Television commercials are often considered the quintessential element of a traditional advertising campaign. TV spots can be one of the most effective methods of delivering a message to an audience. They can also be one of the most enjoyable (or, in some cases, the most frustrating) types of projects to manage.
Digital Media Services has been involved in all types of television commercial productions; we offer here a brief, general overview of what steps are required to pull off a successful campaign.
Define your message. To be successful, a television spot has to have a specific purpose. Are you announcing a sale? Are you introducing a new product? Are you working to build your brand? Define what you want to tell your audience and then use that as the mission statement that all following decision should support.
Develop several creative concepts. Your creative team, whether that’s an individual creative director or a room full of marketing professionals, will need to develop a number of concepts based on your message. This is where both script ideas and visual concepts will begin to take form. No idea should be considered a bad one. Your concepts may be confined by your budget, so don’t waste time on ideas you can’t afford.
Test your concepts. Assemble a focus group that can provide feedback on your concepts. A focus group should be diverse; gather people from management, the mail room, the I.T. department and even outsiders like golf buddies, neighbors and relatives. Present your concepts to your focus group and, together with your creative team, decide on a single concept that you’ll develop further.
Develop a basic script and bring in a director. Once you have a solid concept, it’s time to begin developing a real plan. If you don’t have one already, interview several directors or production companies and hire the one your team feels is the best match for your concept, your corporate brand and your creative team. Work with the director or production company to further develop your idea into storyboards and a shooting script.
Begin pre-production. Once your shooting script and storyboards are in place, you can begin casting, location scouting, assembling a film crew and researching placement. Remember, all of these decisions should support your original message. Your message can evolve over time, but don’t change your message simply to fit an actor you want to use or a special effect your director wants to try.
Begin production. A TV commercial shoot can take place over a period of several hours or several days. During production is where expenses can slip out of control so make sure your team has planned all phases of production to the last minute and the last penny. This is often the most exciting and fulfilling phase of the process so try to take a slightly more passive approach and let the film crew do their job while you enjoy seeing everything come together. A good director and production company will make sure you’re satisfied with each step before moving on.
Begin post-production. This is where the video editing, special effects, graphics, music, voiceover and sound design all come together. Even if every phase of pre-production and production was completed flawlessly, the post-production stage is critical. The timing of the editing, the subtleties of the audio mix and the visual style of the color correction are all a combination of scientific standards and artistic subjectiveness. Be confident in your editor’s recommendations but don’t be afraid to ask questions or offer ideas. A good editor knows how to explain to you what does or doesn’t work but also knows how to incorporate your opinions.
Placement. Once your spot is finished, you still have one step to complete: getting it on air. Many ad agencies specialize in working with local and national broadcasters in deciding what networks and time slots will best reach a targeted audience.
In future newsletters, we’ll present further details on each phase of creating TV commercials and offer specific recommendations on how to accomplish individual tasks. Until then, certainly contact us if you have an immediate or specific question.
