Low-cost TV advertising is evening out the field says John Alligan of Media Buying Agency, The Media Shop.

There's a myth going round that TV ads are really expensive, but they don't have to be. In fact, many an advertising agency would be pleasantly surprised by what can be achieved on a smaller budget.

OK, so recent stats show that TV advertising is just as effective as it's always been, but with low cost TV advertising production becoming increasingly available, more and more companies and brands are now jumping aboard.

Advertising campaigns can be judged on many criteria; was it popular, are people talking about it, did it win any awards?

But, like any marketing agency trend, it's hard business terms that will define if the investment justified the return.

The continual power of TV advertising

ThinkBox, Commercial TV’s marketing body have conducted an econometric study across nine marketing categories, comparing on a like for like basis, the sales and profit impact of five forms of advertising: TV, radio, press, online display (exc. VOD) and outdoor, over a 5 year period.

The Key findings of this study are as follows:

• Per impact, TV delivers 2.5 times the sales of any other medium.
• TV represented 55% of all advertising expenditure producing 71% of sales.
• On average 38% of sales effect was felt by products not directly advertised, creating a ‘halo effect’ across a brands portfolio.
• Despite the recession TV’s effectiveness is on average 22% higher than 5 years ago.
• TV creates the most extra profit with an average return of £1.70 for every £1 invested.

While TV is clearly effective in its return on investment, it's also now a cost effective medium in terms of usage. Due to the fragmentation of the medium with the introduction of digital channels, TV has now been made affordable to advertisers with a smaller budget and effective campaigns can now be bought for as little as £50,000.

Many brands are discovering, thanks to the art of low cost TV advertising production, that the medium is no longer beyond their reach and exclusively available to those with mega budgets.

A few of us (and here comes to trumpet tooting) are ideally placed and passionate about helping advertisers, large and small achieve their ambition to use TV as an advertising medium, irrespective of size.

Think Robin Hood and the Sheriff of the TV advertising world...

When it comes to low-cost TV advertising needs, we recommend working to identify the big three: your channels, your day parts and the audiences best suited for you to achieve your business objectives.

With that in mind, the stats show that TV advertising no longer is for the super-large, but a realistic strategy for many.