Sriram “Ram” Natarajan is now GIA’s senior vice president of laboratory operations and is based out of the lab’s headquarters in Carlsbad.
Study: TV ads still effective amid digital media
Consulting company MarketShare has found that advertising on television “is still the ‘best giant megaphone’ to convey a message to a large audience of consumers.”

New York--Advertising on television consistently is more effective at impacting sales and new accounts than paid search, print or online ads, according to a recent study by consulting company MarketShare.
The company said its finding show that television “provides a direct and meaningful sales lift,” because it increases awareness and consideration and increases the effectiveness of other marketing vehicles further down the purchase funnel, meaning TV should be a relevant part of a marketing campaign that includes both online and traditional advertising mediums.
The study, “Evaluating TV Effectiveness in a Changed Media Landscape,” identified four major findings that show television advertising is the most effective and efficient way to reach consumers. They are as follows.
1. TV has the highest relative efficiency in achieving key performance indictors (KPIs) at similar spending levels when compared to other media outlets, including print, radio and online ads, both display and social.
This is true across a range of industries, including automotive, financial services, consumer packaged goods and retail, and comes despite the explosion of digital media in the past five years, MarketShare said.
“TV is a major driver of indirect outcomes such as inbound calls, organic search query volumes and website visits, which, in turn, lead to direct outcomes, such as purchases or other significant conversions,” the study states.
2. In spite of changes in consumer habits over the past few years, TV’s effectiveness at driving advertiser KPIs has not diminished.
The study found that, for all media analyzed, there was an 11.5 percent decline when comparing 2009-2011 media effectiveness to 2012-2014, “likely due to the splintering of media channels brought about by the new digital landscape.”
However, TV was the only medium that retained its relative effectiveness when compared to other channels over that time period. TV’s effectiveness dropped only 2 percent while online media’s effectiveness was down about 10 percent and offline media’s effectiveness (sans TV) declined nearly 23 percent (graph shown in gallery.)
“The value of many digital channels has been eroded by such factors as ad-blocking, click fraud and visibility issues,” MarketShare states.
Still, TV spend allocations are not a one-size-fits-all.
“Specific spending recommendations will vary by advertiser, depending, in part, on where a marketer’s media spend lies on the outcomes response curves for each advertising medium, and the interaction effects between media channels.”
3. Marketers can use advanced analytic techniques to optimize TV spend more effectively.
“Because TV advertising drives measurable actions such as inbound calls and online searches, TV advertisers can leverage these interactions as key data points to evaluate TV effectiveness,” the study states. “While online and mobile popularity have grown tremendously, TV is still the ‘best giant megaphone’ to convey a message to a large audience of consumers.”
4. Premium online video from broadcast and cable TV networks is disrupting the digital media mix.
Despite lower impression volumes, premium video content is clearly more effective than user-generated and short-form content, the study states.
“Leading media sellers … seem increasingly aware of the value of high-quality content (and of the fact that brands will always follow the audience.) For instance, in 2014, YouTube launched Google Preferred, which allows advertisers to buy ad space next to only high-quality, professionally produced content, such as The New York Times or Vice Media.”
For the study, New York-based MarketShare evaluated data from thousands of marketing optimization models across a range of industries including financial services, telecommunications, hospitality, consumer packaged goods and retail. It also examined decades of research and applied marketing science, as well as MarketShare Benchmark, the company’s planning and allocation software application.
The Latest

The one-of-a-kind collar represents the beauty of imperfection and the strength to rebuild.

Three C-suite executives, including former CEO Tom Nolan, have resigned as part of what the company describes as a “transition.”

Jewelers of America is leading the charge to protect the industry amidst rising economic threats.

The retailer, which recently filed Chapter 11, inked a deal to sell its North American business and intellectual property.


Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down in February and be replaced by the company’s chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke.

The group met with the president's senior trade advisor earlier this week to express the industry’s concerns about the effects of tariffs.

As a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.

The pop-up will display this year's Tiffany & Co. Singles Championship trophies along with a diamond-encrusted tennis racket and ball.

The New Hampshire-based store has expanded to Boston, propelled by the success of Alex Bellman’s TikTok page, “The Truthful Jeweler.”

The latest incident happened Monday at a store in Oakland, California, continuing a pattern JSA first warned about last month.

The new aqua green New York Harbor Limited Edition II is the watchmaker’s second collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project.

Participants who attend any three Rings of Strength events will be awarded a special medal.

The investment company, founded by Dev Shetty, has acquired the struggling miner and its assets, including the Lulo mine in Angola.

Smith shares wisdom he gleaned from a podcast he was listening to one morning while being walked by his dog, a Malshi named Sophie.

The counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels jewels would have been worth more than $30 million if genuine.

The MJSA Mentor & Apprenticeship Program received the Registered Apprenticeship Program designation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Casio executive and watch enthusiast Masaki Obu is the new general manager of its U.S. timepiece division.

Barabash, Verragio’s client relations representative, was a vital member of the team and is remembered as being warm and full of life.

Originally introduced in 1992, the “Dot” collection is back with a capsule featuring five archival designs and three new creations.

Allison-Kaufman has received the honor for the fourth year in a row.

The company had a solid second quarter, with sales of non-charm jewelry outpacing sales of pieces in its core collections.

Taylor Swift dons the vibrant pair in new promotional imagery for her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” set to release in October.

Its investment in micromechanics expert Inhotec will preserve skills essential to the watchmaking industry as a whole, said the company.

Nicolette Bianchi joins the wholesale provider with more than 15 years of cross-industry experience in marketing and product development.

Her new “Ocean” collection was inspired by Myanmar’s traditional articulated fish jewelry, with depictions of flounder, catfish, and more.

Longtime Casio executive Yusuke Suzuki is the new president and CEO of Casio’s U.S. subsidiary.