Depending on your age you might think commercials have always been a part of the TV experience. Actually, I did, but that is definitely not the case. Think again.
TV programs and the people who work at the stations have to be paid somehow. Sponsored advertising is the answer. In America the first paid advertisement was aired in 1941.
Swiss TV History
Before I start taking about Swiss TV advertisements, I’ll do a quick review of Swiss TV.
In 1958 Swiss TV went from trial to a ‘regular’ status. There was a channel in French, German and Italian. It was a state owned public service, financed though mandatory license fees of households or establishments that owned TVs. Since 1988 the Swiss ‘Public Broadcasting Group’ must finance itself but still collects the fees.
When the idea of commercials came up in Switzerland, print media thought that TV was infringing on their advertising rights. A conflict broke out but in 1957 a compromise was agreed upon. It said that financing from advertising on TV was forbidden for 10 years or until the number of licenses reached 180’000. Whichever came first.
In 1964 TV advertisements were initiated. In the beginning only 12 minutes of advertising per day was allowed with none on Sundays and holidays. Believe it or not, it stayed that way until in 1992. Ben didn’t watch a lot of TV as a child, I guess there weren’t a lot of children’s programs . He does, however remember that TV was commercial-free after 7.30 pm.
Because TV wasn’t 24/7 he also remembers the test pattern.
Future
Digital television recorders and advertisement skipping could present a problem. I know we do it. I had no idea that some networks show up to 8 minutes of commercial blocks at a time. Advertising agencies try to circumvent the skipping problem by making them more entertaining. I’ve even seen shows about the funniest commercials, talk about free advertising.
I’ve also heard that skipping is not a problem. This is because households with digital television watch 17% more television of which 82% is ‘normal’ or live TV.
I think it is more likely that someone will make big bucks figuring out how to block skipping completely.
Length and Number of Commercials
The number of commercials during shows has grown while the length of each commercial has gotten shorter.
1950s and 60s the average length of the ads on TV were 1 minute. Starting in the 70s the standard length was shortened to 30 seconds. In the late 80s the 15 second commercial started to appear.
A half-hour show is really only 21 minutes, the rest advertisements. In the past a 1 ½ hour movie might have taken 2 hours to watch. That same movie could easily take 2 ½ to 3 hours to air on TV today. But, if you are watching a children’s program advertising length is restricted. So, on weekends you only see 10 and a half minutes of advertising per hour. A far cry from the original 12 minutes per day.
Annoying, Annoying
Did you ever notice that ads on TV are louder than the regular program? They are. I suppose it is so you can still hear them when you are in the bathroom or cleaning up the kitchen.
The importance of TV advertisements vary from country to country. In the States, for example, political campaign advertising is indispensable. In France political advertising on TV is restricted and in Norway it is banned. I have never seen a political commercial in Switzerland. Thank goodness for small things. The tone of the political ads I’ve seen in America are just short of nasty. It’s not about ‘I’m good. Vote for me.’ It’s about ‘Vote for me because my opponent is bad.’
And, depending on the time-slot of your aired ads you could be talking very big money. The more popular the show, the higher price. The Super Bowl ads have taken on huge dimensions. I would wager that most Swiss have never seen a Super Bowl game still, the commercials make the news here.
When Ben was in the States he was amazed at the annoyingly high number of commercials on TV. Obviously Switzerland had commercials but not nearly as many. When one of his new American friends asked him how he liked America Ben responded with heavy irony. ‘There are too few commercials between the TV shows.’ Unfortunately not everyone understands irony. The humor was totally lost on this dumbfounded guy who thought that Ben really liked watching TV ads.
Restrictions
The US and New Zealand are the only two countries I know that legally permits prescription drugs advertising on TV. Switzerland bans them.
I watch US ‘Direct to Consumer’ pharmaceutical advertising in amazement. At the end they are required to mention the side effects which can sound and be horrendous. Then on the tail end of those commercials are the ones from the lawyers in case one of those side effects happen, you can sue. I mentioned something about the commercials to my sister the last time I was visiting. She just sort of shrugged and said she doesn’t even notice them.
Tobacco advertising is banned on radio and TV in both the States and Switzerland. They used to allow cigarette commercials before movies at the cinema in Switzerland. I don’t know if they show them anymore. I haven’t been to a movie in a long, long time.
Thinking how TV and commercials have changed I thought: ‘You’ve come a long way, baby.’ For some strange reason I looked up where that saying comes from. It was created in a 1968 advertisement for Virginia Slims cigarettes. Virginia Slims was the last cigarette commercial to be aired on TV in 1970, before they were banned. I don’t remember the commercials but the catch phrase has remained. Hmm, somehow a very appropriate ending for a post about TV advertisements.
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