The local targeting. 
   
Regional newspapers, radio, and over-the-air local television cover very large areas -  suitable for companies with multiple locations or national product distribution. Why would a small restaurant in Northridge want to spend a lot of money to advertise all the way to Long Beach?  With cable-TV, you can focus your advertising resources on a strictly local level such as Glendale - Burbank, or West San Fernando Valley).  Even the larger cable systems in L.A., like "Time Warner" and "Media One", are several times more cost-effective for local businesses than regional media outlets.   
   
The impact.     
   
One reason why Television is recognized as the most efficient marketing tool is its impact on the viewer.  Besides its ability to deliver a powerful audiovisual message, it conveys prestige and credibility.  Also, in the average family the TV set is turned on seven hours per day, and the average Joe spends about four hours per day in front of it !!!   Sad - but real.  After work, watching TV is the most important "activity" - and the main source of information - for the vast majority of people.  A much smaller amount of time is spent on reading newspapers or browsing the Internet.   
   
The low cost.     
   
In most areas, each 30-second TV spot has the same price as a newspaper classified ad, and it is delivered to more than half of the local households.  Minimum / maximum prices may vary all the way  between $5 and $140. However, in the vast majority of circumstances, the average price is between $15-$75 per 30-second evening spot.  We are talking about spots on major channels like CNN, USA, Lifetime, MTV, or Discovery, or on ethnic programs, during daytime and prime time hours!  All you need is an effective commercial, which we’ll produce on a surprisingly low budget.   
   
(Note: morning spots are often 2-4 times cheaper, and this is why some “packages” offered by agents may look like better deals.  In reality, who needs a very small, unemployed audience?  I recommend morning spots only when trying to address senior citizens, or when a package includes consistent evening spots on a single channel.  We’ll work with you and with the representative of the Cable company in making a good choice.)   
   
The number of viewers per dollar.      
   
For example a $50  spot, delivered to 100,000 households with 2½ members each, means 5,000 potential viewers per dollar.  Of course, only a limited percentage of all these people will watch TV and will tune on your channel at any given time.  Yet, for every 1% of people who actually tune into your channel, you get 50 real viewers per dollar (2,500 per spot).  Compare this with the cost of direct mail advertising!  Even handing out simple "fliers" is about ten times more expensive.  On top of that - be aware that many prime time TV shows attract 3% to 5% of the potential audience.  More and more viewers will see your message every day, while the repeated exposure amplifies the impact.  For the price of a single large display in a metropolitan newspaper, you can place hundreds of spots on major Cable networks - to get a leading position in your local market.  On larger than average Cable-TV areas, the spots cost more, yet the number of viewers per dollar is roughly the same.   (Example - "Adelphia", formerly known as "Century Cable" has about 200,000 households, most of them in affluent areas of L.A.; an evening spot may cost around $100.)  

The audience selection.     
   
Young people are more likely to watch MTV.  Lifetime is dedicated to women.  USA and TNT offer a broader, family-type entertainment. NICK, one of the cable channels with the highest ratings, reaches children.  CNN, A&E, Discovery, and the History Channel are aimed at the more educated, higher income viewers.  ESPN deals with sports.  Ethnic programs deliver the largest viewership in many city areas.  You can also create your own special interest programs.  From all the mainstream media, only Cable-TV offers such an extreme accuracy in targeting. 
 

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