NEW YORK—A new study from the VAB finds that many consumers (52%) believe that we are still in the middle of the pandemic and that national TV continues to attract new brands, with national TV attracting 162 first-time advertisers across 52 categories who invested over $465 million.
Those findings are part of a larger look at how the pandemic continues to impact the advertising landscape.
The VAB reported that 52 more brands launched their first TV campaign during the first half of 2021, with 110 brands new to national TV advertising in the first half of 2020 versus 162 in the first half of 2021, a 47% increase.
It also found that $6.1 million more in ‘new advertiser’ spend entered the national TV marketplace compared to the prior year, with the new advertisers spending $469.3 million in the first half of 2020 versus $465 million in 2021.
The report also cited recent data from Tatari that found new advertisers were spending considerably more on TV than on streaming.
“Brands turn to tv to meet evolving consumer behaviors,” the report concluded. “During year two of the ongoing pandemic, opportunistic advertisers lined up to invest in national TV for the first time, looking to capitalize on changing consumer behaviors. Since many of these newfound consumer needs involved online behaviors, brands were turning to TV to drive digital actions.”
The full report from the VAB, which represents most major programmers, is available here.
