Download Overview about material

Audio and Video
Advertising
Types &
techniques
‘Your material’
COMPARE TO NEWS, FACTS
WWWWWH
 Gatekeeper, Watchdog Role
 Not promotional, persuasive
 What makes it news?
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Timeliness, Proximity, Conflict, Prominence, Human
Interest
‘Spots’ -- GATHER ALL FACTS
WWWWWH
 Location, Hours, services, competition, etc.
 What should a commercial contain? (a) the name
of what it’s promoting (b) a reason for someone
to do the thing you’re promoting (c) creative
appeals encouraging someone to do what you’re
promoting (d) an idea of when, where, why, and
how to respond to your message.
 Your production should have a clear message
from you as a producer of what you want the
viewer to do.
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COPY PLATFORM
List client – including focus of this spot / campaign
 Objective – what the sales goal is on this spot
 Target Audience – standard age breaks: 18-24, 2534, 25-44, 35-44, 35-49, 55+ etc. -- and also
include other important demographic info
 Sales theme / bonus items
 Positioning
 Approach
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POSITIONING STATEMENT
States how the consumer should perceive your
product/client.
 “Diamond Dave’s is your Specialty Beer source.”
 Distinguish this client from anyone like them.
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Factual differences
 Ideological differences (‘the headache medicine’)
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Walmart, Kmart, Target
 McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s, JITB
 Chevron, Exxon, Valero, Citgo
 NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, Netflix
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COPY PLATFORM – SALES THEME
The theme that runs throughout the campaign.
 Will appear in all advertising.
 Reflects the positioning statement.
 May be a slogan.
 “Really will save you money”
 “15 minutes can save you 20%”
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COPY PLATFORM -- APPROACH
Straight copy
 Institutional / soft sell
 Spokesperson
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Hard Sell
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Sponsor speaks, testimonial, endorsement
Urgency, price reduction, slogans
Humorous
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Repeated airing? Client image?
Dialogue or Narration
 Straight voice, VO music, donut, jingle
 TV: VO, chromakey, studio, EFP?
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CREATIVE PLANNING
Spots have to “resonate” with the consumer.
 To make the consumer understand the message –
the copy writer must understand the consumer.
 The first few seconds of the spot have to be
powerful. Grab the attention.
 The Hook. (USP: the sizzle, not the steak)
 AIDA
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Attention – how
 Interest – of the target audience
 Desire – appeals
 Action
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What kind of call to action – persuasive strategies
CREATIVE PLANNING
Keep it simple.
 One idea per spot.
 It can be price, quality, quality, convenience, etc.
 But only one:
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A news story has lots of facts but one FOCUS
A commercial must have a developed sales theme
COMMERCIAL FORMATS
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Dramatic
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Short plays
Exposition – sets the stage
 Conflict – what’s the problem?
 Rising action – complications
 Climax – problem is solved – product is the hero
 Resolution – repeat the selling points
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CREATIVE PLANNING
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Problem – solution
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Sometimes uses the dramatic element
Demonstration – TV – show the product in use
 Interview – some are real – some scripted
 Regulations about ‘deceptive’ testimonials 
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CREATIVE PLANNING
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Testimonial
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Uses celebrities
Phrased in the first person.
“I use the product…”
Must be bona fide user of the product
 Average person must obtain same results
 “Experts” must be experts
 If organization – consensus must be reached
 Any material consideration must be revealed
 ‘compensated spokesperson’
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CREATIVE PLANNING
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Spokesperson
Common character or person in all ads
 Does not claim to use product
 May be real or fictional
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Symbolism
When the product is difficult or impossible to visualize or
show (Gecco for GEICO)
 Creative radio – theatre of the mind
 Creative TV – how to show ‘abstractions’
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CREATIVE PLANNING
 Direct
comparison
Not before 1970 – used “Brand X”
 Heavily scrutinized
 Difference must be verifiable
 Superiority must be clear
 Reinforces brand loyalty
 Viewed negatively when brand leader uses
comparison against smaller brands
 ‘Bing beat Google’
 Consumer may remember wrong product
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CREATIVE PLANNING
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Appeals
Emotional appeals are stronger than logical appeals
 Emotional appeals are related to psychological needs
 Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
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EMOTIONAL APPEALS
 Security
appeal
Safety and security
 Medications, vitamins, etc.
 Uses cognitive dissonance
 Threat or fear of bad breath, hair loss, dandruff,
body odor, etc.
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 Sex
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appeal
Using the product will attract the opposite sex
EMOTIONAL APPEALS
 Love
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and sentiment
Associated with a close and happy home life
Baby products, pet products, foods, cameras,
greeting cards
 Humorous
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appeal
Very difficult
Humor may obscure the message
If it’s not funny…
EMOTIONAL APPEALS
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Convenience
Saves time and effort
 Even if two products are equal in quality, price, etc. –
convenience can sell one.
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Curiosity
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Appeals to our desire to explore the unkown or the
unusual
EMOTIONAL APPEALS
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Ego appeal
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Desire for status
For comfort items, luxury items, big ticket
Credit cards, luxury cars, designer clothing
Hero worship
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Uses athletes, celebrities
You will be like your hero, if you use the product
EMOTIONAL APPEALS
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Sensory appeals
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Appeal to one of the five senses
Bandwagon effect
 Price and value
 Belonging
 Family
 Etc.
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COMMERCIAL WRITING
Keep language simple, concise and concrete
 Write as you speak
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Use pronouns
 Informal – but not slang
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Simple sentences
 Active voice
 Language that is descriptive
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COMMERCIAL WRITING
Identify the selling points and repeat them
 ‘Sell the sizzle, not the steak’
 NO emails, web addresses – items people won’t
remember
 Avoid numbers in broadcast copy
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Phone numbers are not easy to recall unless they form
an acronym
Make numbers understandable
No a.m. or p.m.
Give a referent– like location
COMMERCIAL WRITING
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Creative thinking – imagine the target audience –
imagine breaking through the clutter
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What if statements
 Chinese restaurants in town
 ‘what if we have an Italian and a Mexican going to eat
Chinese food?’
 ‘What if we show a family with lots of kids enjoying the
Chinese buffet?’
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Structure of the spot
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Attention
 Interest
 Desire
 Action
COMMERCIAL WRITING
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No clichés
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“helps control dandruff with regular use”
“leaves dishes virtually spotless”
“the lady has taste”
“Listerine fights bad breath”
“you can be sure if it’s Westinghouse”
“The Ford Fusion is 700% quieter”
“The best Chinese food around”
“Conveniently located…”
PRODUCTION DIRECTIONS
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TV
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Shot composition
Camera movements
Transitions
‘describe the scene’
VO or on camera?
Match the video on the left with the audio on the right
Think about the message and the pacing
SAMPLE RADIO SPOTS
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