The Future of TV Advertising Targeting Young Slovak Consumers

Abstract

The consumer preferences and behavior should be considered with the purpose to implement marketing strategies in today's world successfully. It is crucial to understand how consumers find information and how the consumer decision-making process develops in time. Therefore, for advertisers, considering the behavior of their target audience is of paramount importance. Integrated marketing communication programs reflect the way online search and traditional and new media, such as smartphones, TV, and social media, influence consumer decision-making. Young consumers, often referred to as generations Y and Z, are very different from previous generations in terms of multimedia content consumption and their perception of television advertising. This paper aims at providing insights into this behavior, including actions that follow-up as a response to television advertising. Results of a quantitative study performed on a sample of 135 university students from Slovakia using a six-component behavior explanation model. The results reveal that it still can be beneficial to include television advertisements in the communication mix aimed at these young consumers. The investments in TV advertising campaigns could pay off. The advertisers and their agencies should respect the role of high search visibility in this process. In this case, the messages contained in TV advertisements have the potential to influence the purchasing behavior of young consumers. Thanks to achieving top ranking for the relevant brand, product, and campaign-related keywords, communication campaigns can become truly integrated. Thus, the component of search visibility directly influences the efficiency of marketing communication, contributing to enhanced business performance. Suggestions towards the optimization of the delivery of communication campaigns featuring TV advertising should target these consumers are presented based on the generated knowledge about their attitude towards and consumption of TV ads and subsequent behaviors. Keywords: consumer behavior, information research, integrated marketing communication, search visibility, television advertising, Slovakia.