As a business owner, your primary goal is to entice customers into buying your products or service. One of the most effective and popular ways to do this is by creating a TV commercial. However, producing one can be challenging.
For one, getting a primetime spot would require a considerably large amount of money. But this doesn’t always guarantee viewership and conversions. That’s why you need to make sure you’re creating an effective TV advertisement. One that will hook viewers and make them remember not only your product but also your brand.
Curious about how to create a TV advertisement that leaves a memorable impact? Mustasa Republic, a video production company in the Philippines, shares these 10 tips to creating an effective TV commercial that resonates with your audience.
10 Ways to Create a Memorable and Effective TV Commercial
1. Be Direct to the Point
With human’s attention span getting shorter and shorter, the first 8 seconds of your TV commercial ad is the key for either engagement or disengagement.
Make sure to produce a TV commercial that is direct-to-the-point. You can do this by asking a relevant question or beginning with a very powerful visual element. This would help capture the audience’s attention and can even keep them engaged until the end.
2. Keep it Short and Sweet
With thousands of advertisements being consumed every day, many tend to ramble on and on about a specific product or service. They also have repetitive and templated messages which can drive viewers away.
But when you only have 30 to 60 seconds to share your message, would you want to produce a complicated TV commercial? It’s best to keep your TV ad short and sweet as much as possible. This would allow viewers to understand what you’re really trying to say, and make them more likely to remember your brand.
3. Focus on the Story
Many business owners make the mistake of focusing on the reasons why the buyer should choose their products or services. This can seem over-promotional which would drive potential customers away. So don’t commit the same failure!
You should always aim to share a compelling story that viewers can resonate with. Consider producing a short TV program or film. This type of video is more likely to draw in an audience, improve completion rates, and increase brand awareness.
4. Use a Tagline or Jingle
Aside from a compelling story, using a tagline can also make it easy for people to remember what your brand actually stands for. Again, keep it short, ideally six to seven words for maximum impact.
Producing a catchy jingle for your TV commercials can also increase viewership. Just think about the most popular TV commercials of all time such as McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” and Kit Kat’s “Give Me a Break”—they all used a jingle to captivate the masses. Lastly, try adding in humor or rhymes to make you stand out from other countless advertisements.
5. Don’t Forget Your Call-to-Action
Tear-jerking stories and fancy taglines can only do so much on their own. Without adding a call-to-action message in your TV commercials, viewers wouldn’t know what to do next. And no wise business owner would want a potential customer to just walk away like that.
Use the end of your TV commercial to get customers to either act or buy today. You can either do this by giving your store’s complete address or displaying a quick line about how your product or service can benefit them.
6. Represent Your Brand Clearly
Having said that, don’t wait until the end of your TV commercial ad to introduce your brand’s name. People are more likely to forget your business if you haven’t really shown what you do or what makes you special.
That’s why it’s extremely important to represent your brand clearly through the TV commercial ad. You can use your company name, logo, or even the product you’re selling itself. Be creative and know the exact areas where you need to add or remove these certain elements making up your TV ad.
Ultimately, by using both visual and verbal cues, you can ensure you’re making not only an effective but also memorable TV commercial.
Tip: While product placement is recommended, don’t overdo it as your TV commercial may become over-promotional.
7. Target a Specific Audience
Before creating an effective TV commercial, you should know that a television spot is different from any other advertising platform. In social media, for instance, potential buyers can scroll down endlessly and navigate from page to page. As such, social media marketers can freely produce an ad that can capture this large demographic and be just as effective.
It’s entirely different in producing a TV commercial ad, though. You should concentrate on a specific aspect of your brand and a particular audience that would find your products interesting. You can narrow this down by using both industry and user demographics. This would help you discover the majority of individuals interested in your brand—whether they’re male or female, teen or older adult, and even the place where they live.
8. Schedule Your TV Commercials Strategically
Unlike online advertisements, TV commercials cannot run indefinitely on the web. As such, the placement or timeslot of your TV ad is very important. It would ultimately determine who will see it and how much would you pay for its airtime.
So while a 3 am slot would definitely save you money, it’s not a wise investment if your brand is not reaching anyone at all as it’s rare for people to be awake at that time. That’s why it’s important to schedule your TV commercials strategically and look at past consumer data.
For instance, if you’re main demographic is adults, it would be best to advertise during dinner time when most are probably home already. For elderly-focused TV commercials, your brand can do well during early mornings or lunchtime as a majority of them are just at home.
Tip: The station where you would place your TV commercial is also important. You don’t want to air your TV ad at a sports channel if you sell maternity clothes.
9. Try Using Influencers
Most TV commercials became successful because of the famous personality that starred in it. Before creating a TV commercial, you need to know that people are more likely to buy a product or service if the individuals they admire recommend a particular brand.
Just think about Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” and Snicker’s “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” ad campaigns—both became a hit because of its hilarious message and of course, the celeb who top-billed in it.
For the small and medium business owners, this doesn’t mean you have to spend a large amount of money on popular celebrities. In fact, simply introducing a less-popularly known (but related to your industry) influencer in your TV commercials can add credibility to your brand. Doing so can also establish a memorable visual for a product or service you are offering.
10. Ensure Video and Audio Quality
Both video and audio quality are essential elements to creating an effective TV commercial. That’s why you should invest in a video production company to produce a high-quality ad for your company. It would help ensure overall quality of your TV commercial and propel your brand.
This doesn’t mean you have to empty your pockets for one professional-quality TV ad, though. In fact, there are various multimedia production companies that offer relatively affordable video production services. Look for discounted packages and bundles that already include pre-production, production, and post-production work.
ALSO READ: Why You Should Use Animated Commercials for Your Campaign
Producing an effective TV commercial can be challenging. You have to consider its duration, call-to-action, airing schedule among many other things. Fortunately, with these 10 essential tips in mind, your brand is on its way to creating a memorable and effective TV commercial ad.
Want to learn more? It’s best to consult the multimedia experts at Mustasa Republic, a video production agency in the Philippines. We can help you produce engaging TV ad campaigns that would resonate with your audience. Contact us today to learn more!
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