media update’s Nakedi Phala looks at some of the finer details that
will help you to create a superb ad commercial that audiences can enjoy.
Some ad commercials are a
knock out of the park, while others are ... nevermind. Let’s focus on the positive side as we give some tips to help you ignite your creative and successful juices for your next commercial ad campaign.
So, what makes a great commercial? What makes it connect with the audience? And what makes it trend on social media platforms?
Well, you’re asking all of the right questions! It all comes down to conducting extensive research about your audience and your brand and then using it to create effective content.
Here are four ways to create effective commercial ad content for your next campaign:
1. Invest in every second
Time is valuable in a number of aspects, but with an ad commercial, the first five seconds should be where you pack up the punches.
It’s in those five seconds that you should include the content that will keep the viewer from switching channels or skipping the ad. According to
Hound Studio, it takes about five seconds for a viewer to decide whether your commercial is interesting or not.
A commercial is
not the length of a soapie or drama series and so you need to invest in every second of it. start with a compelling intro, keep it throughout and you can tone it down towards the end.
This Nando’s commercial is a good example of this five seconds
rule:
2. Tell the audience a story
Who doesn’t like a good story? Storytelling content is an effective strategy that brands are using in their ad campaigns nowadays, like addressing a social ill, creating some satire about politics or including a trendy phrase, song or behavior.
The commercial doesn’t even have to sell or promote the brand directly — it’s about approaching and creating content with a purpose. An ad commercial by Brand South Africa produced an ad that addresses Xenophobia and Afrophobia through an ad that didn’t even promote themselves.
Storytelling content is engaging and has the power to touch the viewers’ emotions that has the power to leave them with a memorable effect.
BSA focused on addressing a
social ill by telling a story in less than two minutes — watch the video below:
3. Add some cultural value
The addition of culture in your commercial content can give your ad a touch of authenticity. For example, the culture in South Africa regarding its minibus taxis community is just to stop anywhere, anytime to pick up or drop passengers. By adding in this sort of culture in your ad campaign for travel, for example, will be understood by many South Africans as it will be something that they can relate to and resonate with.
The second example is for more established brands, express the lifestyle and culture of your loyal audiences by using elements that tell their story. This can be done by dressing characters in your ad like your loyal consumers would dress.
The recent BMW 330is limited edition commercial takes time to honour the consumers that have remained loyal to the brand through its 80s model Gusheshe. In preserving the culture with a newer model, they reproduce a new model that’s based on the classic 325is model and that reflects the value of the local and traditional culture along with it.
Watch the video clip below to enjoy a good dose of Kasi culture:
4. Look into the pool of influencers
Influencers nowadays are a big deal. The reason is that if their audiences enjoy their content despite the limited resources that they have to produce, imagine what they could do for a brand with all the resources available to them?
Toyota SA took a swift move to use social media influencers in their new Toyota Rush ad commercial. In South Africa’s social media platforms influencers content is something that has proven to do well, taking their raw talent and placing it in commercial content, we’ve also seen Chicken Licken roping in the likes of Tyson Ngubeni allowing him to use his skills and content to create the latest Chicken Licken ad.
Clip I
Clip II
A bit of humour or satire can elements that make a great commercial, what other creative elements do you think make a great commercial? Let us know the comments section below.
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