of daytime are also in your favour for DRTV. In prime time, there might be ten times more viewers but you also have to pay ten times more for that viewership. Because of that high level of involvement, prime time viewers will probably only respond at the same rate as daytime viewers.
When choosing daytime programs in which to screen your ads, you should think about the demographic of the people you are targeting with your offer. For instance, if you have an offer that appeals to people aged 60 plus, such as coin collectors, you need to target TV shows that draw the largest audience those people.
If you are really committed to running advertisements in prime time because you want to reach a large number of people, you should also place your ad on the same channel during the morning after your prime time slot. Those morning spots will generate twice or sometimes three times the amount of response, because viewers will recognise your offer and respond.
So while it might seem counterintuitive, remember – the least engaging TV programs will generally give you the best result in terms of generating leads.
Here’s hoping that your phone is ringing off the hook !
