Television as an advertising medium

Abstract

The evolution of television as an advertising medium leads to changes in perception of commercial messages by their receivers (consumers). There are many factors suggesting that, in the near future, most of today’s mass commercial messages will become more targeted to narrow groups of consumers with common needs and attitudes. This process of gradual moving form mass-reach to more targeted audiences is already visible in the increasing popularity of topic- based channels offered by cable and satellite providers. The paper consists of two parts: theoretical and empirical. Chapter 1 is devoted to the concept of advertising, the theory behind it, its impact on consumers and various forms of advertising. Chapter 2 describes most significant advertising media, their distinguishing characteristics and impact on consumers. The emphasis is placed on television as a leading medium and its unique features. Chapter 3 focuses solely on television and television advertising, problems of the medium’s historical evolution and describes main forces that are responsible for the situation of contemporary television. Chapter 4 includes the empirical part of the paper. It contains the results of a consumer survey conducted on a sample of 65 respondents. The research presents attitudes and perceptions of Polish consumers towards television, competing media and TV advertising.