Storytelling at it’s Finest: Three Simple Steps to a Great Commercial

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By: Randy Milhalchik, President of Vazda

How many times have you heard someone say, “did you see that spot with that hilarious dog… or baby…or kid?”  You ask them, “what was if for?” Then, they can’t remember what the ad was selling or who the company was. That is not an effective commercial.  It only accomplished one of the three most important aspects of a great commercial, falling way short of making it a successful ad.

These are the three most important aspects of making a memorable and effective TV commercial.

Effective Branding.

Your brand’s name, logo and product should be obvious throughout the spot using both audio and visual stimuli.

You can be clever about it, but you shouldn’t wait until the end to show your brand’s face.

Tell a Story.

The best commercials don’t hit you over the head with a hard sell pitch for their product or service; they tell a story. It can be a humorous story, a heartwarming story or a story of courage and perseverance.  The story needs to relate to your target audience to connect them with your product or service.

Simplicity.

This is probably the most difficult one to accomplish.  You only have, with most broadcast TV spots, 30 sec. to tell your story, get the message across and make it memorable.

Getting too complex and trying to include too much information only causes confusion and sensory overload for the viewer which results in them dismissing the ad.

In conclusion, just because a commercial is entertaining, doesn’t make it effective advertising.  The viewer has to also remember the who, why and what of the product or service.