TV Marketers Face “Unprecedented Challenge,” But TV Ads Still Give Campaigns “Centre Of Gravity”

Broadcast marketers face an “unprecedented challenge,” according to Network 10’s head of marketing – broadcast and digital, Andreana Walton: “capturing attention in the most fragmented media landscape in history.”

“With viewers scattered across broadcast TV, streaming platforms, social media, and gaming, the competition for leisure time has never been fiercer,” Andreana told LBB. 

“Adding shrinking attention spans and increasingly time-poor audiences to the mix, the task becomes more than reach. It demands relevance and creativity.”

Free TV – which comprises Australia’s commercial networks Nine, Seven, and Paramount/10 – reaches over 20 million Australians, and public broadcasters ABC and SBS play an important role in shaping Australia’s cultural, social, and political landscape. 

SBS acting director of marketing Uma Oldham agreed, telling LBB the key is earning attention authentically, through campaigns such as SBS’ recent and risque ‘We Go There’ created with Droga5. “Audiences are overwhelmed with content choices, and the competition for attention has never been fiercer. As a public broadcaster, we don’t have the luxury of massive budgets, so we rely on creative bravery and distinctiveness.

“Great content isn’t enough; you need people to remember who made it and why it matters.”

Primo Foods’ general manager of marketing and innovation, Susanna Polycarpou, said while viewing habits are fragmenting, viewers are not disappearing. 

“Audiences are shifting beyond traditional TV, however the channel remains powerful for reaching key demographics, particularly some of our core consumers who are still heavy TV viewers, while others engage only during high-impact moments like news or live sport.”

Whilst TV continues to deliver broad reach, she added, “It can no longer operate in isolation. To achieve total audience coverage, we plan TV as part of a broader, integrated video and media ecosystem, connecting screens, formats, and contexts to follow our consumers wherever they choose to watch.”

Despite fragmentation, Uma said the hero TVC remains vital in the marketing mix “because storytelling is still the most powerful tool we have.”

“A strong hero film can create emotion, tension and curiosity in a way no other format can. It gives your brand a soul – something audiences can feel, not just recognise.”

Ryan O’Connell, an agency co-founder, agreed. The chief strategy officer at indie jnr. said despite years of hearing TV is dying, “it remains the most effective channel to reach a lot of people quickly.”

“If targeting a large, broad audience – at relative pace – is an objective for your campaign, then TV almost certainly needs to play a central role in your media mix.”

Jenny Mak, executive creative director and partner at jnr., added, “TV still gives a campaign its centre of gravity. It’s the most effective way to reach a lot of people quickly, but more importantly, it’s the anchor for storytelling – the one place you can pull every emotional lever at once: picture, sound, music, dialogue, performance. 

“It’s not really about airtime anymore, it’s about attention. Whether it’s broadcast, BVOD or streaming, TV is still where a brand can make its biggest, boldest impression. And that moment still matters.”

Jenny argued “compelling ideas, executed brilliantly” are still what is required to make an excellent TV ad. But the idea has to live and stretch on other channels.

“You still need an idea that stops people in their tracks, holds their attention, and makes them feel something. But now, you also have to think about how that story lives beyond 30 or 60 seconds – how it fractures across screens, how it travels on social, and how it keeps a conversation going.

“Effective TV is about doing all of that while still being unmistakably you. It’s got to be well branded, instantly recognisable, and carry a message that actually matters to the audience. All the technology and new platforms in the world don’t change the fact that what people respond to most is great storytelling.”

Linear, BVOD, SVOD, and YouTube are all now part of  the ‘TV’ equation.

“A more fragmented market makes planning more complex, but our focus is unchanged:  build reach efficiently and with impact,” Primo marketer Susanna said. 

“That means looking beyond reach and frequency to attention, view-through rate, position in break, device and context, so we deliver TV-level effectiveness across every screen.”

The impact of TV stretches beyond traditional metrics like reach and frequency, Ryan at jnr. argued. “I recently came across the phrase, ‘Just because you can measure it, doesn’t mean it matters. And just because it matters, doesn’t mean you can measure it.’ I love that so much, because it’s so true.

“When it comes to TV, what matters to us is ‘attention’, in some guise, and ‘branding’. It sounds simple, and that’s because it is, but if people can’t recall seeing your ad or can’t recall what brand it is, you’ve failed.”

Some of the biggest moments for broadcasters and advertisers come during big tentpole moments – reality finales, sporting finals, or other nationally significant moments that draw more eyeballs than day-to-day programming. The magic of those cultural moments continue “beyond the screen,” said 10’s Andreana. 

“Australians don’t just watch these moments, they live them together on social media. The anticipation of who’s entering the Jungle [in ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’], the blindside no one saw coming [in ‘Survivor’], the dish everyone’s trying to recreate at home – these are the conversations that ripple across the country.”

That buzz doesn’t go to waste. “When we’ve got viewers’ attention, we introduce them to content across our ecosystem and keep them coming back for more.”

At SBS, tentpoles are where brands meet meaning. “Moments like ‘Alone Australia’, the FIFA World Cup, or landmark documentaries are when we remind Australians why SBS exists,” Uma said, “to bring the world together through shared stories and diverse perspectives. Those events act as brand accelerators; they pull in new audiences and create a halo for everything else we do.”

Between those spikes, she added, it’s all about consistency. “Whether it’s through SBS On Demand, our newsletters reaching millions, or reactive social content, we make sure the brand feels alive and relevant every single day. In other words, tentpoles create the impact, and daily engagement sustains it.”

The craft hasn’t changed that much. What has changed is “where those stories need to live,” creative leader Jenny said. “You just have to be smarter about scale and adaptability. But the core job – making people feel something – is exactly the same.”

Susanna agreed,  “The heart of TV storytelling hasn’t changed. Great craft, emotion, and clear messaging still matter most.”

The TV networks know that too. SBS’ investment in the eye-catching, headline-generating ‘We Go There’ creates broad awareness, which then “allows us to then deepen the relationship through more targeted, culturally nuanced campaigns across key cultural celebrations like Diwali, First Nations content and our community partnerships. 

“It’s not a trade-off; it’s a layered approach. The big brand work creates emotional recognition, while our targeted campaigns make that connection personal and relevant.”

Paramount and 10 are determined to “reach all Australians, wherever they are”, which means investing in channels beyond TV too, including outdoor, retail, transit, and audio for brand-building, and digital, social, and experiential for connecting with specific audiences at specific moments.

“It’s about striking the right balance, building scale while also reaching our core audience, to drive both awareness and excitement that converts into viewership.”