Television Advertising – TV Campaigns in Poland 2025
- Last update: 12/01/2025
Table of contents:
TV Campaign in Poland
A marketing campaign in this medium has its pros and cons. Television quickly builds reach and connects with millions of consumers. The entry barrier, due to the cost of producing a TV commercial, is high, but the unit cost of reaching an audience is low. TV works through visuals, motion, and sound, which enhances the effectiveness of the message. Television advertising stays in our minds longer, effectively increasing brand awareness and influencing sales.
The downside of television is its limited ability to target narrow audience groups. Therefore, advertising in this medium works best for mass-market products with nationwide distribution.
TV advertising can be purchased based on rate cards, ensuring that ads are aired during specific programs. However, buying so-called GRP (Gross Rating Points) packages, which guarantee a certain audience reach, is usually more cost-effective and preferred.
A standard TV commercial is 30 seconds long. Rate cards are usually based on this duration, while other commercial lengths are calculated using specific conversion indexes.
Television viewership depends on the weather. When the weather is good, TV viewership drops, whereas bad weather increases it. During the winter months, viewership tends to be higher, while it decreases in the summer. TV advertising costs vary depending on the month of the year due to the seasonality of viewership and the demand for airtime. This demand increases during the spring and autumn seasons.
Being present on TV requires significant advance planning. TV stations open sales in monthly cycles, typically at the beginning of the month preceding the period being sold.
Television Advertising and TV Campaigns in Poland can effectively raise brand awareness and drive sales when properly planned and executed.
Television Advertising in Poland quickly builds reach and connects with millions of consumers. While the entry barrier due to the cost of producing a commercial is high, the unit cost of audience reach is low. TV leverages visuals, motion, and sound, enhancing the effectiveness of the message.
Building Brand Awareness Through Television Advertising in Poland
Television advertising is a powerful tool that allows companies to reach a wide audience. With a well-planned campaign, it is possible to effectively enhance brand recognition.
A key element of building awareness is creating ads that present the product in an engaging and emotional way. Viewers often identify with the characters in commercials, making the brand feel closer to their hearts. For example, a commercial might tell the story of a family spending quality time together thanks to a company’s new product.
Marketing strategies based on television advertising rely on various visual and audio techniques. Colours, music, and narration play a vital role in capturing viewers’ attention and embedding the message in their memory.
TV campaigns in Poland are also effective due to precise audience targeting. Brands carefully analyse demographic data of viewers watching specific channels or programmes to tailor their ad content to the target audience. For instance, an advert for cosmetics would typically air on women’s channels or during programmes aimed at female viewers.
Although the cost of producing and airing TV commercials is high, this investment can yield significant benefits for the brand. Increasing product awareness leads to higher sales and fosters customer loyalty towards the company.
A well-executed TV campaign has tremendous potential to influence consumer purchasing decisions. It also helps to build a lasting relationship between the brand and its customers.
How Much Does a TV Campaign Cost in Poland?
The cost of a television advertising campaign consists of:
- Production costs – the expenses related to creating the commercial,
- Broadcasting costs – fees charged by television stations for airing the ads.
Production Costs
The cost of producing a commercial depends on many factors. For example, using a well-known personality, such as an actor or celebrity, can significantly increase the price. The filming location also impacts the cost—sending a crew to another city or country raises expenses.
Production costs for a TV commercial typically start at several tens of thousands of złoty. However, it is difficult to define an upper limit for these costs.
Broadcasting Costs
The largest brands spend tens of millions of złoty annually on TV advertising. Similarly, it is hard to define an upper limit for these expenses.
Although it is possible to buy a single airing of a commercial for a few hundred złoty, it is generally not worth it. Keep in mind that producing the ad itself is expensive. Spending tens of thousands on production only to air the ad once would be irrational.
There are exceptions, such as Super Bowl commercials. Marketers often commission special ads for this event, designed for a single airing, due to the enormous viewership and global publicity associated with the event.
For standard activities in the Polish market, we recommend carefully balancing the budget between production and broadcasting.
How to Determine a Budget for a TV Campaign
It is challenging to establish an objective benchmark for how much to spend on TV advertising. However, a reasonable assumption is that production costs should not exceed 20% of the broadcasting budget.
For example, if production costs are approximately 50,000 złoty, the broadcasting budget should be at least 200,000 złoty. These types of campaigns are commonly run on Polish TV stations and can be considered as minimal campaigns.
Key Factors to Consider When Budgeting for TV Advertising
- Analyse Competitor Spending – Review data on how much competitors allocate to their campaigns.
- Evaluate Marketing Results – Assess the marketing outcomes competitors achieve with their campaigns.
- Examine Media Metrics – Review the media metrics generated by competing brands’ advertisements.
A media agency in Poland can precisely estimate TV ad spend for companies in your competitive environment. Our agency offers services to calculate media metrics for advertising campaigns of brands operating in a specific market.
Based on this data, we can determine how much a TV advertising campaign should cost. This, in turn, helps you execute your marketing strategy effectively.
Advantages of TV Campaigns in Poland
Reach
The greatest advantage of television is its reach. It is a universal and mass medium, capable of reaching a vast number of people. This makes it perfect for advertising campaigns targeting very large audiences, counted in millions.
Television is also a medium that quickly builds reach. In Poland, the average daily TV viewership is still around 4 hours per day. As a result, a TV campaign’s advertising message can reach 90% of the target audience within just a few weeks.
Low Cost Per Contact in Television Advertising
Another significant advantage of TV advertising is the low unit cost per contact. When the seemingly high price of an individual ad spot is divided by the size of the audience, the cost per viewer comes down to just a few groszy. For broad target audiences, this cost typically does not exceed 3 cents per viewer.
TV Engages Through Visuals, Motion, and Sound
Television allows you to showcase your product using visuals, motion, and sound. This sets TV apart from radio, print, and outdoor advertising. Not only do viewers see and subconsciously or consciously remember the ad, but they also hear the promotional story being told. This combination of visual and auditory stimuli ensures the ad remains in viewers’ minds for longer.
Brand Logo Recognition and Name Pronunciation
Through television advertising, potential consumers can learn and remember your product or service’s logo. Additionally, they become familiar with your brand’s name and its pronunciation. This is especially important if the name is complex or foreign-sounding.
Positive Impact on Business Partners
Due to its powerful influence, television also has a significant impact on business partners. Product distributors are more inclined to collaborate with companies that advertise their products on TV, as it enhances the product’s credibility and demand.
The greatest advantage of Television Advertising in Poland is its reach. It is a universal and mass medium, meaning it can connect with a very large audience. Another significant advantage of TV advertising is the low cost per contact. When the seemingly high cost of airing a single ad is divided by the size of the audience, the cost per viewer comes down to just a few cents.
Challenges of TV Campaigns in Poland
A Non-Selective Medium
The primary drawback of Television Advertising in Poland is its low selectivity. While your ad will reach potential customers, it will also be seen by others who may not be interested in the product.
The ability to target a highly specific audience is relatively weaker compared to other media.
If your target group consists of only a few thousand consumers, it might be better to choose a different medium. Options like print campaigns, radio campaigns, outdoor advertising, or video campaigns could be more effective in such cases.
Telemetry studies allow for better planning of TV campaigns to increase the likelihood of reaching the desired audience. However, optimisation opportunities are relatively limited compared to other media. Nevertheless, low contact costs significantly compensate for the limitations in precise targeting.
High Entry Costs
Another disadvantage of TV campaigns is the high entry cost. Producing the advertising material, such as a TV commercial, is relatively the most expensive compared to other media. Production costs can range from tens of thousands to several hundred thousand złoty. If you want to hire a well-known personality, the production costs can rise significantly, sometimes reaching millions of złoty.
High investments in TV campaigns are often tied to the cost of producing the commercial itself. Since the production costs are substantial, advertisers allocate significant budgets to campaigns to justify the expense. A common ratio is to allocate approximately 20% of the budget to production and 80% to airing.
Despite high production and entry costs, one of television’s greatest advantages remains its low cost per contact. When calculated per number of contacts generated, the costs for this channel are relatively low, which helps balance the high investment required for production and airing.
Forms of TV Buying in Poland
Rate Card Buying
Traditionally, TV advertising campaigns were purchased based on rates for individual airings. This means that for a defined time slot during a specific programme, the TV station would charge a set price in exchange for airing the advertisement.
In many countries, including Poland, this method has largely been replaced by audience-based buying. However, rate card buying—based on the price of airing during a specific programme—still exists. That said, airtime is most often purchased in packages. In exchange for a fee, the station guarantees a certain audience reach.
Buying GRP Packages
Audience buying, referred to as GRP (Gross Rating Points) packages, is based on viewership data provided by specialised research firms, such as Nielsen. When buying GRP packages, emission plans are also created. However, in this type of buying, it is the TV station that creates the broadcast plans and ensures that the agreed number of GRP points is delivered.
Forms of Advertising – TV Spots in Poland
Standard TV Spot – 30 Seconds
In Poland, the standard TV spot has a duration of 30 seconds. A standard spot refers to one for which reference airing prices are provided. These prices apply to both programme rate card purchases and GRP package purchases.
15-Second and 10-Second Spots
TV spots of other lengths have their own pricing indices, or multipliers, which must be considered if you wish to air them. For example, a 15-second spot has a price index of 0.7, while a 10-second spot has an index of 0.55.
Seasonality of Television in Poland
TV Viewership Depends on Weather
Television is a medium whose viewership is closely tied to the weather. The correlation is negative: when the weather is good, we tend to watch less TV, but when the weather is bad, we watch more.
Throughout the year, TV viewership is higher during the winter months due to poor weather and shorter days. Conversely, viewership drops significantly in the summer when the weather is typically better, and the days are longer.
This seasonality also affects advertising spending. Advertisers are more active in the spring and autumn, while activity decreases during the summer and winter months.
Different Campaign Costs by Month
The interplay between TV supply and advertiser demand—higher in winter and lower in summer—results in varying TV advertising costs throughout the year. Television advertising is cheapest in the winter and summer, while prices peak during the spring and autumn seasons.
Television Advertising Campaign – Purchase Schedule in Poland
Planning Ahead for a TV Campaign
To launch a TV Campaign in Poland, you need to plan well in advance. TV station offers open on a monthly cycle, with bookings for the following month starting at the beginning of the preceding month.
The advertising material is usually delivered digitally via the Internet. It must reach the station several days before the first airing. Every new commercial undergoes formal, legal, and linguistic checks to ensure compliance.
Due to the purchasing procedure, airtime is typically booked first, followed by the submission of the commercial.
FAQ – Television Advertising and TV Campaigns in Poland
The advantages of a TV advertising campaign include wide reach, low unit cost per contact, and the ability to engage viewers through visuals, motion, and sound.
The cost of a TV advertising campaign consists of production costs for creating the material to be aired and broadcasting fees charged by TV stations. These costs can vary depending on several factors.
In Poland, a standard TV spot is 30 seconds long. However, shorter formats, such as 15- and 10-second spots, are also available.
Yes, TV viewership is seasonal and influenced by weather and different times of the year. For instance, viewership increases during the winter months and decreases in the summer.
There are various methods of purchasing TV advertising, such as rate card buying, based on specific prices for airing during a programme, and GRP package buying, based on viewership data.
Television advertising is most effective for mass-market products with broad distribution. It is not always the best choice for products aimed at narrow, specific target groups.
When setting a budget, it is important to consider factors such as competitor spending on campaigns, the marketing outcomes of those campaigns, and the media metrics generated by competing brands’ advertisements.
TV Glossary in Poland
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Ad recall | A metric showing what percentage of viewers remember seeing an ad after some time has passed. It measures the ad's effectiveness in terms of memorability. |
| Media agency | A specialised company that handles planning, buying, and optimising advertising space across various media. It assists in estimating campaign costs and effectiveness. |
| AMR | (Average Minute Rating) The average viewership per minute during a specific time period. It shows the percentage of a defined group that watched any given minute on a specific channel or TV in general. |
| ATV | (Average Time Viewing) The average daily viewership, usually expressed in minutes. It indicates how much time, on average, viewers spend watching TV or a particular channel daily. |
| Booking List | A list of all reserved advertising slots in a given medium. It allows for monitoring and managing planned ad placements, including details such as dates, times, and time slots. |
| Branding | The process of building brand recognition and image in the consumer's mind through various marketing activities, including TV campaigns. |
| Call to action (CTA) | A prompt in the ad encouraging a specific action, e.g., "call now," "visit our website," or "buy now." It’s a key element of effective advertising aimed at motivating viewers to act. |
| Rate card | The official price list for airing ads in specific time slots. |
| CPP | (Cost-Per-Point) The cost of reaching 1% of the target audience, calculated by dividing the campaign cost by GRP. |
| Daypart | A specific part of the day used for scheduling TV ad airings, e.g., morning, afternoon, evening, prime time, night. |
| Frequency | The average number of times individuals who saw an ad at least once were exposed to the same ad. |
| GRP | (Gross Rating Point) The sum of rating points. For example, if 9% of the target group watched a programme before the ad and 7% after, the GRP is 9+7=16. |
| Targeted campaign | A campaign aimed at a specific audience segment. Targeted TV campaigns are more challenging due to the medium's broad reach. |
| Cross-media campaign | A campaign conducted across various media such as TV, radio, print, and online, achieving synergy and greater message effectiveness. |
| TV campaign | A marketing campaign conducted on television, reaching a wide audience through visuals, motion, and sound. |
| Audience contracting | The purchase of a specific number of GRP points, allowing campaign planning based on expected reach and effectiveness. |
| Broadcasting costs | Fees charged by TV stations for airing ads in specific time slots. |
| Unit costs | The cost of reaching a single viewer. In television, unit costs are relatively low compared to the number of viewers reached. |
| Production costs | Expenses related to preparing ad material for airing, including hiring crews, locations, actors, and post-production. |
| Off-Peak Time | Low viewership times outside of Peak Time. |
| Viewership | The number of people watching a specific TV programme or ad at a given time. Viewership is a key metric for advertisers. |
| Prime Time | The period of highest viewership during the day, typically in the evening. Ads aired during this time are the most expensive but also the most effective. |
| Peak Time | Similar to Prime Time but divides the day into Peak and Off-Peak periods. Peak Time is the highest viewership period. |
| Broadcast planning | The process of selecting the appropriate days and times for airing TV ads, considering expected viewership and costs. |
| Post Buy | An analysis of a campaign's effectiveness after it concludes. For TV, this includes evaluating whether the ads aired as planned and analysing reach and viewership metrics. |
| Product placement | An advertising technique that integrates a product or brand into the content of a TV programme, movie, or series in a natural way. |
| Reach | The number of people exposed to an ad at least once. For example, Reach 3+ indicates the number of people exposed to the ad at least three times. |
| Roadblock | An advertising tactic involving simultaneous airing of an ad across multiple TV stations to maximise reach and ensure most viewers see the ad. |
| Second-screening | The phenomenon of viewers using other devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) while watching TV, which can influence ad campaign effectiveness. |
| TV seasonality | Seasonal variations in viewership, affecting TV ad pricing. Viewership is higher in winter and lower in summer. |
| TV commercial | A short promotional video aired on television to promote a product, service, or brand, typically 30 seconds long. |
| Demographic targeting | Selecting an ad campaign’s audience based on demographic data such as age, gender, or education level. |
| Telemetry | A technique for collecting and analysing data on TV programme and ad viewership, enabling precise campaign planning and performance assessment. |
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