No matter how large or small your company is, you need to advertise. Unfortunately for most small businesses, Dot-com or otherwise, traditional advertising methods require immense capital and human resources. The most obvious medium of advertisement is television. However, television's effectiveness in attracting customers is questionable. Its effectiveness lies in achieving brand recognition.
Television advertising is also the most expensive medium.
More than one previously unknown Dot-com spent all of their available resources on a Super Bowl spot. They may or may not have been successful, but nevertheless, they spent millions of dollars for 30 seconds of airtime. Most businesses are more shrewd when it comes to spending their dollars, and they want more than just thirty seconds of exposure. If you thought that targeting an Internet-based audience would be more effective at driving traffic to a website, you would be right. Banner ads and mass-mailings are much less expensive than television.