What Works Best in Television

1. The picture must tell the story.

Forget every other rule, and you will still be ahead of the game. Try this trick. Watch your commercial with the sound turned off. It there a message there?

2. Look for a key "visual".

Here's another test. Can you pick out one frame that visually sums up the whole message? Most good commercials can use one single frame for a brochure or poster that tells the whole story.

3. Grab the viewer's attention.

The first 5 seconds of a commercial are crucial. Analysis of audience reaction shows either a sharp drop or a sharp rise in interest during this time.

4. Be single minded.

A good commercial is uncomplicated, direct. It never makes the viewer do a lot of mental work. Longer commercials should not add copy. A 60-second spot tells the same story as a 30-second one, with more leisure and detail.

5. Register the name of your product.

Too often, a viewer will remember the commercial but not the name of your brand. This is a problem particularly with new products. Showing the package on screen and mouthing the name is not enough. Take extra pains to implant your product name in the viewers mind.

6. The tone of your advertising must reflect your product personality.

If you are fortunate enough to have a product with an established brand image, your advertising must reflect that image. It takes dedication on the part of advertiser and agency to build a brand personality, Discipline yourself to reject advertising that conflicts with it. When you launch a new product, the very tone of your announcement commercial tells viewers what to expect. From that moment on, it is hard to change their minds. Once you have decided on a personality for your product, sustain it in every commercial. Change campaigns when you must, but retain the same tone of voice.

7. Avoid "talky" commercials.

Look for the simplest, and most memorable, set of words to get across your consumer benefit. Every word must work hard. A 30-second commercial usually allows you no more than 65 words, a 60-second commercial twice that amount. Be specific. Pounces on clichŽs. flabbiness, and superlatives. Try this - when you ask for 10 words to be added to a commercial, decide which 10 you would delete to make room for them.

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