A fun [but difficult] task in the life of a (brand) marketer: making tv commercials. Yippie.
Every kid dreams of it 😉
Here is how it goes: after all the joy and pain of briefing your advertising agency, dealing with the creative mubo-jumbo, reviewing multiple scripts and storyboards, deciding on the right direction based on (often limited) consumer knowledge, and sitting through a PPM (“pre-production-meeting”) with a director and some key people in his team, hoping for the best …
Then comes the finished product: a (so called “off-line”) 30 second tv-commercial:
Is it good?
Will my consumers like it?
Will management approve?
Will it sell my product?
A thousand questions come to mind, and in the midst of those, you need to decide on go or no-go. How?
So, here are a few really simple things to keep in mind (at least, from my perspective) …
First of all, put yourself in the viewer’s shoes, not the advertisers…
«Puts the consumer in action» :
1. Does it do anything for me? (Give me an emotional “pulse”, or something to thing about,…)
«Gets the message across» :
2. Do I get a simple and clear message out of this tv-commercial (in a split-second, because that’s what a tv commercial is; without having to dissect it)
«Has viral potential» :
3. Do I want to tell my friends (I.e. Is the knowledge that I get and will transfer on brand and product going to “make me look good”)?
«Scores high on liking» :
4. Do I want to see it again?
Secondly, put on the hat of the marketer:
1. Is it really, I mean really, good enough?
2. Is it going to move my target group in action?
3. Is it doing the right things for my brand kpi’s?
4…..Does it have a WOW-factor?
If you are an advertising agency:
Am I going to win a prize? If the answer is yes, think again… you might not be aligned with your client 😉
WATCH OUT! It’s easy to screw up your initial idea:
This guy seems to have the answers:
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Very Interesting.
For the past 19 years I have produced TV infomercials.
Long form (1/2 hour) and short form spots of 30, 60 and 120 second as well as 4 minute advertorials. When I go into post and put show/spots together, I always like what I see. The realization then comes to me that what I think does not matter at all. I have to put it on TV and see what the viewer thinks. If it is not well received, I go back and change it. I can’t lose sleep over the what and if’s, all I can do is my best and let the public decide.
Thank you Richard for your response. Agree on the key idea: what you (or me or whoever) think(s) is NOT important. Only the consumer can be the judge of the final product/copy. BUT… putting a tvc on air just like that is too easy a call, taking into account the millions of dollars being spend (or blown away!) on advertising. So, better be safe than sorry… a few checkpoints up front won’t hurt. If it matches the company’s intent AND is well received by the public, then the WIN is ever so big. Agree?
Yes, but what I really want to know is “what it this thing in this guy’s hand?”
I mean, is it a stick? Is it a pen? What does it really do?
Where can I call to try one for free?
It’s a “magic ad wand” … don’t you have one of those? 😉
Hello,
What do you mean for ” viewer’s shoes”
Kind regards
I meant “viewer” as in : “audience”, “consumer” …