Creating Effective TV Spots

Who are your prospective customers and how would you describe them as individuals?

If you don't know this already, you should.
Your TV spot should be targeted at a specific audience.
Create a profile of your typical customer and sell to that person.
Think of yourself as an educator instead of a sales rep. Who would you rather listen to?

What is THE most important aspect of your product or service that you want people to know?

Market the benefits of your product or services, not features.
Effective TV spots are about one concept or idea, not details.
People make buying decisions mostly on emotional feelings, not logic.
Don't try to cover all the bases or cram too much into one TV spot.

What specific action do you want the viewer to take after watching your TV commercial?

Ask for the sale.
Make contact information very clear.
Have multiple contact channels for further info on your product or service.
Ask questions that can only be answered with a "yes".

How much is it worth to your business for the viewer to take the action you want them to take?

Spend enough on your TV spot so that it is original and of high quality.
Work hardest on the concept and what idea it communicates to the viewer.
A good idea written on a napkin with a crayon is worth more than a poor idea written with $25,000 worth of neon.
A great concept can be trumped by poor execution.

What is the most beneficial characteristic of your product or service?

A service or product's features can be compared, customer benefits can't.
Your business is unique, so point that out.
Don't compare your business to others.
Be positive, take the high road, and compete fairly.

ORIGINAL CONCEPT

There's nothing new under the sun, but your script should be, at least, a new look at an old idea. Hire a screen writer to flush out your idea for a TV spot even if you think you can save some money and write it yourself. An experienced screen writer can conceive concise copy, tell your story with pictures and bring it all together on paper so you can fine-tune the concept BEFORE you shoot it.

EXPERIENCED TALENT

Hire professional voice talent or actors for your TV spot. They have "presence" unavailable with amateur actors. Don't put your kids, wife, husband, yourself, or an employee in your spot unless a they're a trained professional. Amateur talent makes your product or service look cheap and unprofessional. Plus, make sure to get talent releases for anyone in your spot. (see Useful Forms on his blog)

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

A professional cinematographer will show your product or service in its best light. Tests have shown that humans retain about 80% of what they see. That's why the most effective TV spots grab your attention with memorable images. Don't talk your Uncle Bob into shooting mediocre video for free. Invest in an experienced pro for that special attention-to-detail a visual artist can "bring to the party".

POETIC LICENSE

Most of the time it's best to create a TV spot from scratch. While your commercial should be based upon the true benefits of your business, you must leave a lasting impression of the value of your product or service with the viewer. Successful advertisers never show the less photogenic aspects of their business. Instead, they focus on the most positive visual representations through memorable images. You never see a bottling plant in a Coke spot, do you?

DON'T FORGET AUDIO
Utilizing a professional sound recordist and licensed music can mean the difference between a customer-winning TV spot and a constantly annoying drone. Original music scored to the visual content of your spot is the best, but may be expensive. Music should compliment the visual elements of your spot and usually is not noticed unless it's bad.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Design graphic information for your TV spot that is easily readable and concise. Too much text information will be overwhelming to a viewer so think "less is more". Use product colors for text and as few logos as possible. Remember, your viewers' screen sizes vary considerably so design your graphics for the average. And, don't choose fancy fonts - if your text is not readable, it doesn't exist!

AN INVESTMENT IN TV ADVERTISING

THE WHOLE IDEA IS TO STAND OUT FROM THE CLUTTER. TV SPOTS CAN YELL, CAJOLE, BERATE, ENTICE, ENTERTAIN, MAKE YOU LAUGH, AND SOMETIMES INSULT. YOUR TV SPOT SHOULD, ABOVE ALL, BE MEMORABLE. THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS IS TO SET ASIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT TO INVEST, HIRE PROFESSIONALS TO PRODUCE YOUR SPOT, AND HELP THEM HELP YOU. A POORLY PRODUCED, UNDERFUNDED, IRRITATING TV SPOT CAN HURT MORE THAN HELP. PUT YOURSELF IN THE SHOES OF A VIEWER, PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE, AND INVEST AN AMOUNT THAT SHOWS IT IN ITS BEST LIGHT.
PLEASE, DON'T CHEAP OUT!

LOOKING AND SEEING

Everything that happens in the 900 frames of an average 30-second TV spot should be planned. The screen on which viewers see your commercial is like a magical window on a world that you can create. Don't waste a frame, but at the same time, don't overwhelm the viewer. Become a student of the art form of TV spot creation and watch what other advertisers do to attract attention and be remembered. But, don't be misled by those who would say that only they have the secret of TV commercial success. Ad agencies using focus groups or other pseudo-scientific methods to predict the effectiveness of a given TV spot usually can't. Make your TV spot organic, honest, creative and of high quality. Practice and learn. But remember, perfection is an ideal, not reality.

To Agency or Not to Agency?

Over the years I have worked with and for many advertising agencies on hundreds of TV spots and have mixed feelings about their inherent need and effectiveness. Some individual account executives are true artists who know the game and are worth every penny of the agency's commission. Most others? Not so much. Small businesses or first-time advertisers are usually assigned the newest, least experienced staff member to handle a new account, not one of the ad geniuses that founded the agency. My advise is to be wary and tread very carefully through the agency swamps by interviewing at least three before making any commitments. Better yet, go directly to a commercial production company with mucho TV experience who will steer you to the creative individuals you need to make an effective commercial. Then, take the resulting spot directly to a TV station. You''ll save the agency commission and all the extra costs the typical ad agency will pile on in the name of their so-called added value and expertise.

Creating Effective TV Spots

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SUCCESSFUL TV SPOT ELEMENTS

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