Making a TV advertisement for local cable TV - considerations

Producing a TV ad, on the face if it, may seem a particularly hard thing to do. When you watch high quality TV ads from Nike or Pfizer (all of which are made with vast budgets even in this economic climate) it seems pretty daunting. Who's going to come up with a concept, write the script, where do you get actors, music and graphics from, etc.?

That's what a production company is for. We take the heartache out of the process and guide you through the development of your ad and work to a budget that we agree on in advance.

There are several things that you should think about before you even start:

• Message - what do you want to say (in ten words or less)?
• Demographic - who are you trying to say it to and what characterizes them (young, old, female, etc.)?
• Medium - is TV the best medium and have you considered alternatives?

With that done, now is the time to work on your check off list:

1. How much do you want to spend? There are two components to this process - making the ad and then broadcasting it. Obviously it's not worth spending a lot of money on a high-end ad and then airing it twice. A typical spend might be $1,000-$2,000 for a 30 second production and $4,000 for media spend. You can spend up to $10,000 on production, but that is not really necessary for a cable ad. If you want a voice over, complex graphics or other enhancements then think around $2,500.
2. Set a clear goal for the ad that takes into consideration your MSG/DEM/MED from above. When you explain to your boss what you are doing or meet with the cable company to book time, it is very helpful to have a clear statement of what you are trying to do. Once you are into the project then you can always check your decisions against this goal to make sure that you stay on track.
3. Work with your production company to rough out a treatment or story board. The #1 point of failure is when you think you are getting one thing and the production company is working on a different page. A story board or treatment can ensure that you are going in the same direction. As you discuss ideas and concepts you can hone in on the correct approach and the act of brain-storming will reveal ideas that will help you achieve your goal.
4. Being very careful how you communicate your opinions. One of the things that causes tension during the development process is the input phase. We all "like" different things. You may not like rap music, but your demographic may love it. So it's important to put your preferences aside and think in terms of your target audience. Focus on the message and the way it is delivered. If you do have strong opinions about a color or a scene or whatever and you believe it impacts the ad as a whole then the magic phrase is "I don't think that the (whatever) works and here's why," rather than "I hate that!" Unless you can communicate the "why" then it's hard for someone to respond with a positive solution. That said if you think the ad stinks - say so!

Once you have your ad don't forget that you can use it on YouTube, your website and for social media - so the cost can be spread over several differing types of media.

If we can help you with this process send us an email via our website.