Subscribers watch an average 23.4 hours of cable a week, up from 18.2 hours five years ago. If you want a TV ad that's tried and true, consider buying a used one. Some great local ads are seen by only a small audience in one of more than 200 U.S. TV markets and can easily work for a small business in another city. The recycling act may be as simple as slapping on a new logo at the end, particularly if the script is fairly generic or pertains to your own industry. Usually, you need a new voice-over.
Some commercials are easily transferable from one business to another.
For buyers, used ads offer affordability, quality, and a track record. But with other ads, he edits out furniture items he doesn't carry. Still, he says, these ads have ''a higher quality and nicer look than what you could do on your own.'' To find syndicated ads for your business, check out local ad agencies, video production houses, or syndication brokers such as AdvantEdge Advertising in New York and AdExchange in San Francisco. There just might be a commercial that fits like a well-made suit. A used one, that is.