“As seen on TV is a real thing. As seen on Instagram is not a real thing. Five bucks gets me on Instagram. Five bucks does not get me on TV. The barrier to entry was higher — people thought this is legit.”

"As Seen on TV" Trust Signal Can't Be Faked for $5 — Barrier to Entry Creates Credibility

Ryan Beck identified a key difference between broadcast and digital advertising: the high cost and gatekeeping of TV creates an implicit trust signal that cheap digital cannot replicate. For a faith app targeting audiences where trust is everything, that broadcast credibility was worth a premium. Post-IDFA, this logic has become even more relevant — as digital attribution degrades, brand-building channels with inherent trust value become more defensible investments.