How to Create A Successful Television Commercial
Eileen Chang
Television commercial is generally viewed as the most powerful mass-market advertising format in the United States, which is the reason why it takes millions of dollars to air the commercials during popular TV events. Since commercials appear so often between the shows, audience tends to utilize this period to go to the bathroom or get some chips and cookies. In fact, according to the website Global Oneness, nowadays a typical American hour-long show would run only 42 minutes excluding commercials. That means, over the course of 10 hours, American viewers will see roughly an hour and a half of commercials. Thus, a successful commercial can not only sell the product/service effectively but also keep the viewers from switching the channel.
The following steps might help you develop a successful commercial:
1) Create a budget.
The budget is comprised of two parts. You need to know what it’s going to cost to have the commercial made and what it will cost to air the commercial. Generally, the better the quality of the commercial, the higher the production cost.
2) Begin the commercial process by analyzing your product/service.
Knowing the strong points and the weaknesses of your product/service could really help develop an effective ad. For example, if you are selling a car, your strong points may be fuel-efficiency and environmental-friendliness, while your weaknesses may be a slower acceleration system or a vulnerable covering.
3) Conduct research on your customers.
Before developing any commercial, you probably need to know who your customers are and what they want. Who are they? What kind of lifestyle do they live? What are they using the product/service for? What are their expectations of this product/service? What is the highest price they will pay for this product? For example, if you are selling a laptop, your customers may be students, businessmen, professors, and so on.
4) Determine your unique selling proposition.
A unique sell point is the convincing reason why consumers should buy your product. Keep in mind that you find one most compelling reason or otherwise your customers will be confused. Also, try to find something that your competitors don’t offer or repetitively appear.
5) Develop the script of the commercial.
Though there isn’t one single rule to follow in developing a successful commercial script, here are some commonalities that successful commercials usually have:
·Stay branded and memorable
It raises the brand awareness and increases the company’s logo at the same time, and you might want to make it as memorable as possible so that the audience will have the curiosity and the interest in trying your product/service.
· Put people in your commercial
Putting people in your commercial could really help you attract your audience compared to a thirty-second shot of a close-look of your product. The audience would connect themselves to the people in the commercial easily, so you probably want to make sure you include people in your commercial.
6) Find a good production company or work directly with the cable provider.
You can either find a third-party production company or work directly with a cable provider to make the commercial. Many cable companies have experienced in-house team that can help you develop a good commercial. And often times you will find a better deal in working with the cable provider directly than working with a third-party production company.
7) Create an account on YouTube or MySpace and test the commercial.
You can get the feedbacks directly from the viewers as well as use it to target more audience that doesn’t have the chance to see your commercial on TV.
If you find the steps above are helpful, the following is some dos and donts for creating a successful TV commercial:
·Don’t forget your call to action
If you successfully attract the audience’s attention, don’t end the commercial without any call to action. If you want to call a phone number or visit the website, remember to put it in the commercial.
·Don’t try to explain complicated information
Don’t do a detailed presentation of your product to your audience. It doesn’t keep their interest or their attention.
·Do appeal to your audience’s interest
Your audience cares mostly about themselves. They care the benefits they get from buying your product/service. Keep your commercial on the benefits the product/service provides.
Though these steps and tips don't guarantee you a perfect television commercial, you are off to a great start and have a huge chance in promoting your product/service successfully after following the steps and tips.
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