How to choose the time for TV advertising placement?

The same 15 second advertisement costs 50000 yuan for one playback at 8pm and only 5000 yuan for one playback in the early morning. Should I choose the expensive one or the cheap one

This is a problem that every novice will struggle with when it comes to TV advertising placement. The price of TV commercials is determined by 80% of the broadcast time. But 'expensive' may not necessarily suit you, and 'cheap' may not necessarily have poor results. It depends on what you sell and who you sell it to.

This article helps you break down audience portraits, price logic, and applicable scenarios at different time periods, allowing you to choose the right time and avoid wasting money on your first investment.

1、 Four time periods of television advertising division
Chinese television stations usually divide a day into the following time periods:

Prime time (19:00-22:00): highest ratings and most expensive prices. Including CCTV CCTV News, Satellite TV Golden Theater and popular variety shows. The audience is mainly family oriented and suitable for all ages.

Secondary prime time (18:00-19:00&22:00-23:00): Around dinner time or prime time, the ratings are second highest. Including before CCTV News and after the evening news.

Daytime period (09:00-17:00): The audience is mainly middle-aged, elderly, and housewives. Including morning theater, afternoon theater, and lifestyle service programs.

Early morning hours (23:00-07:00 the next day): lowest ratings and lowest prices. Including late night theaters, replay programs, etc.

2、 What is the price difference between different time periods?
Taking the 15 second hard broadcast price of a provincial TV station as an example (the actual transaction price usually has a discount):

Prime time: 50000 to 200000 yuan per session, even higher for popular variety shows

During the prime time: 20000 to 80000 yuan per session

Daytime period: 5000 yuan -20000 yuan/time

Early morning hours: 2000 yuan -8000 yuan/time

The price difference between prime time and early morning hours on the same channel may be more than 10 times. But the core reason for the price difference is the difference in audience size and purchasing power.

3、 Audience portraits at different time periods and suitable categories
Golden Time (19:00-22:00)
The audience is divided into families and covers three generations: elderly, middle-aged, and young. Suitable for mass consumer goods, brand image advertising, and holiday promotions. Typical case: Coca Cola, Apple, and car brands advertise during prime time to pursue maximum exposure.

Secondary prime time (18:00-19:00&22:00-23:00)
18: From 00:00 to 19:00, the main focus is on housewives preparing dinner and office workers returning home from work; From 22:00 to 23:00, mainly young white-collar workers and students. Suitable for food, daily necessities, beauty, and 3C products.

Daytime period (09:00-17:00)
Mainly middle-aged and elderly people, retirees, and housewives, this group of people is highly sensitive to health products, household items, and low-priced promotions. Suitable for health products, home appliances, kitchenware, TV shopping products. Typical case: A certain brand of Foot Health shoes for the elderly, concentrated on daytime advertising, achieved results far beyond the prime time slot.

Early morning hours (23:00-07:00)
The audience is mainly composed of night shift workers, insomniacs, and replay program viewers. Unless the budget is extremely limited or the product is targeted at people who stay up late (such as late night food delivery, sleep aid products), it is not recommended.

4、 Practical Strategy: How to Choose the Time for Advertising with Different Budgets?
Budget of 100000 to 300000: It is recommended to concentrate on advertising during the daytime. This budget can only be broadcasted a few times during prime time, so it doesn't create much buzz; But it can be broadcasted frequently during the daytime, relying on "repetition" to establish memory. Select 1-2 provincial-level TV stations or strong local TV stations' daytime theaters and broadcast them continuously for 2-4 weeks.

Budget of 300000 to 1 million: A combination of "daytime+secondary gold" can be used. Lay a foundation during daytime hours and improve performance during the prime time. Avoid the price war of prime time and reach young people with secondary prime time.

Budget of over 1 million: Full coverage during prime time, prime time, and daytime. Brand height is emphasized in prime time slots, targeting young audiences in secondary prime time slots, and deep penetration is achieved in daytime slots. Simultaneously cooperating with popular variety show titles or implants to maximize the effect.

5、 The 3 easiest pitfalls for beginners to step into
Pit 1: Blindly chasing after golden opportunities dilutes the budget. With a budget of 500000 yuan, you can only broadcast a few times during prime time, and the audience won't remember you yet. It's better to broadcast it dozens of times during the daytime, so that the same audience can see it repeatedly. Remember: for new brands, high frequency is more important than high viewership.

Pit 2: Not watching the program content, only watching the time slot. During prime time, the audience for news programs and variety shows is completely different. A brand that sells elderly health products and invests in a young idol variety show, the effect can be imagined. When choosing a time slot, you should also choose a program.

Pit 3: The advertising cycle is too short, and it stops as soon as it starts to gain momentum. Research in advertising psychology shows that a consumer needs to have at least three or more exposures to form a memory. Only investing for one week, even if it's all in prime time, the effect is limited. It is recommended to last for at least 4 weeks.

6、 Special circumstances: Seasonal advertising and event advertising
Major holidays such as Spring Festival and National Day: During prime time, prices skyrocket, but household viewership peaks, making it suitable for food, beverage, home appliance, and tourism brands. It is recommended to lock in the schedule 1-2 months in advance.

Double 11, 618 and other e-commerce promotions: focus on investing in prime time and daytime periods, accompanied by QR code scanning or search guidance. The prime time slot is too expensive. It's better to extend the budget to 2 weeks before the event and expose frequently every day.

New product launch: During the first two weeks, high-frequency preheating was carried out in daytime and sub prime time periods, and during the week of launch, the concentrated prime time period exploded. Don't bet all your budget on one day.

7、Conclusion
The core logic of choosing the time for TV advertising placement is: you can place your ads whenever your target audience watches TV. Don't be misled by the three words' golden period '- if your customers are housewives, daytime periods offer better value for money; If your client is a young white-collar worker, the prime time slot may be more cost-effective than the prime time slot.

List of actions for beginners:

First, clarify who your target audience is and when they will watch TV

Determine the advertising period based on the budget (priority given to daytime slots with limited budget)

Don't just invest for one week, at least last for four weeks

When selecting a time slot, it is also important to choose a program, as audience matching is more important than ratings

If you are unsure about the timing of TV advertising placement or want to obtain real quotes for each time slot, finding a professional agency platform is the most efficient choice.

Tianci Media is a professional television advertising platform that is familiar with the real prices and audience data of various channels and time periods, and can help you buy the most suitable time period with the most reasonable budget. Consult now for your exclusive TV advertising placement plan!