?What about longer ad spots, such as sixty-second ones?

Conventional wisdom holds that you are better off with standard thirty-second spots. Your money will disappear a lot quicker with sixty-second spots. However, if you are trying to sell a product, not a service, and are airing a direct response number for immediate action, sixty-second spots may work out better for you. In fact, many direct response television advertisers purchase large chunks of viewing time—sometimes a half hour or more—in which to pitch their products.

?Can talking heads be effective?

Yes. Just watching a person on television can work. But this is not necessarily a good use of television. If this is your approach, mix in some video of your product being used or video of consumers shopping at your place of business. Otherwise you may be wasting the medium, and might just as effectively convey your message through radio or print advertising.

?Is the cost of television time as negotiable as that of radio time?

Pricing for advertising time on local, major market, or national television networks can be negotiated. But there is less price flexibility than is found in radio—especially in national network and major market television.

Television generally sells fewer ad slots than radio. And major market television stations carry a lot of network advertising, as well as advertising purchased directly in specific markets for national advertisers. Also, there are fewer major broadcast television stations in major markets than there are radio stations.

However, you will find a lot of room for negotiating ad rates with cable television networks. This is particularly true if the station has a lot of “excess inventory” or unsold spots.