Advertising investment in television in Côte d'Ivoire fell sharply for the second consecutive year (-21% in 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022 and -9.2% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year).
The first quarter of 2023 is thus barely above the level of the first quarter of 2019, when A+ Ivoire had just begun broadcasting and the other Ivorian DTT channels had not yet been launched.
This level of funding for Ivorian television is worrying because it is now at the same level as before the launch of the new Ivorian channels, even though they need significant resources to continue enriching their program offerings.
THREE WAYS TO REBOOT THE MACHINE
- Highlight the qualities of the media as a whole:
The effectiveness of developing a case for the media as a whole has been proven in many countries. A common approach to highlight both the universal strengths of television and those specific to the Ivorian situation would have a significant impact on advertisers.
- Promote an audience measurement system that is recognized and accepted by all
The fact that there is currently no consensus on audience measurement is hindering the development of the medium. The players are aware of this and have begun to reflect on how to resolve this issue. Let us hope that 2023 will see the emergence of an audience measurement system that is recognized by all, and whose results are indisputable and shared by all.
- Leverage or develop shared studies that enable advertisers, advertising agencies, and agencies to steer their strategies.
Television is a fantastic tool, particularly for increasing brand awareness among the general public.
Of the 100 food and beverage brands we studied in our Ivorian brand observatory, only 5% have a brand awareness level above 50%. 60% of brands have a brand awareness level below 20%. All of these brands would benefit from communicating on television.
The solution of sharing the costs of this study would both enrich the sales pitches of advertising agencies and finance similar studies on other product categories.
Audience measurement, sales pitches, studies… all the tools needed to develop television advertising are at our fingertips, but they are not yet being fully utilized by advertisers and their advisors.
There is now an urgent need to make full use of all these tools because if the TV advertising market continues to stagnate or even decline, the editorial efforts made by the channels cannot be sustained, which could impact the entire Ivorian audiovisual sector.