5 Ways to Help You Create a Quality TV Commercial

TV viewers love some TV advertisements. They hear the opening sounds or see an image associated with the brand, and they watch during the commercial break instead of grabbing a snack or checking their phone. These commercials effectively draw the viewer in, making them more likely to remember and talk about the ad later. How do you make a quality TV ad that captures viewers’ attention?

1. Highlight Your Brand Clearly

Take a moment to think about some of your favorite commercials. Can you easily bring up the brand associated with the commercial? If you can, that was an effective, engaging ad. However, if you can’t recall what they were selling or representing, then the TV advertising campaign wasn’t successful. You want your brand prominently represented or memorably incorporated into the commercial. Use both verbal and visual cues, in case someone is listening, but not watching. How you incorporate your brand will depend on the purpose of your commercial and what you’re selling or representing. Showing your logo, brand name, or the product are some ways to help build the connection. You don’t have to go overboard. Your brand should fit into the ad naturally.

2. Keep Your Message Focused

Commercials are short—often only 30 to 60 seconds long. You need your main message to be targeted and clear. While jokes or cute lines can be fun, you don’t want it overshadowing your point and your brand. So be wary of one-liners or other information that can come across as fluff. Turn to your business’s mission statement or vision as a starting point to help generate ideas that will work for your brand.

3. Tell a Story

Stories grab our attention, draw us in, and are memorable. These are all the things we hope a commercial will do. Ads that have a storyline are more likely to stay on topic, get the message across, and engage the viewer. Think about the purpose of your commercial and see if you can tell it with a beginning, middle, and end. To help generate ideas, watch ads that caught your attention. What worked? How did their TV advertising campaign incorporate the elements of a storyline?

4. Create a Theme or Character

Companies typically don’t make one ad. They will make several different ads as a part of a TV advertising campaign. Therefore, one strategy is to incorporate a theme or character to tie the different ads together. Finding a theme or character that links well to your brand can help increase brand awareness and help viewers remember your ad and message. However, don’t get so caught up in developing a character or theme that your brand gets lost. If people only remembered the character but not the company or product, then this wouldn’t be an effective series of commercials.

5. Be You and Know Your Limits

To represent your brand effectively, you need to be true to your business’s vision and overall message. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Be authentic. Tell your story. Don’t try to replicate someone else’s story. If you’ve never made a commercial before, consider hiring a professional production company. They can help you develop a vision and script that provides you with a targeted message that effectively engages the viewing audience. They also will have the tools to produce a quality product to ensure your commercial looks its best. If using a professional company, be clear about your budget. You can produce a quality ad while staying on budget.

Pulling it All Together

TV advertising can be an effective way to capture a viewing audience’s attention. By keeping your brand and your message as the main focus, you’ll be able to create an effective, engaging commercial that people will enjoy watching.