"You want to advertise and you want to advertise big" says Asif Hashmi. What better way than to take up residence in your potential customer's living room.

For businesses, despite the arrival of more happening media glossy magazines, colour newspapers, videos, computer games, Internet websites, Karaoke nights, line dancing tournaments television, that chewing gum for the eyes that fast food for the mind, that ultimate medium - neither rare nor well-done, still clearly represents the big one. It's the advertising medium that separates the vindaloos from the kormas.

Not many independent restaurateurs advertise on television. Perhaps not surprisingly. It's expensive and requires expertise. It's a industry most Indian restaurateurs know little about.

But given what it can achieve, perhaps television deserves a second look. Britons spend 40 per cent of their leisure time gawping at the box. This breaks down on average around 25 hours per viewer each week. Almost everybody, 97 percent of the population, has access to the 'Box'. Except, of course, it's not the 'Box' anymore: 64 per cent of British households own two TV boxes; 28 per cent, three or more.

Arguably, as art, television may suck, but as an advertising tool, as a way of reaching a broad range of people with the aim of persuading them that your service, product, way of life is better than anything offered by your competitors, it's difficult to beat which is why the Mahaan in Worthing, West Sussex went for the television option last month with a series of 20 second Prime time adverts.

Abdul Kadir, General Manager of the 130-seat restaurant, says that the television advertising campaign on Meridian, the ITV station serving Worthing, was the best way to reach potential customers.

The restaurant has a well-planned marketing strategy. It spends £1,000 a month on newspaper advertising. It also has a 70-strong member's club: £25 a year buys members a 10% discount on meals, invitations to special club nights and a copy of its quarterly magazine.

Kadir, who became General Manager a year ago, says that part of his initial brief was to make the restaurant Bangladeshi "with a British twist" - even better known.

"Mr Mannan told me when I came here that it was a successful business. He was earning a good living but he wanted to become well-known to his customers. When you make money you also want to be noticed.

What better way to do this than by broadcasting your name directly into your potential customer's living rooms?

The Mahaan's commercial opens with an exterior shot of the restaurant The camera cuts to Abdul Mannan, the restaurant's owner talking to his staff as customers arrive. A voice-over describes what the restaurant has to offer - its food, style and ambience.

It finishes with a shot of the restaurant menu and its details, telephone number and address. The voice-over in tones: "Mohaan simply means - the greatest."

Part of the ITV network, Meridian broadcasts along the south coast from Brighton to Southampton and is watched by 2.8% of the UK television audience. That's an audience of over one and a half million people. A lot of living-rooms but, of course, this kind of marketing reach doesn't come cheap.

The campaign cost the restaurant a tidy £20,000. An independent production house charged a further £5,000 for the filming of the advert and its post-production editing.

Shown over a two-week period during 18 commercial breaks, including peak time Coronation Street and News at Ten breaks, the campaign's full effect on business won't be seen for some time, admits Kadir. Though up-market (it has a £20 average spend per head) the Mahaan isn't owned by a Bombay multi-millionaire nor is it part of a multi-national chain.

So why risk so much on a medium usually the preserve of only the biggest?

Kadir argues that, even in the short term, the £20,000 plus has been a worthwhile investment.

An independent can take advantage of this and be the first, he explains.

"The campaign set us apart from other Indian restaurants and it was the ultimate way to impress customers. They're coming here now to be part of something that's been on television and that's, well, glamorous.

"We were offered cheaper options but a five second advert for £10,000 wouldn't have achieved the impact we were after. And we didn't want to go out after midnight."

One lucky break was that a six month storyline in Coronation Street reached its climax - Deirdre Rachid, one of the Street's oldest characters, went to prison for mortgage fraud - during the campaign's first week. The Mahaan benefited with a bumper audience.

But Kadir admits that the campaign is a risky strategy "We always try to be innovative," he says. "Our motto is: don't imitate, innovate."

He adds: "It's all money. That's the problem but it's worth it. Believe it or not, Mr Mannan is the first boss I've found who's not afraid to spend money. He says that if he's making it, he doesn't mind spending it. We see the campaign as an investment."