Thinkbox
TV has always been more than entertainment. TV is a cultural engine, a shared experience that shapes how we see the world, what we talk about, and even how we talk.
And the advertising that appears alongside it doesn’t just ride that wave. It helps create it. Brands should’ve gone to TV. Simples.
TV builds fame, and fame builds brands
Fame matters in advertising. Campaigns designed to generate fame are by far the most effective at delivering major business outcomes like sales and profit. According to Binet and Field’s IPA research, they’re 50% more likely to achieve these effects.
And nothing creates fame like TV.
Just as TV turns contestants into celebrities, it turns brands into household names. That’s because fame isn’t just about being seen – it’s about being seen by everyone, together.
TV’s scale and reach are unmatched, and you can’t become famous if no one sees you. When brands appear on TV, they make a very public promise, one that carries weight. As Rory Sutherland puts it: “Public promises carry more weight. That’s why ‘as seen on TV’ is more persuasive than ‘as seen on Facebook’.”
TV also creates fame through its remarkable signalling power: it’s not just what a brand says, but where it says it that matters. TV outperforms other media on perceptions of brand quality, confidence, and success. TV signals that a brand is strong, popular, and worth talking about.
We don’t just watch TV, we watch it together
TV is the medium we gather around. In our homes, at events, or on demand, we share the experience either physically or virtually through social platforms. That shared context is crucial because it sparks conversation, increases memory, and deepens emotion.
Advertising in that environment doesn’t just get noticed – it gets remembered and talked about.
TV advertising starts conversations
Great TV ads spread. They move from screen to sofa to social, fuelling living room debates, group chats, office discussions. They trend online, spawn memes, and generate organic buzz. They earn media coverage and free exposure far beyond their paid reach.
This multiplier effect is why brands invest in TV-led campaigns: to create cultural moments from their messages.
Cultural visibility = commercial power
Brands that show up on TV don’t just reach people, they become part of the cultural fabric. They’re seen by millions. Remembered more vividly. Discussed more often.
That visibility creates the mental availability – the likelihood of being thought of and bought – that drives long-term business growth.
TV supercharges shared cultural moments
TV doesn’t just create cultural moments; it amplifies others. Brands that advertise around major shows, finales or live events benefit from the emotional intensity and mass attention of those moments. It’s why brands fight to be part of them.
When culture happens on TV, the brands that show up alongside it feel bigger, more relevant, more trusted.
Be where culture happens
TV is where the big conversations start. It brings people together, sparks emotion, and creates cultural heat. It turns brands into household names and fame into commercial value. For more on the cultural clout of TV, there are loads of examples here.