World Executives Digest | What Makes a Good Commercial? 9 Must-Know Commercial Tips | Every business owner or entrepreneur who’s ever made a TV commercial before will tell you it’s no cheap endeavor. In fact, it’s a rather risky business expense, but when it’s done right, those 30-seconds can catapult your business to where it needs to be.
The overall goal of any TV commercial is to make a lasting impact. Your advert should resonate with your audience on a level that compels them to seek out your business. But what makes a good commercial and how do you achieve this?
Learn more about the most important aspects of a high-performing TV commercial in this blog.
What Makes a Good Commercial?
All of the best-performing commercials on television have similar qualities. They target consumer emotion, they use both visual and verbal cues, they include strong branding and product placement. They’re also short, to-the-point, and well-written.
Another hallmark of success is using your airtime wisely, with a purpose-driven strategy. There’s no point in waiting for the last 10-seconds of the commercial to reveal your brand. Depending on how long the commercial is, make sure your audience knows who you are and what you’re showcasing from the get-go.
Impressionable TV commercials also use strong visuals and vocals. Professional voice over artists are key to conveying your message, so don’t skimp when you hire commercial voice over artists.
9 Must-Know Hacks For Commercial Creation
Here are a few other helpful tips to set you off on the right path:
-
Know Who You’re Targeting
Don’t go into the creation of your TV commercial with blind faith that it will reach your target audience. It’s important to do your research on your particular audience, what they’d find interesting, and when they’re most likely to see your commercial.
TV advertising works differently to social media advertising. You only have 30-60 seconds in a designated timeslot to capture their attention. Social media allows your audience to scroll endlessly and possibly see your advertisement multiple times.
Make sure you’re focusing on a specific aspect of your brand that will capture the attention of your audience. Study industry and customer demographics, find out their gender, age, and where they are watching from. All of this can make a huge difference to the targeting of your commercial.
-
Don’t Neglect Creativity
A large part of commercial creation is overcoming bureaucratic red-tape to ensure the advertisement is suitable. During this process, creativity can be overlooked and even cut out. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting the fun, engaging, and relevant aspects of your commercial because of regulations.
-
Make the First Three Seconds Count
Most of society is bombarded with media and advertising in some way, shape, or form on a daily basis. Due to this, we tend to ”check out” when something does not capture our attention right away. This is why it’s crucial that the first three seconds of your commercial standout.
Your audience is somewhat immune to long-form storylines and repetitive messages. Keep things engaging and concise, use strong visuals, voiceover, a catchy tagline and dialogue in those first three seconds.
-
Harness the Influence of Public Figures
If there’s one thing that most audiences remember, it’s the placement of a public figure in a commercial advertisement. By using a person of influence to endorse your product, this establishes credibility and a memorable visual of your product/service.
If your audience admires or looks up to a certain public figure, this speaks volumes about the quality of your service or product.
-
Focus on the Storyline
It’s no secret that the attention span of most audiences today is extremely limited. Consider advertising from a personal point-of-view. Are you captured or drawn in by a long, laborious intro or storyline?
Television is still a very powerful medium for business advertisement. But it’s all about the storyline in commercial creation. Rather than creating an ”ad”, think about creating a short film that resonates with your audience.
-
Make Brand Awareness a Top Priority
In order for your audience to remember your TV commercial, you have to make a statement about your brand. You need to stand apart from your competitors by focusing on your brand awareness and placement within the commercial. Keep in mind that most audiences today respond to engaging visuals, rather than facts and figures.
-
Make Your Tagline Memorable
You want to create a tagline or commercial jingle that is not only unconventional, but memorable. In short, your tagline should be easy for your audience to remember when they’re looking for a business likes yours.
A good way to achieve this is to add humor or satire to your tagline as this is something most audiences can connect with. Remember that a tagline or jingle should rhyme and range between six-seven words or less.
-
Make Sure Your Message is Authentic
Authenticity is a great way for your audiences to connect with your commercial on a personal level. User-generated content and messaging is the best way to engage with your audience and leave a wholesome, lasting impression.
By remaining authentic in your messaging, this makes your audience all-the-more receptive to your service/product. Overly ”salesy” and pushy advertising can have the exact opposite effect.
-
Carefully Schedule Your TV Commercial
Unlike social media, TV commercials are bound to a certain timeframe and timeslot. This means they cannot air indefinitely, unlike advertising on the web. Basically, the placement or airing of your commercial is crucial to its success.
Sure, less popular airtime slots may be less expensive, but they’re not actually effective. How many people will really see your commercial in a 3am timeslot? It’s important to look at past consumer data and your demographics, and schedule your commercial according to popular viewing times.
Yes, it may cost you more. But if you budget for this, it can make all the difference in the performance of your commercial and business advertising.
Entrepreneurship, Career, and Business Advice is Just a Click Away
We hope this blog has answered your questions on what makes a good commercial and has left you with some top tips on how to find TV advertising success.
If you’re an entrepreneur, business person, or student be sure to check the rest of this site. We offer a range of articles on how to grow your startup, get started in your career, or advertise your business better — and so much more!
