Marketing has changed beyond recognition. Traditional media – TV and radio – dominated the advertising market for decades. Today, they are increasingly giving way to digital marketing. What works more effectively? What should you invest in if you want to reach customers in 2025?
Reach vs Precision
TV and radio advertising still have a large reach. A single prime-time broadcast can reach millions. The problem? There’s no control over exactly who sees or hears the ad. You don’t know if you’re reaching your actual customer.
Digital marketing offers something traditional media can’t: precise targeting. You can display ads to people of a specific age, location, or with certain interests. You can test different versions and optimize your campaign in real time.
What are the trends?
Declining significance of TV and radio
- In Poland, TV ad spending dropped by 4.5% in 2023 (source: Publicis Groupe).
- Radio’s share in the advertising market is now just 6–7% – and slowly declining.
Growth of digital marketing
- In 2023, digital advertising in Poland exceeded PLN 6 billion – over 50% of all ad spending (source: IAB Polska).
- Globally, digital marketing is growing at an average rate of 10% per year, while TV advertising remains stagnant or is declining (source: Statista, eMarketer).
Targeting and Effectiveness
- On TV, the cost of reaching 1,000 viewers (CPM) averages between PLN 30–60, while in digital it’s often under PLN 10.
- The average CTR (click-through rate) for Facebook ads is around 0.9%, but with good targeting it can exceed 2%, with a cost per click under PLN 1.
Changing Audience Behavior
- YouTube is now the biggest “TV” in Poland – with over 27 million monthly users.
(Source: Hootsuite, Digital 2024)
Costs and Flexibility
TV advertising is expensive. Spot production, airtime, broadcasting – these are major costs, reaching over PLN 100,000 for a 30-second spot, with the majority being airtime, not production. These expenses are often out of reach for small businesses. Radio is cheaper but still less flexible than digital channels.
Digital marketing is scalable. You can start with a small budget, test campaigns, and scale up as you grow. Additionally, you often pay only for results (e.g., clicks or conversions), not just for the exposure.
Facebook & Instagram (Meta Ads)
- Minimum daily budget: from PLN 20
- Average cost per click (CPC): usually under PLN 1, depending on industry and targeting
Google Ads
Minimum daily budget: from PLN 50
Cost per click (CPC): depends on keyword competitiveness; can range from a few groszy to several PLN
Measuring Effectiveness
TV, radio, and digital ads all have different effectiveness levels, depending on various factors like campaign goals, target audience, and budget. In general, TV ads can be effective for building brand awareness and broad reach, while radio is good for engagement and reaching specific listener groups. Digital ads – including online ads – are flexible and allow precise targeting and measurable results.
With digital marketing, everything can be measured: impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per action. You get hard data and can analyze it in real time.
What’s More Cost-Effective?
It depends on your goal. If you want massive reach and have a large budget – TV can still work. But if you’re looking for specific results, quick responses, and precise targeting – digital marketing is the better choice.
