Making a TV advert is an expensive and time consuming process. TV ads might be short, but it can take several hours worth of filming to get all of the footage you need for a high quality advertisement. Buying time on a TV network, during a time when people are actually watching TV, can be pretty expensive too. This means that advertisers put a lot of effort into pre testing advertising and making sure that their ads are going to be a success.
Check out the following fantastic adverts:
Apple – 1984
This is perhaps the most well-known TV commercial of all time. It’s the commercial that launched the Apple Macintosh computer to the world. Since then, Apple have continued their tradition of producing high quality, innovative advertisements that prove that tech isn’t just for geeks.
Budweiser
The Budweiser frogs are most definitely iconic. When the frogs launched in 1995, they even won awards at Cannes Film Festival. Seventeen years on, if you say “Bud” to some people, you’re likely to hear “Weis…. Er!” in response.
Snickers – Peanut Butter Squared
Snickers had a great idea with their ad for Peanut Butter Squared Snickers. Making a joke out of pre testing advertising and focus groups, they showed a focus group of sharks reviewing the taste of humans they’d just eaten. The tastiest, of course, was the one that had just munched on Peanut Butter Squared Snickers.
Cravendale
Almost everyone loves cats, and what do cats love? Milk. Cravendale struck fear into the hearts of consumers worldwide by answering a long-running question. Why do cats stare when you’re pouring milk? According to Cravendale, they’re staring because they know it’s only a matter of time before they get opposable thumbs, and when they do, they’ll have all the power. Cravendale may be right, but even though they make long life milk, I doubt it’ll last long enough for evolution to kick in!
Talk Talk
Talk Talk’s homes within homes video was spectacular to watch. It showed dolls houses, snow globe homes, and to train homes, all within one home. The Eskimos in the snow-globe used Talk Talk to communicate with the doll in the doll’s house, the cuckoo in the clock, and the station master manning the train set. The worlds were vibrant, well made, and believable, and for once an ad maker chose a quiet, unoffensive song in “Unchained Melody”.
Of course, advertising is just one part of building a brand, and you need to make sure that the product you’re promoting is worth investing in, that your customer service is up to scratch, and that the product is easy to buy. Cravendale paired up their cat advertisement with a Twitter campaign, and Apple are renowned for their customer service, ensuring that their modern day innovative ads continue to get as good as response as their ads from the 80s.
When you’re planning your advertising campaign, remember that humour and transparency are just as important as special effects and celebrity endorsements, if not more so.