Statistical approach to the difference between public and private televisions in prime time TV commercials.

Simicevic, Vanja ; Racic, Ifigenija

1. INTRODUCTION

The modern company's marketing environment includes various types of public, where the greatest importance is attached to media public. Most often used promotional tool, for the purpose of achieving the greatest possible communication effect, is the mass media advertising as an important marketing channel through which companies can have a direct influence on their own image and sales (Kotler et al., 2006). As media usage increases month over month, marketers have found a way to use the popular television programs for promotion. The TV commercial has become the dominant one-way communication form that surrounds us, in almost every moment of our lives. The aim of this study was to research the contents and characteristics of TV commercials on the Croatian television channels, considering the differences between two television models (public and private) and apply statistical analysis of TV commercials. The original empirics survey research was conducted on the random sample of Croatian TV channels, in order to realize the aims of this study. The results of the research, as well as suggestions how to involve it in the future media researches, are the scientific contribution of this paper.

2. RECENT RESEARCH

The quantitative analysis of TV commercials has been limited. Some reasons for their limited usage were a lack of archives and because of this a difficulty in searching and browsing them. The research papers that analyse methodological tools are mainly focused on typology of commercial message types and content analysis. Crask (1998) developed a typology of commercial message types involved coding. Coding necessitates a detailed description of the variables and the development of categories that are exhaustive and mutually exclusive (Neuendorf, K. A., 2002). Content analysis (Pegoraro, A. & O'Reilly, N. 2008.) relies on coding of data classified in a conceptual framework, driven by the objectives of the research questions. Intermedia Advertising Group (2001.) has launched the first ever ad effectiveness system, which measures the performance of all prime time advertising on the major broadcast networks on a daily basis.

3. THE TELEVISION MARKET SITUATION

The media industry worldwide is experiencing a significant change in major business direction, from the acknowledged servant to public interest, towards the ever-increasing commercialisation of the sector, where media organizations become first and foremost a profit generator for its owner. The transitional context makes this process more complex because of the undeveloped media regulation, up to the recent political heritage and influences, changes in cultural values, weak economic situation and lower buying power than in developed countries, poor accompanying infrastructure of media researches (Tomasevic Lisanin, et al., 2004). Television advertising is a highly significant service industry in the world, and thus also in Croatia. Republic of Croatia, as a country, is highly oriented towards media advertising. The Croatian TV advertising market is to large extent connected to the situation in its broader business and social environment. Market fragmentation has resulted in media fragmentation, in explosion of more focused media that better match today's targeting strategies. The media landscape is constantly evolving. The fragmentation of Croatian media market resulted in the significant increase the number of TV stations. A consequence of the growing dynamics of the media market is the increased influence of advertisers. For this moment, three dominant television media houses exist in Croatia: (1) Croatian (public) television: The First channel (HTV1) and the Second channel (HTV2); (2) Private televisions: NovaTV (the member of Central European Media Enterprises Ltd.) and RTL (formed by Bertelsmann AG group, a media company that originated in Germany). The main difference between these two television models is their financial source and the profit gain.

4. THE METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH

The aim of this study was to research the advertising frequency and content of TV commercials, as one of modern forms of economic propaganda on the TV channels in Croatia. In order to realize the aims of this study, the original empirical research was conducted at the random sample of Croatian televisions: private and public, by survey research method including aforementioned three dominant television media houses, in prime time. The data were collected by recording method, on a sample size of 1233 TV commercials, which is completely acceptable for this type of research (Kish, 1995). 84-hours of recorded television programming was realized, in prime time, from 19h to 22h, the interval when the most TV audience usually sit in front of TV screens. Advertising variables are defined: (1) Topic of the TV commercial, (2) Target advertising (commercial) group or audience with respect to gender and age reference, (3) Main protagonist or character of the TV commercial, (4) Message appeal (5) Presentation procedure of the TV commercial, i.e. humorous/non-humorous messages. After the classification of commercial main messages, TV commercials characteristics (categories and counties) are testing in this research. The hypothesis of equal distribution of TV commercials is tested, on the public and private television in prime time, in order to research the influence of financial source to TV commercials broadcasting. The descriptive statistics methods and techniques, correlation analysis and hi-square test, were used. All the methods are processed using Statistica software.

5. RESEARCH RESULTS

Three televisions exist on Croatian national level media market: one public television HRT, and two new private, NovaTV and RTL. The survey results based on descriptive statistics methods indicate the most frequently used statistics: the average duration of TV commercials in prime time, is 19 seconds. The longest duration of the message is 120 seconds (HTV1), and the shortest is 3.39 seconds (NovaTV). Most advertising is intended to adults, men and women, equally. Great deal of advertising does not use humour, as a process of exposure, meaning, most of them are non-humorous messages. The analysis of the main area of interest, variable topic of the TV commercial, shows that NovaTV advertises mostly hygienic and cosmetic products (45 %) and the RTL products related to the consumption of food and beverages (35%). On public television, advertising of products is related to food and drink is 25 per cent (HTV1), or 27 per cent (HTV2). Distribution of advertisements on the topic, according to public television and TV commercial, shows a high positive correlation. The communicator has to figure out an appeal (rational, emotional or moral) theme that will produce the desired response. The commercials focused on health (36%), dominated on NovaTV, and the RTL-to those that appeal on youth and beauty (22%). The commercials that appeal to social success and prestige dominate on public television (27%). According to the research results, there is a strong (Reinard, J.C. 2006.) positive correlation between commercial's distribution by topic on the public and private television channels (r = 0,680472). A Chi-square test of the equal probability hypothesis was conducted in the purpose of which showed that there was statistically significant relation between the television models and TV commercials distribution. Results of the analysis showed that null hypotheses is rejected, what indicates the statistically significant (with an alpha risk of 0.05) relation between the television models (public and private) and TV commercials distribution in prime time, meaning that private televisions, NovaTV and RTL, broadcast, significantly more TV commercials in prime time than the public channels. The researched results, as well as, confirmation of alternative hypothesis are expected, for the reason that TV commercials are the main source of the profit gain. TV commercial statistics and data on insertion frequency, time length in seconds provide with a comprehensive grasp of the competitors and the advertising environment.

6. THE INFLUENCE OF TV COMMERCIALS

In the new Millennium, the consumer material fascination for materials goals is progressing. Commercials, as well as other media messages, are only instrument, and can be used in a good or a harmful way. Any restrictions and warning consumers will not cancel advertising appeal. Three essential elements are required for successful advertising: (1) information (uniqueness and innovativeness of the products that are sold), (2) reasoning (encouragement to think about advertisers message in the direction of interest and estimation of products) and (3) emphasis (highlighting the most attractive topics of the messages (Sheehan, K. B., 2004). People can vary according to the orientation values. The companies make great efforts in researching characteristics of the pioneers of consumption products (the first 2.5 per cent of the buyers to adopt a new idea; those beyond two standard deviations from mean adoption time) and the early adopters (the next 13.5 per cent between one and two standard deviations), and direct even aggressive communication by them, while other individuals accept new products much later. After a slow start, an increasing number of people adopt the new product (Rogers, M. E., 2004). In spite of aggressive advertising process, people fortunately, have strong defence mechanisms against advertising and other marketing tools.

7. CONCLUSIONS

Modern, large companies make contemporary efforts in researching TV commercial's characteristics, especially because the TV commercials are generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format. For that purpose, the theoretical and methodological basis of TV advertising situation is researched in this article, which put special emphasis on significant differences of the TV commercials content distribution in prime time. Results of the analysis confirmed: (a) a strong positive correlation between TV commercials' distribution by topic on the public and private television channels; (b) the private channels, as a profit generator for its owners, broadcast significantly more TV commercials in prime time than the public channels. Research in the applied statistical methods in Croatian media has been rare, i.e., only few have been published (Jurisic et al., 2007). In this context, this study provides a preliminary platform for future media research.

8. REFERENCES

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