A+E Networks: When Brand Growth Plateaus, Brands Turn to TV

Catterson has seen hundreds of these “growth brands” enter TV advertising in recent years, and most of them stay because they discover as advertisers what they already know as viewers: TV remains the preeminent medium for telling stories.

“We’re all drawn to great storytelling, which is why TV, with all its different flavors and access points, is still the crown jewel of the media ecosystem,” Catterson says. “There’s no better way to tell great stories at scale than with the sight, sound and motion of TV.”

As he sees it, “the main thrust of marketing is to share your brand’s story with the world. And whether that’s a story of innovation, inspiration or intrigue, time and again TV audiences continue to prove they’re among the most receptive audiences to great storytelling.”

Catterson says this receptivity is key for growth brands. “In addition to sharing their story, growth brands must also understand how that story resonates with audiences,” he notes. “And very importantly, they must be able to take action on that intelligence.”

He points out that “advances in TV measurement and targeting have opened up an enormous range of new opportunities for growth brands to use TV as effectively as any other performance medium, including search and social.

“Search and social are effective for early customer growth,” he continues, “but some brands may be surprised to learn that TV offers the same ease of use, performance metrics, flexibility and optimization as those channels. TV can be a real workhorse within your overall growth strategy.

“I think the perception is still out there that TV is complicated and requires big budget commitments to get a seat at the table,” Catterson adds. “But that’s not true. The price points in TV are often more efficient than digital. And brands can start activating on TV with modest budgets and little risk, and then optimize and scale at their own pace using a test and learn approach.”

Catterson also points out that “TV can provide an antidote to some of the obstacles growth brands begin facing as they scale their digital media efforts, including inflationary pricing, a potential for increased fraud and content issues and diminishing returns on the costs of acquiring new customers.”

And of course, as brands come into the TV ecosystem and continue to scale, they’re also discovering all the other advertising opportunities within portfolios like A+E Networks, such as “audience targeting, program integrations, access to talent and sponsorship opportunities that can all help to amplify their message even further,” he explains.

“The proof is in the fact that brands come back quarter after quarter and year after year, and new brands continue to enter the TV space all the time,” Catterson concludes. He is more confident than ever that “TV is inviting, welcoming and can unlock many new opportunities for brands who are looking to grow.”

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The opinions expressed here are the author’s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.