Every commercial has two costs: making it and showing it. Production covers the script, visuals, voiceover, music, and editing. Airtime, or ad spend, is what you pay a TV station or platform to put it in front of viewers. When people quote a commercial’s price, they often mean only one of the two.
On TV, airtime is often the bigger bill. In top-10 TV markets, a single 30-second local spot can cost $5,000 to $50,000 or more, and Simulmedia lists Atlanta among the 10 most expensive markets (Simulmedia). Social media lets you set your own ad budget, which is why many local businesses start there.