There is this perpetual debate, whether brands can be built online?

Before we take this any further let me present an analogy and assumption, to restrict this to only marketing and media:

•  Analogy: Brand will be build (as has been happening) by showing a creative (generally an AV) to large no. of people (reach) enough number of time (frequency)

• Assumption: Marketing team and the creative agency have done a superlative job and developed a creative, that will do the job, so as to take out creative as a factor for this discussion.

Let’s compare TV and Online purely on media factors:



Looking at the factor wise comparison, I believe the biggest area where online does not deliver is Impact (high reach and frequency in a short period of time) and Quality of delivery itself, let me explain:

• When you watch cricket, after every over which is 5-7 minutes, you watch an Advertisement (which can be from the same advertiser), and this is combined with the huge reach build. This is true for all such content whether it’s a Block Buster Film or Popular soap. This is the very reason these properties command a substantial premium. (Remarketing changing the frequency bit though, this for a later post)

• Content delivery, which also is part of impact is the viewing experience, where the advertisement occupies the whole screen (unlike online) this combined with ever improving sound and picture quality in the TV sets.

• Association: the ads are played between content, where crores have been spent by the channels to create that content and which shows.

So looking at the above factors, online will never be able to compete with TV, with a delivery of a TVC online at best it can add some reach but not with same quality as on TV. So competing with TV, just by presenting online plans with Reach and GRP, or devising something like Active GRP (by Google) in my opinion is futile.

But where online hits a home run is Interactivity my definition of interactivity is use of an input device like a keyboard, mouse or in the near future hand gesture or eye movement to get involved with the advertisement and involvement gets in much deeper understanding and loyalty than an AV could ever get or at least till the time all screens converge to deliver the same experience.

Let’s just make peace with the fact that TV is a better medium to deliver an AV and always will do a better job in building brands as we know it. And therefore the proposition, that instead of repurposing TV for online, marketers and agency have to have distinct strategies for both these medium and use both mediums on their merits. Two examples:

•  A 3D phone launch uses TV to get in the Impact but also uses a banner which on mouse over changes the area with 3D effect.

•  An ecommerce brand which promises best prices and delivery on a text ad on Google, and users actually experience the same most of the time.

I also believe when it comes to Brand Salience (different of building as discussed above), online does a much better job as here the communication requirement is not a story but  mere presence does the job. This specially should work for brands where purchase and consummation cycles are high like for example a Cold Drink brand, I would believe here just a static banner will do the job and when the user enters a retail store the brand that he has seen enough no. of times on the static banner will high up in her consideration set.

Here I believe view ability standard being proposed being “at least 50% viewable for a minimum of 1 sec” and products like Google Active View are steps in the right direction and increasingly display will be sold like this.

In conclusion TV is superior when it comes to Build Brands by watching and Online far superior when the plan is to build brands by doing. But when it comes to Salience Online for me is a better medium even when watching is concerned.

Your thoughts?

About the Author:- Rajat Girdhar, has over ten years of experience in digital marketing previously as business director, digital, Madison Media and before joining Madison, Girdhar was associated with MakeMyTrip.com as senior manager for online marketing. In his current role he is working with a few Start Ups and SMEs, leading digital marketing and online product for them.