Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Tell Me A Story

One of the hardest things to master is writing a :60 commercial. Try it. Write a commercial about yourself. Sell yourself to a prospective client. What would it sound like? Would you start by listing your credentials, or the other jobs you've held? Would it be an audio resume?

Are you sure?

I got the best response from a prospective client when I asked him about HIS product. There was something just a little off about it. I asked him if that bothered him. It did. He just wasn't aware that anyone else noticed the flaw. That's what got me in the door and a chance to present what I could do.

I started this entry with a commercial, but it wasn't about me, the product, it was about him, the consumer. I got the business because I asked questions about him, and wanted to know his product.

That's how you tell a story in a :60 commercial: aim for the heart of the consumer.

Have you heard the latest advertising from Sunkist? It also asks questions: "When you hear the words -juicy- , -yummy-, -mmmm-, do you think about the smell when you first rip into the peel, the juice exploding into your mouth with that first bite?" By the end of the "story" you are actively thinking about oranges, and you want one. Because the commercial just told you all the reasons you love oranges. NOT the reasons that Sunkist WANTS you to love oranges.
That's what radio advertising does.

--Thanks for reading.

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