The Evolution of TV Commercials

Before television sets, radio advertising was the method of companies contacting the masses. TVs began to be manufactured early in the 20th century, but the great depression and war outbreaks meant TVs didn't really roll out until late 1940s.

Television commercials have come a long way since the first commercial advert was screened in the UK back in the 1950s. Since then advertisers are constantly changing their appeal and using new technology to expand their viewer audience, with concepts such as internet TV and the creation of "virals" across the web.

Many of today's adverts are filmed and created in high resolution and feature sophisticated computer generated images (CGI). Some companies have formed a miniseries within their adverts linking each one together to create a short film while advertising their products or services.

Previously, adverts were much simpler. Being a new concept, advertisers were unsure on how to effectively market products and services over the television. Early ads would be very informative and would include research and scientific information about the products to try and entice viewers to purchase them.

Entertainment value became a factor later on, while still being rather basic they would include "catchy" jingles which were made to leave lasting impressions in the audience and build the brand. These types of TV adverts were quite common with branded confectionery food items, pop, soaps, shampoos, beer and various others.

Through the years advertising campaigns on TV have become regulated by various governing bodies, requiring broadcasters to meet certain standards and restrictions on how much time may be allocated per hour for adverts. In the UK, current guidelines allow 7 minutes of commercial advertising per hour.

The options available to advertisers are endless. New TV channels are created each week, with some targeting specific areas, subjects and audiences. This puts advertisers in better positions now than they were a few decades ago to target specific consumers on a variety of related channels.