Thinkbox
TV advertising doesn’t just reach people, it impresses them. This isn’t just a subjective take; it’s behavioural science. TV sends powerful signals about a brand’s success, quality, and confidence. Just by being on TV, a business communicates strength.
The power of costly signalling
As Richard Shotton explains in The Value of TV: A Behavioural Science Perspective, people trust public and costly signals. TV advertising is both: it’s public – seen by millions, previewed and reviewed – and it’s perceived to be expensive. That perception matters: we instinctively believe that only serious, successful businesses advertise on TV, because it suggests long-term ambition and financial health.
Psychologist Amna Kirmani’s study on ad spend showed this clearly. When participants were told a brand spent more on media, they assumed the product quality was higher even though nothing else changed.
In advertising, where you appear matters as much as what you say. And TV makes brands look strong. Consumers read into your media choices
This was reinforced in Signalling Success 2 (EssenceMediacom, 2024), which found that media channel choice affects how people perceive a brand’s:
- Quality
- Confidence
- Financial strength
- Popularity
- Favourability
TV, along with cinema and news brands, came out top. Social platforms ranked far lower. Simply put: TV advertising conveys that you are a brand to be taken seriously.
Business leaders see it too
That’s why TV often features in brand-building campaigns by high-growth scale-ups and corporate giants alike. Whether it’s Monzo, Octopus Energy, or Apple, brands use TV to send the message that they’ve arrived or are going places.
And as more brands enter the TV space – including over 930 new or returning advertisers in 2024 – the medium continues to act as a quality filter, helping consumers distinguish between flash-in-the-pan and here-to-stay.
TV makes brands look confident, competent, and credible. That’s great corporate body language, and it pays dividends.