We’ve all heard it:
“TV advertising isn’t what it used to be.”
In the age of TikTok, YouTube, and programmatic everything, it’s easy to think TV is yesterday’s news — expensive, clunky, and hard to measure compared to sleek, digital-first campaigns.
But here’s the truth:
TV has actually gotten more effective over time.
And yet, marketers are spending less on it than the numbers suggest they should.
Let’s dig into why.
The Attention vs. Spend Gap
According to eMarketer, U.S. adults still spend around 2.5 hours a day watching live or time-shifted TV. That’s almost the same as the 2.7 hours they spend on their smartphones.
So why are we throwing so many ad dollars into digital, while TV gets less love?
One reason: TV can feel like a black box.
Digital’s easy — you set your budget, target your audience, watch the clicks roll in, and track every move.
TV, on the other hand, is pricey, the buying process is complicated, and measuring results isn’t as immediate.
For a lot of marketers, that makes it feel risky.
But here’s where smart brands — especially those building cult-like followings — see the opportunity.
What TV Still Does Better
Let’s break it down.
✅ It Drives Short-Term Sales
Yep, TV still moves the needle right now. Direct-response ads on TV, combined with digital or retail pushes, can create a real sales lift. TV also boosts things like search activity and web traffic.
✅ It Builds Long-Term Brand Power
This is where TV really shines. Research (like Binet & Field’s famous studies) shows that long-term emotional advertising consistently beats short-term, purely performance-driven campaigns.
Why? Because great TV ads stick in people’s heads, shape how they feel about your brand, and make you the first name they think of when they’re ready to buy.
✅ It Creates Cultural Moments
Digital ads are hyper-targeted, but they rarely create the big, shared moments that TV does. Think Super Bowl commercials, big product launches, or national campaigns — these become part of the cultural conversation in a way few digital ads ever do.
So Why Are Brands Pulling Back?
A lot of marketers simply don’t know how to make TV work today.
The landscape has changed — the upfronts, the scatter market, programmatic TV — it’s a lot. Add to that the fact that you can’t always track TV’s impact in real time, and many brands decide it’s easier to just keep pouring money into digital.
But here’s what cult brands understand:
Building lasting customer loyalty isn’t about what’s easiest to measure — it’s about what sticks in people’s hearts and minds.
How to Win with TV Today
If you want TV to become your most powerful marketing tool, you have to fully embrace what it’s good at — both the short-term and long-term play.
Here’s how:
1️⃣ Make Creative That Actually Connects
Don’t just shout offers. Tell stories. Build meaning. Use symbols and emotions that your audience can connect to. That’s what creates loyalty.
2️⃣ Balance Now and Later
Yes, you can run performance spots that drive immediate action — but don’t forget the big, emotional brand-building campaigns that set you up for long-term growth.
3️⃣ Mix TV and Digital
TV doesn’t live in a vacuum. It boosts your digital performance, drives social engagement, and primes search. Think of it as part of your overall ecosystem, not a standalone channel.
4️⃣ Experiment with Modern TV Tools
It’s not just about old-school linear anymore. Connected TV (CTV), addressable, programmatic — there are so many new ways to target and measure that can make TV smarter and more efficient.
The Bottom Line
People don’t just buy products — they buy meaning, emotion, identity.
And TV, when done right, delivers all three at scale.
So maybe it’s time to stop thinking of TV as outdated or risky — and start seeing it as the most underused weapon in your marketing arsenal.
Ready to rethink TV?
P.S. If this resonated with you, don’t miss our latest white paper: Cult. Creative. It features cutting-edge research on building culturally magnetic brands in the age of distraction—plus a curated collection of some of the best TV spots ever made to inspire you and your team. You won’t download a PDF—you’ll view it live, right in Google Slides. Click here and request access to explore the work.