How To Advertise: An Analysis of Contemporary Advertising (part 36)

Many radio and TV commercial styles have been successful. Some of these are listed in Table 1, "Creative Ways to Sell on Radio." Hank Seiden, the former chairman of Ketchum Advertising, developed the Execution Spectrum: 24 basic formats that range from frivolous to serious. Here we consider eight common commercial formats that can be used in either radio or television: Straight announcement, presenter, testimonial, demonstration, musical, slice of life, lifestyle, and animation.

Straight Announcement

The oldest and simplest type of radio or TV commercial and probably the easiest to write is the straight announcement. One person, usually a radio or TV announcer, delivers the sales message. Music may play in the background. Straight announcements are popular because they are adaptable to almost any product or situation. In radio, a straight announcement can also be designed as an integrated commercial---that is, it can be woven into a show or tailored to the style of a given program.

For TV, an announcer may deliver the sales message on camera or off screen, as a voice-over, while a demonstration, slide, or film shows on screen. If the script is well written and the announcer convincing, they do not require elaborate production facilities, they save money, too.

Straight announcements are commonly used on late-night TV programs, by local advertisers, and by nonprofit or political organizations.

Presenter

The presenter commercial uses one person or character to present the product and carry the sales message. Some presenters are celebrities, such as Catherine Zeta-Jones for T-Mobile. Others may be officers of the sponsor, such as William Clay Ford, Jr., who speaks for his company, or they may be actors playing a role (the lonely Maytag repairman). However, a presenter does not have to be a real person. Remember Tony the Tiger?

A radio personality, such as Rush Limbaugh or Howard Stern, may ad lib an ad message live in his or her own style. Done well, such commercials can be very successful, as evidenced by the initial success of Snapple. However, the advertiser surrenders control to the personality. The main risk, outside of occasional blunders, is that the personality may criticize the product. Even so, this sometimes lends an appealing realism. The personality gets a highlight sheet listing the product's features, the main points to stress, and the phrases or company slogans to repeat. But he or she can choose the specific wording and mode of delivery.

Testimonial

The true testimonial---where a satisfied user tells how effective the product is---can be highly credible in both TV and radio advertising. Celebrities may gain attention, but they must be believable and not distract from the product. Actually, people from all walks of life endorse products, from known personalities to unknowns and nonprofessionals. Which type of person to use depends on the product and the strategy. Satisfied customers are the best sources for testimonials because their sincerity is usually persuasive. The writers of Contemporary Advertising suggest shooting candid testimonials when the subjects do not know they are being filmed. Of course, advertisers must be sure to get their permission before using the piece.

Demonstration

Television is uniquely suited to visual demonstration. And a demonstration convinces an audience better and faster than a spoken message. So do not say it, show it. Naturally, it is easier to demonstrate the product on TV than on radio, but some advertisers have used the imaginative nature of radio to create humorous, tongue-in-cheek demonstrations. Products may be demonstrated in use, in competition, or before and after. These techniques help viewers visualize how the product will perform for them.

Musical

The musical commercials or jingles, we hear on radio and TV are among the best---and worst---ad messages produced. Done well, they can bring enormous success, well beyond the average nonmusical commercial. Done poorly, they can waste the advertising budget and annoy audiences beyond belief.

Musical commercials have several variations. The entire message may be sung: jingles may be written with a donut in the middle (a hole for spoken copy); or orchestras may play symphonic or popular arrangements. Many producers use consistent musical themes for background color or to close the commercial. An example is Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life," used in commercials for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. This is called a musical logo. After many repetitions of the advertiser's theme, the listener begins to associate the musical logo with the product. To achieve this, the jingle should have a hook---that part of the song that sticks in your memory.

Advertisers have three sources of music. They can buy the right to use a tune from the copyright owner, which is usually expensive. They can use a melody in the public domain, which is free. Or they can hire a composer to write an original song. Some original tunes, including Coke's famous "I'd like to teach the world to sing," have become hits.

Slice of Life (Problem Solution)

Commercials that dramatize real-life situations are called slice of life. It usually starts with just plain folks, played by professional actors, discussing some problem or issue. Often the situation deals with a problem of a personal nature: bad breath, loose dentures, dandruff, body odor, or yellow laundry. A relative or co-worker drops the hint, the product is tried, and the next scene shows the result---a happier, cleaner, more fragrant person off with a new date. The drama always concludes with a successful trial. Such commercials can get attention and create interest, even though they are often irritating to viewers and hated by copywriters.

The key to effective slice-of-life commercials is simplicity. The ad should concentrate on one product benefit and make it memorable. Often a mnemonic device can dramatize the product benefit and trigger instant recall. Users of Imperial margarine, for example, suddenly discover crowns on their heads.

Believability in slice-of-life commercials is difficult to achieve. People do not really talk about "the sophisticated taste of Taster's Choice," so the actors must be highly credible to put the fantasy across. That is why most local advertisers do not use the slice-of-life technique. Creating that believability takes very professional talent and money. In all cases, the story should be relevant to the product and simply told.

Lifestyle

To present the user rather than the product, advertisers may use the lifestyle technique. For example, Diesel pitches its denim to urbanites by showing characters working and playing while wearing its latest line. Likewise, beer and soft-drink advertisers frequently target their messages to active, outdoorsy young people, focusing on who drinks the brand rather than on specific product advantages.

Animation

Cartoons, puppet characters, and demonstrations with computer-generated graphics are very effective animation techniques for communicating difficult messages and reaching specialized markets, such as children. The way aspirin or other medications affect the human system is difficult to explain. Animated pictures of headaches and stomachs can simplify the subject and make a demonstration clear and understandable.

Computer animation requires a great deal of faith on the part of advertisers. Since most of this very expensive work is done on the computer, there is nothing to see until the animation is well developed and a good bit of money has been spent.

*SOURCE: CONTEMPORARY ADVERTISING 11TH ED., 2008, WILLIAM F. ARENS, MICHAEL F. WEIGOLD, CHRISTIAN ARENS, PGS. 426-430*

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