I recently read an article that said that even the most memorable TV ads didn’t cause any type of significant, sustained uptick in business for the company advertising! Those super-expensive ads during “the big game”? Nope – not any more effective than the (relatively) inexpensive ad on a locally produced and run TV show.

Yes, if, you’re of a certain age, you remember the “Where’s the beef?” by Wendy’s. Maybe the more important question would have been, “Where’s the business?”

TV ads can be great to reinforce branding. We all know those beautiful Clydesdale horses are part of a Budweiser commercial and that a Hallmark ad will leave every pregnant woman within a one-mile radius crying. We’ve learned to recognize and expect certain themes and messaging from particular brand names.

If you’re looking to reinforce your brand and you have the money available, then why not?

However, if you’re looking for effective marketing that will jump start sales and you’re dead set on doing a TV ad, then consider how to make it more effective:

1) Use it as part of an overall campaign which uses other marketing media as well.

2) Remember to develop a call-to-action of some sort. GoDaddy does this pretty well when they direct you to their website to see the end of the ad. (Of course now, we're all reading about how insecure their servers are; so we're wondering if that money would have been better spent on more effective cybersecurity measures!)

3) Put a tracking system in place to see if people are responding because of the ad or for some other reason. As with all marketing media, eliminate or tweak what doesn’t cause a response.

By the way, shatever marketing tactics you use, the three points above are always a good way to make them more effective.