By Bizna Brand Analyst
Since 2012, blogs have grown to be the number one sources of information in Kenya. These platforms, most of which are manned by people who didn’t even study journalism but work harder than a mule have become more reliable information sources than traditional media. They offer up-to-the-minute news and quality entertainment too. The number of people visiting these blogs is extremely high. It’s definitely higher than those watching TV. So why are corporates still pinning all their advertising budgets on TV?   Some have embraced digital media media but the majority are still prefer going the traditional route. Why so?
According to a study done by UK newspaper ‘The Guardian’ a while back,  nearly 90% of television viewers always skip through the adverts on their TV or choose to do a quick task outside the living room when the ad is airing. I must admit that I am part of the guilty. I always find it appropriate to take a bathroom-break or do something else quickly then come back when the ad has finished airing.
While digital platforms have increased the amount of television people watch, the research suggested that 86% of people always skip adverts as they find them monotonous, Even those who sit through them don’t pay attention.
The research by YouGov for Deloitte was carried out for the MediaGuardian Edinburgh international television festival..
The major way in which online advertising beats television advertising’s is measurability. While television generates billions of commercial impacts every day, it is hard to measure precisely how many of these ads are viewed. Whereas in digital advertising, you can know exactly how many people clicked on an your ad.  On TV, you might keep on pouring money on an ad which isn’t bringing you any biashara, while on digital, you can know if your ad is working to bring in revenue or not.
The amount of time people spend on TV has also reduced significantly as compared to maybe 10 to 15 years ago. Back then, there was nowhere else you could watch an American TV show for example. You just had to wait for the ones KBC, KTN, Citizen and the likes would serve you. Today, you can easily get your favorite shows online.
Nowadays, people don’t spend all their time at home on TV. They either tune in to watch news or a specific local program or soap. This means that most TV ads are broadcasted to a very limited number of people at a particular time.
Compare this to online where people are logged in all day. Most Kenyans can’t spend five minutes without checking out something online through their phones.
Will the preferred for of advertising change? Well, let’s just wait and see. Maybe time will cret a new trend
