The image above shows some of the initial ideas I have came up with for my Max Relax logo. After researching into successful logos previously, I found that the most important thing about a logo is clarity, colour and design. Clarity means knowing the logo so in all my ideas I used the words Max Relax so its recognisable. I have not included colour in my designs because I am going to figure this out when I choose the right design because different colours will go with different designs. Lastly, the design has to be aesthetic and relevant to my product. Also it cannot be over complicated because successful designs I have looked at are simplistic and focus more on a brands name unless it is recognised without its name such as the Nike tick.
I have been ready to begin initial filming of my television adverts for nearly weeks now but it has proved more difficult than expected.
This is because originally I planned to film after school with someone who plays either golf or football. However, it gets dark very early which I didn't take into consideration meaning that I had insufficient time to film. Then I decided I would ask one of my class mates to feature in my advert instead and film during lessons. This is because it doesn't matter about their abilities in the sport. Again, I was set back because of the season. It has been bad weather and this has meant that the golf club was closed for a while to preserve the course.
Therefore I have not managed to start my filming which has set me back a few days.
Although it wont look as effective, I now need to consider filming elsewhere such as a park or changing parts of my idea if I am unable to film in my original location.
Along with my two television advertisements, I am going to produce a radio advert to go with my campaign for Max Relax. So far I feel I have paid too much attention on the planning of my television advert and not thought enough about what my radio advert needs to be like to capture my target audience. Therefore I am going to research and plan my radio advert more so all aspects are covered.
I have already carried out some basic research on radio advertising, so I now need to focus on what things make radio adverts successful. Obviously radio adverts are not visible and therefore focus on sound to engage their audience. This often involves talking about a product through the radio to promote is to its audience. This is the most obvious way to use radio advertisement and the easiest because more information is given, so the audience being targeted understands the purpose of the product. As my radio advert will be for football or golf, I need to listen to a sporting radio advert to deepen my insight.
Due to the fact that the advert only communicates through sound, the first thing I noticed was that the diegetic sound was expressed with maximum clarity. I did not have to strain in order to understand what was being said and understood every word throughout. This is important because if the producers only have sound to work with, it must be perfect otherwise the only form of communication is ruined. Therefore, I must ensure for my advert, I use a candidate that projects their voice clearly and effectively.
As the advert was easy to understand from the clear sound used, I understood that the purpose of Herbalife is to boost a performers energy through nutritious products. It is key to understand the advert so the audience know what the product is for and this radio advert does it well. I believe one way this has been managed effectively is because the duration of the advert is only 16 seconds. This is a short period of time meaning that a message has to be passed to the audience quickly. I think this is a good idea because there is not enough time to complicate the audience so the advert doesn't go into lots of detail and keeps the outline of the product simple.
Lastly, this radio advert constantly refers to the name of the product frequently. In the 16 seconds, Herbalife was said 3 times towards the end of the advert. Using the name more than once in a short period of time means that the listener can build a mental picture of what Herbalife is so they can recognise the name if they see it. Also, because the name is repeated towards the end of the radio advert, it is likely to stick with them meaning they will remember the brand so it can be easily identified in future, which will increase sales of the product.
Although all the technical features of the radio advert such as the sound, meaning and brand identity were very strong, I think I would present my radio advert differently in order to go better with my television advert campaign. This is because the television advert is not going to use much non-diegetic and speech, instead its going to focus on the action in golf and football to promote a message, with a slogan at the end. Therefore, like the Herbalife advert did, I am not going to use speech to explain the purpose of my product, and instead use sound effects to connote meaning. I want to do this because I think its something which isn't as popular and more engaging, meaning it captures peoples attention easily.
The sound effects I will need to use will relate to golf or football, whatever sport I choose to use for my radio advert. However, because this isn't a very popular way to produce a radio advert because i am trying to not rely on speech, I cannot find an example to show sound effects in sport in the form of an advert. This shows that it will be original and a new idea which makes it more entertaining.
Here are some examples of sound affects I could use for my radio advert:
GOLF
FOOTBALL
After listening to these two videos of action shots in golf and football, I need to take into consideration what one of the two displays the best sound for an advert. I think that the sound of a golf shot is best. This is because the sound is of a higher pitch and clearer. Therefore I think that with a radio advert, where there are no visuals, the sound of a golf shot will stand out above the sound of a football kick because its clear and recognisable.
However, because my campaign is promoting a muscle relief product aimed at people competing at a low level in sport, my television adverts promotes humour by showing a performer performing badly in their sport to create the message that Max Relax doesn't aid performance but allows muscles to "give it a go". Therefore, to fit this criteria, in my radio advert I need to come up with another sound affect which connotes that the golf shot wasn't successful.
Here are some of my ideas:
One idea is the sound of a car alarm put together with a golf shot in my radio advert. Hearing this would denote that the golfer has hit the ball at a car, which obviously connotes a bad shot which will match the theme for my television advert by showing a golfer not being successful.
My next sound effect idea to put together with a golf shot is the sound of glass or a window smashing. This sound, similar to the alarm denotes a golfer smashing a window with a misplaced shot, connoting a failed attempt and a low level performer.
Next, I am going to experiment with different sounds using software tools to see what best fits my campaign. Once I have done this I will record the sounds I need by taking samples of a variety of golf shots and the chosen sound effect I want to incorporate with it. Once I have this done my radio advert shouldn't be too time consuming.
I am now at the stage in my project where I need to begin to shoot some material and decide on my shots and their locations. I am a member of both a football team and golf club, so I am going to use the locations for these teams to shoot both adverts. However I still need to decide specific locations at these places. This means firstly, I need to visit them and take location shots of the areas that will be most beneficial to me.
I also need to decide on my actors who will feature in the adverts. I think it will most likely be people who I play these sports with. This is because they will have a deeper knowledge of the sports and will therefore understand the role a bit better. However, what I have noticed when analysing videos is that the actors are comfortable in front of a camera, meaning I need to pick someone who is not shy to express them self yet have knowledge of either football or golf.
Once these stages are completed, which should be fairly quickly, I will be at a stage where I will have an effective plan I can follow to begin to film the first of my advertisements for 'Max Relax.'
This is my second storyboard which represents my football advertisement. Like my first storyboard I used arrows to show the direction in which the actor will be moving, to help show more detail into how the advert will plan out.
Differently, instead of using colour like I did before, this time I haven't coloured in my storyboard. This is because the drawings look a lot clearer and simplistic. This means for someone who is looking at the storyboard, they will find it easier to digest. Also, no colour means the arrows and writing stand out more. I chose to use writing as well. This is because it is a guide as to what is happening so an onlooker can interpret the advert visually.
Now I have completed both of my storyboards and have planned both of my adverts, next I will complete an anamatic of both adverts using my storyboard drawings.
For my storyboard, I used arrows on relevant parts which show movements the actor makes. This is because the onlooker can understand the advert and how it develops more clearly. Also just using drawings would maybe convey there are gaps in the advert, whereas arrows make the shots flow better.
However there are some problems with this storyboard as well. I think it was a bad decision to colour it in. This is because it makes it look too hectic and tacky, which may blur someone's understanding of the shots. Also, it makes what's happening in the storyboard harder to see because the colour makes it look too busy. Lastly, I feel arrows are not enough for the audience to understand how the advert develops. This is because they only represent movement. To improve, I think I could have annotated various shots to show what is happening in this part of the advert so an audience can fully understand the concept.
Now I have completed my first storyboard, for my next one which is for my advert on Football, I am going to take into consideration, some of the things I could have improved on so that my next storyboard is better and more effective in planning my advert.
After researching different ideas, I decided early on in my researching stage that I wanted to create a product used in sport by elite athletes to show how it enhances performance at a professional level in sport. I therefore started researching my idea by analysing sporting adverts which feature elite athletes using specialist products. However, after doing this I came to the conclusion that this type of advert wouldn't be achievable. This is because I wouldn't be able to find an elite athlete who can display a flawless performance, meaning that in would decrease the verisimilitude of the advertisement.
Advertisement featuring professional footballer Wayne Rooney
I then began taking into consideration other options to do with sport for my advert. Next, I looked deeper into the idea of creating an advert that was aimed at sports participants of low abilities who take part in sport mainly for enjoyment. The product I wanted to create was one which helped improve low levels of performance e.g. golf clubs which were easier to hit a golf ball with, or lightweight football boots to improve a slow players speed. Although this was a more realistic advertisement compared to my first idea, it also had its problems. This is because many people who participate at lower levels play mainly for enjoyment rather than improving their performance. Although this doesn't refer to all players of low level, it is the case for many meaning my target market would be reduced. Also, when I think about low level sport, things such as humour come into mind. However creating a product to improve a sporting performance reflects a more serious product, because it shows a performer wants to improve. This means I wouldn't be able to include humour, which interested me greatly in this type of advert.
Energy sweets by Lucozade to maximise energy in sport
As I wanted an idea which I could use comedy yet remain using the same target market, I developed my idea further until I got to where I am now. The name I have chosen for my product is Max Relex. It is a product which helps relieve muscle pains which are common injuries in low level participants who lack fitness to keep their muscles working when exercising. This product doesn't therefore improve performance, just allows someone to perform instead of being injured due to weak muscles. This targets my audience well because it can be used so they can play for longer and gain more enjoyment. Also, due to this product being aimed at allowing participation rather than improving it, it is easier for me to link comedy into the advert. This is because a poor performance can be shown in the advert to create humour, but the aim of the product can still be connoted to my audience.
The sports I have decided to feature in my two adverts are football and golf which were the most popular in a survey I carried out.
My Idea in simple terms
Beginning - Footballer/Golfer stepping up to perform a skill
Middle - Performer fails to do the skill properly (comedy, low level)
End - Product is introduced on screen to the audience with a punchy slogan, explaining its function
Now I have found a suitable brand to launch my product, I need to direct my focus back towards my adverts I am creating. I knew all along I wanted to do an advert which was sport related but I didn't know what sport I should feature. I therefore had to product a survey to see what my target audience believed was the best sport to feature in my adverts. I asked 32 people from school who have some sort of connection to sport and media. My results are shown below on this bar chart.
It is clear that football is the most popular sport in my results with 12 votes, so I will use football in one of my adverts to promote "Max Relax." I believe this is a good sport to use because it is the most popular sport and England's national game. Due to the fact I play football, I will be able to use members of my football team and suitable facilities to film my advert which will work in my favour because the advert will be more professional with football equipment. Lastly, because my results show football as the most popular, this sport must target my audience best, which is my main objective.
The second most popular sport with 9 votes was Rugby. Although it shows that my target market think this is a good sport to use in my advertisement, I am not going to use it. This is because the nature of rugby is very similar to football in a sense that it involves running around and contact with other athletes. This may create the assumption to my audience that "Max Relax" only treats a certain type of sport such as contact sport which will narrow my potential target market. Also, I do not have enough knowledge of rugby and will struggle to find equipment to help improve the quality of the advertisement.
Therefore I am going to use Golf, which was the third most popular with 5 votes. This is because Golf is a non-contact sport which doesn't involve cardiovascular activity so it is a totally different sport to football, denoting "Max Relax" treats any muscle injury. Furthermore, I play golf myself and therefore can shoot my advert at my golf club and use specialist equipment to help aid the quality of the advertisement.
I sketched a variety of rough ideas for my spray can for Max Relax. Out of all of these ideas, I selected two I wanted to develop further, which are shown below. I followed some conventions of Deep Heat by using bright colours to make both designs look engaging Red and yellow are vibrant colours which help make the sprays look attractive and aesthetic to the eye. I believe that these were the best ideas I came up with because they relate to muscles and sport, because there shapes resemble the body which is used for sport. This makes them unique and bold, which I found in my research into a product, makes it sell better because it stands out to an audience over existing competitors.
This design is the shape of a knee joint. This is a part of the body amateur sportsman or women having trouble with. Therefore I used it because it relates to a sporting injury. However, I have decided not to use this idea because it focuses on one part of the body whereas my product is aimed at relaxing all muscles in the body, which may be deceiving to an audience.
My next design resembles the upper half of the body. This gives the impression that the spray can be used on a wide area of the body compared with my other chosen design, because the upper half of the body has many muscles which is shown by the body next to the design on the image above. I have therefore decided to use this as my final design.
I decided to produce the design such as the shape of my can before I designed the logo of my brand. This is because I felt if I designed the logo first, it may not fit properly with my can design. Now I have my design, I am going to do find some relevant information which will help my design a logo suitable for a muscle relief product.
"Before you design a logo, you must understand what a logo is, what it represents and what it is supposed to do. A logo is not just a mark – a logo reflects a business’s commercial brand via the use of shape, fonts, colour, and / or images." - http://justcreativedesign.com/2008/01/08/how-to-design-a-logo/
Taking this statement on board, I am going to design my logo around the representation of Max Relax, by trying to convey a muscle relief product which offers a big relaxation feel. This logo must reflect the brand through colour and shape. This could mean showing relaxation through an image or font style such as italics.
Here are some leading, most recognised logos:
All these logos use the colour to stand out and alos to create meaning. E.g using only black and white for the Wikipedia logo indicates sophitication which is a key theme for this brand as it provides in depth information about a wide range of subjects. I have also noticed that popular brands such as You Tube, Google, and Ebay focus their logo on colour and font rather than images. This could mean that for my logo to be a success, I need to relate my font and colour to Max Relax muscle spray and try not to use an image as part of my logo. This is because images may take the simplistic side off a logo and over complicate its audience.
Taking this information on board and studying some leading logos, Im going to focus my logo on colour and font. The word Max should convey something big so I should use a stand out colour with a larger font to illistrate this. Then with the word Relax, I could use a smaller font with italics. The italics would connote a laid back, chilled style similar to relaxation. With this word I would also use a calm colour that isn't bright and lary.
In order to find a name for my product, I need to come up with ideas. To do this effectively, I created a mind map of ideas related to my product - muscle relief and sport. I came up with random words related to muscle health and sport which would help me come up with words that I could use for a name to my brand.
The mind map above shows the words I used to give me an idea of my products name. The ones circled were the ones I felt were most relevant yet creative, which would help the product sell to my target market.
My favourite word was relax. I wanted to include this in my brands name because it links to its purpose and my audience. This is because my products purpose is to help muscle pain for amateur, low level competitors. Athletes at this level want to relax because sport isn't taken as seriously as it is at elite level, its more about being comfortable and enjoying yourself, so the word relax fitted with this theme.
However, for my name to be effective it had to be catchy and relax on its on was too simplistic. Therefore, I took another word out of my mind map, which was max. Putting the two together, I came up with the name "Max Relax." I think this name would be successful because it denotes the optimum relaxation which a low level performer requires to help them become fit enough to take part in regular activity. Also, the two words rhyme together to help make the name catchy and enticing for my audience, which would make them favour my product over other competitors.
Now I have the name "Max Relax", I have to come up with design ideas to show what my product will look like.
Now I am in the planning stage of my brief, I want to come up with design ideas for how my product will look. This is so I can progress further in the planning stage because I will be in the position to create my storyboard, which features all the shots I plan to use in my advert.
To design my product, I first need to come up with a suitable name and logo that connotes meaning behind my idea and attracts an audience. To do this, I am going to research existing muscle relief products to see if there is any pattern in their names, and also understand what these type of products have for their logo. Doing this will help me create a name and logo, which follows the conventions of the product I am creating.
The image above is the muscle relief spray from Astroplast. The name doesn't symbolise anything to do with muscles directly, which suggests that there is freedom to what the product is called. This tells me that when I choose the name for my product I can be creative and not worry too much about how it relates to muscle relief. This brand isn't the most popular for muscle relief. One reason may be due to the fact its name "astroplast" is in small font and the top of the can. This means it isn't centred and fairly difficult to notice, denoting people don't know what the product is. Therefore, with my spray I should think about placing the name in the centre of the can with a slightly larger font so it is easily recognisable. The design of Astroplast is simple but to some extent creative. It has an image at the bottom denoting what each spray does, e.g flames for hear spray. This makes the product simple to understand for the customer, increasing the chances of them buying it. Bright colours such as red and blue are used against white which makes the can stand out, because it isnt dull. This means to make my product stand out, it needs to be colourful and engaging. Also, for my own idea, I don't think I would use white for the base colour of the can like Astroplast have. This is because its a neutral colour which isn't the most creative.
The image above is the muscle relief spray from Deep Heat. Deep Heat is the most popular, recognisable muscle relief spray. One reason for this is the name. Heat is something commonly used to help relieve muscle aches, so deep heat denotes extra relief, connoting Deep Heat is an effective spray. Unlike Astroplast, Deep Heat's name refers directly to muscle relief which denotes that a customer is aware of its purpose more so than other sprays, just by its name. This means I should come up with a name that grabs my target audiences attention so it is more likely to be purchased. Furthermore, the name of the product is positioned in the centre with large font and capital letters. This means it can be seen from further away and shows clarity, because it isn't difficult to read. Also, the use of capital letters denotes it is significant, unlike Astroplast which uses lower case letters. Lastly, the design of Deep Heat makes it different to other products. Like Astroplast, Deep Heat uses bright colours so the can is recognised. However, red is used as the base colour for Deep Heat. This further makes Deep Heat stand out from other products because it is lairy and bold. As Deep Heat is the best selling muscle relief product and it is bold, this connotes that for a product to be successful, it has to break the mould and use new ideas and conventions for it to be better than existing products. This is what Deep Heat has done, which is something I need to think about when creating my own products design.
The image above is a muscle relief spray from Numark. The name is in extremely small font in the top left hand corner of the can. This is really hard to see at first and makes it hard for a potential buyer to see what brand the product is that they are looking at. Also, the title of the product "Muscle Spray" is in small white font against an orange back. The white on orange makes it hard to read because it blends in slightly, denoting a bad choice of colour for the font. Also, the name muscle spray it too vague and not very creative which is boring for a customer. The colour of the can like Deep Heat and Astroplast is bright and stands out to an onlooker. However, the design of the product is too simple and not creative, as there is only two different colours and small, lower case Times New Roman font. I believe this design is boring and lacks imagination. This is why it isn't a popular product as it doesn't take a bold approach to its design, meaning it isn't very appealing to its target audience, who are more likely to purchase Deep Heat.
What product am I promoting?
I am promoting a product which helps relieve muscle pain. It is a product related to sport because it helps someone participate, who can be at any level in sport. It will be similar to Deep Heat which will be a competitor to the product I am advertising because it is for the same purpose. To make it better than my competitor, I will look at existing Deep Heat adverts, so that mine is better and stands out from the crowd. Like Deep Heat, I want my product to be in a can format. Therefore, I need to sketch a variety of can designs so I can come up with an idea for how my product will look. This will help make my adverts successful because the product needs to be styled well so that it captures an audiences attention. I want the style to be modern as it is a new product which isn't often advertised on television.
Why am I promoting this product?
As I enjoy sport, I knew I was going to come with an idea which related to sport. I wanted to promote something which isn't a very popular product to be advertised, but one that is commonly used by people I can easily target. A product which relieves muscle pain isn't a popular form of advertising seen of television. This suggests there is a gap in the market, which will favour my product over existing ones such as Deep Heat who rarely use any form of broadcast advertisements to sell themselves to their audience.
Who is my target audience?
My target audience is going to be aimed at the general public who take part in low levels of sport. I decided this would be my target audience because the product I am promoting doesn't necessarily improve a players performance, but allows them to take part. This is a common problem at low level of sport because people are not physically fir enough to play sport. Also, having my target market set at a low level performer will increase the popularity of my product because there are more low level athletes than athletes at a high level in sport. Moreover, professional performers are harder to target because they do not mix with the public and are not as likely to buy a product which a lower class in there field use. Lastly, producing an advert aimed at a professional competitor wouldn't be realistic due to the fact that the sporting performance I want to show in my video would have to be flawless, and I wouldn't be able to find an athlete capable.
What next?
Now I have the foundations for my idea laid down, I now need to progress with the design of my product and how it will appear in my advert. This is because I can then create my storyboard and anamatic which will feature sketches of the product. This will help me push on with my project so I have an idea of how my adverts will flow.
Branding is a way of clearly highlighting what makes your product or service different to, and more attractive than your competitors.
1) "Successful branding is about promoting your strengths. You need to be sure that you can always deliver your promises using these strengths, sometimes referred to as 'brand values'. You can start by thinking about what your business is good at and what you believe in as a business. For example:
- the particular skills your business has - your high-quality customer service - the best value for money you provide in your marketplace - your innovative approach"
A strong brand can make your business stand out from the crowd, particularly in competitive markets."
I was given a task to create a presentation about the progress I have made so far in terms of my research. Therefore, in my presentation I covered some of the important aspects which has helped me to improve my knowledge and push my idea for an advert further.
I believe my presentation was successful in the way that it has outlined the main areas I have covered so far in my research and what this has taught me. However, It has made me realise that I have fallen behind slightly. This is because reviewing my presentation to the class it doesn't give much insight into what my idea is and how my advert will be constructed. I have focused too much on analysing a variety of adverts rather than narrowing my research down and finding relevant information for a particular product.
Therefore, when I next present to my class next month, I hope to have shown a clear idea I wish to take forward in my research and effective planning showing how my idea has developed through different stages. Doing this will ensure I am fully caught up so I can then concentrate on the production of my campaign.
This advert by dove is very unique, which will help me research more into the planning of my advert, because it goes through stages an advert will take, from a directors point of view.
The message in the advert shows how the media uses advertisement to manipulate its audience by using Photoshop to make the women's face aesthetically pleasing. A technique called stop motion is used in this advert. This is a form of editing which allows the director to take a huge amount of shots and put them together to make something fluent. However, advertisements do not usually show this side of production to the audience, which makes the advert stand out to me. This is because most adverts manipulate its audience by using these tools to create an image, but letting the audience assume this was the image all along so they are more likely to buy a product.
Therefore, looking at this advertisement has helped me. This is because it shows me as a director of an advert that I need to plan my advert in a way that captures my audience, without the message being strictly true. This is so my audience is manipulated in the same way, so my advert is successful because the idea of an advert is to portray a message to an audience that they want to see.
After researching into sporting adverts, I began to think about what I want my advert to be like. My initial thought was to do an advert which advertised a performance enhancing product to improve an athletes performance. Therefore I began researching into these type of adverts and planning my own idea around them.
To widen my freedom of choice for my advert I produced a brainstorm which revolved around sport as a whole. However, doing this, and reflecting back on the adverts I had analysed made me change my idea. This is because producing a product for a professional athlete didn't seem feasible. This is because the performance in my advert would have to be almost perfect which wasn't realistic as I wouldn't be able to find a performer capable enough. Also, as I did my brainstorm on sport as a whole, I realised I can come up with other ideas which still focus on sport, but which are realistic.
Therefore, I am now going to come up with ideas which advertise a sporting product for people of any sporting level. This means the performer in the video doesn't need to be perfect, as I can use codes and conventions to create meaning. Furthermore, it means I can include comedy into my advert because the performance in the advert will not be as professional.
To make sure I continue to progress with my work, I need to be well organised. This means creating a list of things I need to complete every few weeks to keep me motivated so I achieve the best grade possible.
As I want to produce an advert related to sport, I need to come up with some ideas to help get me started so that I can plan my idea to make it a success. Therefore I have brainstormed in detail, a range of ideas/topics to think about before I make a final decision on my advert idea.
The list below is the main points I wish to consider from my brainstorm for my advert I am producing.
Advert
- Type
- Traditional
- Sport Advert
- Audience = Low level performers
- Football/golf advert
- Comedy = low level performers
- Linking sport with comedy
- Product to help weak performers
- Larger target audience
I have no covered all the main areas of my research, so its now time for me to push on with the planning stage of my work. This means I need to organise myself well, so that I can make the best use of the time available, to make my planning effective.
Therefore I need to create a to do list to kick start my work
Why is research important?
Research is a key part of my project because it has helped me gain an understanding of my topic to help ensure my finished project is successful.
It has also helped me to come up with new ideas and and answer key questions related to advertising I otherwise, wouldn't have been able to answer.
Lastly, carrying out my research on advertising has helped me to come up with numerous ideas to plan and present my work to meet my brief as best as possible.
What have I learned from my research?
I have now finished my research and in doing so, I feel I have gained relevant information into the advertising sector and the many ways adverts can be structured. This has helped me to decide what type of advert I wish to produce, which is a traditional advert, because it gives me a lot more freedom of choice. Knowing this has helped me to develop an idea, relating to sport. Therefore I analysed a variety of sporting related adverts which feature different scenarios, connoting that this area gives me a broad range to explore.
Another important aspect of my research was to understand who my target audience is. After watching adverts on sport and receiving feedback from my peers, I am aware that the target audience for these types of advertisements are professional athletes. This made me slightly tweak my idea as I want the advert to relate to people who are interested in sport who play at any level, meaning I have learnt comedy would be a good factor to add to my project, making the sport less professional. Therefore, my research has led me on to my next step which is to research a more specific target audience.
Sponsorship research has also greatly improved the clarity of my task. This is because I was unsure of the real difference between adverts and sponsorships seen on television. I now know that sponsorship is a group that supports a group or individual but does not prophet financially in doing this.
Now I need to put my research into practice as I move towards the planning of my idea. I need to take into consideration how the adverts I am targeting appear, meaning mock ups of a variety of shots need to be completed. I also need to specifically capture an audience who play sport at lower levels and create an idea of what message I can create in my advert to portray this.
To push myself further to gain a better understanding of advertising, I am going to look at past students who also chose advertising for their brief. This will help me as I can see what is good and bad about this students work, so that I can take this into consideration for my advert, to make my idea better.
This is a final advert by a past student, who chose to advertise perfume. Although this is hugely different to the idea I want to carry out, it will help me understand more of the basics i need.
Part of my brief is to come up with a TV sponsorship sequence to go with my finished adverts. Therefore, to help my understand what these are, I am going to research a bit about them so that when I have to produce one, I will have a clear understanding of the task which will improve the quality of my work.
A sponsor is a group or an individual that supports anything from an event to an individual financially or through provision.
1) "Sponsorship is a cash and/or in-kind fee paid to a property (typically in sports, arts, entertainment or causes) in return for access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with that property, according to IEG.
While the sponsee (property being sponsored) may be nonprofit, unlike philanthropy, sponsorship is done with the expectation of a commercial return.
And, while sponsorship can deliver increased awareness, brand building and propensity to purchase, it is different than advertising. Unlike advertising, sponsorship can not communicate specific product attributes. Nor can it stand alone. Sponsorship requires support elements. And, while advertising messages are controlled by the advertiser, sponsors do not control the message that is communicated. Consumers decide what a sponsorship means."
Below is an example of a sponsorship seen on television. No profit is made for the sponsor, only for the cause which is the puppy appeal for the blind. So although is seems similar to an advertisement, adverts make a profit for their product whereas a sponsorship raise money for another cause.
The radio advertisement above is by McDonalds. The sound is upbeat as the narrator is singing a song rather than talking. This denotes that he is happy, connoting a McDonalds breakfast gives out a feel good feeling. This would therefore entice an audience to purchase one, which shows a good piece of advertisement.
Also, due to it being radio meaning the audience can only be targeted through sound and not visually, in this advert, the narrator explains in more detail than what you would expect to see in a TV advertisement. He states that he hates getting out of bed, but then shares to the audience at the end that he has a McDonalds breakfast from monday to friday. This denotes that he does infact get out of bed, only to get a breakfast from McDonalds. This then connotes that the breakfast is worth sacraficing something you don't want to, indicating to the audience that they should try a McDonalds breakfast.
Furthermore, the narrator says towards the end of the video "there's no better way to start my day" which boosts the status of McDonalds in the advert which will then heighten the listeners interest.
At the every end of the advert, McDonalds slogan "im lovin' it" is used. This shows McDonalds is a well recognised brand. This is because they only say the word 'McDonalds' once throughout the whole advert and just use their slogan to inform the audience the advert is by McDonalds. This denotes they are a well known company, connoting that their adverts can be trusted, so the audience is likely to but something from McDonalds such as a breakfast being advertised in this radio advert.
Part of my brief was to produce not only a TV advertisement, but to produce a radio advertisement as well. Although this part of the brief isn't as crucial as my Television advertisement, I need to research into radio advertising in order to deepen my knowledge so I can make a successful advert.
1) "While many people may view radio as a less popular medium than the Internet or television, the truth is that radio still manages to penetrate areas of our daily lives still off-limits to other media. Consumers can listen to radio in their vehicles, in waiting rooms, in many restaurants and a number of grocery stores. Radio advertising targets that captive audience through a series of 30 second or 60 second spots which promote products or services in a memorable way.
Radio advertising is based on the idea of creating an audio-only environment and placing the listener inside of it. A typical radio spot features a professional voice-over artist reading descriptive copy over an appropriate bed of background music. Important information may be repeated several times over the course of the spot, such as contact phone numbers, addresses, website URLs, or a geographical reference. As one spot of radio advertising ends, another spot begins and the process continues until the program resumes."
Because radio station managers have a limited number of minutes available for advertisingduring an average hour, radio spots tend to last either 30 or 60 seconds. A station may build in several scheduled breaks during an hour, typically at twenty minutes or so after the top of the hour and twenty minutes before the top of the next hour. If there is enough radio advertisingspots available, additional breaks at ten minutes before the hour and ten minutes after the hours may be added. Each break may have two to three minutes allotted for spots, which can be introduced with a station jingle or a longer promotion called a sweep.
After analysing some adverts related to sport which I wish to do with my final project, I now understand my target audience has to be related to sport. This is because these type of adverts are always advertising some sort of sporting equipment to aid an athletes performance. This denotes that people who do not take part in any pyhsical activity, sporting adverts are not likely to appeal to them for obvious reasons. The age for sporting adverts would generally be teenagers to young adults, but can also apply to older adults who enjoy keeping fit. However, the adverts I have analysed relate to athletes who are at a high performance level shown by using professional athletes such as Wayne Rooney, denoting a more specific target audience of athletes who perform at professional standards. This reduces the audience I can target my product at. Therefore, with my own advert, I am going to change the idea so it can relate to an audience who may be at a low level in sport.
As I have a good understanding of the type of audience I need to target for my audience, I now need to produce a questionnaire for people who take part in sport at low levels. This will help me gain a deeper insight into what these type of people wish to see in their adverts. Doing this will make my final advert more of a success because the people who it is meant for will enjoy it.
Camera
This commercial advertising golf pride golf club grips, begins with a long shot of a golf ball. This shot is positioned off centre, to the right of the screen allowing the viewer to see the setting clearly. The director does this with the camera to indicate to the audience that the important part of this shot isn't the golf ball, but the setting. This is because it is raining, connoting that golf pride grips work in tough weather conditions so a golfers performance isn't affected. Seven seconds into the advert, a mid shot is used to show the golfers hands gripping the club. The director has insured that the golfers hand is at the top half of the golf pride grips. This allows the audience to see and recognise the grips manufacture so the directors target audience knows what the product is. Close ups are then used after this, when the golfer begins to swing the golf club. These close ups of the golf pride grip allows the audience to see the grips in action. The grips stay firmly locked in the golfers hand, denoting that Golf Pride grips are effective, connoting that a golfer is not likely to lose control of the club when they swing to hit the ball.
Editing
Editing in this advert is clear at the beginning when it appears to be raining and the audience can see every drop as it happens. This form of editing is called CGI (computer generated imagery). This is an application of 3D computer graphics which creates special effects as either dynamic or static shots. Using this effect in the advert emphasises the fact that Golf Pride grips work well in rainy conditions, denoting to its target audience that they are a good manufacture. Another part of the editing which stands out in the advert is the lighting. The background is pitch black, while only the golfer is lit up with artificial light. This makes the Golf Pride grip stand out because the golfer is dressed in black while grip is white. This suggests that Golf Pride is the main theme in the advert because it catches the eyes of the audience. During the phase of the advert when the golfer is swinging the club to hiot the ball, the camera is slowed down, an example of slow motion. This is an action which takes place on the screen at a slower rate than the rate at which the action took place before the camera to make the fast action of a golf swing seem slow. This makes Golf Pride easy to see for the audience still. It also connotes that Golf Pride grips can work at high speeds but still seem easy for a golfer. Lastly, text appears frequently once the golfer hits the ball. It suddenly comes into shot which states numerous awards Golf Pride has won. This heightens the interest of Golf Pride grips amongst the onlookers.
Sound
The sound in this Golf Pride advert is non diegetic throughout. It is very tense which creates anticipation amongst the audience. This makes them concentrate fully on the commercial which increases the probability of the viewer seeing the Golf Pride logo, making the bFurthermore, when the text appears towards the end of the advert, the music reaches a climax each time. This rand more recognisable. creates the affect that the message is important, so the director is enticing the viewer the read the text which places Golf Pride in an authoritative position.
Mise-en-scene
Firstly, the mise-en-scene denotes at the beginning of the commercial that Golf Pride is the stand out topic. This is achieved through the lighting which shows the majority of the background to be pitch black and the golfer wearing black. Black is a dark colour which denotes mystery, connoting that it is not something the audience needs great knowledge about, decreasing its importance. However, the Golf Pride grip is white, which is opposite to black and stands out to the viewer, connoting that this is important within the commercials message because the director has purposely used lighting to make it clear to see. As it is raining in the advert, this denotes that Golf Pride grips work in tough weather conditionsm too, which most golf grips do not. Additionally this may connote that the brand gives golfers and advantage over opponents who do not use Golf Pride. Lastly, the text included establish expectations about Golf Pride grips so the audience trust the brand and are more likely purchase Golf Pride grips becuase the messages in the text improve the status of the manufacture.
The director begins the Powerade advert with an extreme long shot of the setting which shows a football pitch, covered by heavy fog. This type of weather condition would make playing football harder which connotes the the onlooker that Powerade helps make playing in tough conditions easier. Then, a mid shot is used to show the characters who are both the same person (Wayne Rooney) but in different clothing. This establishes the difference between the two Rooney's before they match up against eachother. The mid shot allows the audience to Rooney with the top on is drinking water and Rooney with no top on is drinking Powerade. More variety in the camera is included when a long shot shows both characters about to run for the ball. They are off centre with the ball centralised, showing they both started even. The shot changes to another long shot where Rooney who has Powerade is shown to win a tackling battle with the other Rooney, connoting that if you drink Powerade you have an edge, symbolising power. After this, a number of mid shots show Rooney with Powerade running away from his opponent. In all of these mid shots, the camera centralises him, indicating he is dominant. Furthermore, when he shoots towards the goal the camera attempts to pan for roughly half second but then cuts to allow the audience to see the ball go into the goal. not completing the pan of the ball with the camera denotes it was travelling fast. This may also connote that using Powerade made Rooneys shot to powerful and fast for the camera to keep up with. Lastly, at the end of the advert, a high angle shot is used to show the camera looking down at Rooney who only drank water. Having him lower down indicates that he is smaller within the narrative. On the other hand, a low angle shot is used after this from Rooneys perspective, looking up towards Rooney who used Powerade. This makes him seem big and robust, so the audience believe he is the more dominant of the two, connoting Powerade is more affective than water.
Editing
The editing of this commercial is done by using green screen to show two Wayne Rooney's appear in the same shot throughout the advertisement. Green screen technology is the basis of the effects seen in everything from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to the weather forecast. If you shoot a video with a single coloured backdrop green screen allows you to make that colour transparent - replacing it with any other video clip, graphic or still image. This allows the editor to capture Rooney twice on a green screen in different clothes, making it seem Rooney with powerade is against Rooney with water. This denotes that there is no unfair advantage, connoting Powerade aids a sportsmans performance. Furthermore, another piece of editing is used when a high number of cuts are used repeatedly, one after the other to show Rooney volley the football into the goal. Squeezing these shots together makes it appear like a pan, indicating that it is real to make Rooney seem dominant.
Sound
This Powerade commercial is dominated by non-digetic sound at the beginning. The music is old fashioned and first introduced when the characters are introduced to the audience on screen. Doing this makes it seem like a contest because the music is similiar to non diegetic sound heard in a film with gladiators. As the advertisement progresses, diegetic music begins when you can hear Rooney who uses Powerade, striking the ball into the goal. When this happens the non diegetic music is still playing under it. This denotes that Ronney is powerful when he drinks Powerade as the sound of his shot overpowers the music, connoting he is stronger than a gladiator.
Mise-en-scene
At the beginning of the commercial, the Rooney who drinks the Powerade is immediately indicated to be powerful by the mise-en-scene. This is presented to the audience when Rooney appears with no top on, allowing them to see the tattoo of a cross on his arm. A cross is symbolic a it signifies religion and christianity, this could denote that Rooney is god like, connoting that the onlooker of the advert should worship him. Therefore when Rooney drinks the Powerade the audience are likely to copy him like christians worship Jesus through bread and wine. On the other hand, the opposite Rooney is placed in a weak light when it shows him lose out a tackling battle. As he runs back to try and get the ball, the director shows his face. It is strained, denoting that he is struggling to keep up with his opponent who used Powerade. This connotes to the viewer that Powerade gives an athlete an extra edge.
Camera
At the beginning of the advert, the audience are introduced with a long shot of two men playing golf. Immediately it suggests that the director is trying to capture their target audience, which would be people who enjoy playing golf, most likely to be men as there are no females in this advert. An extreme long shot is also used next, this time from where the hole is to show the man standing up to his ball behind two trees. The extreme long shot shows the audience how narrow the space between the trees are, suggesting it is a difficult shot to perform. For a golfer, seeing this would intrege them, so the target audience is then captured. Then, the director shows the other man with a mid shot, on the fairway. Showing him closer and in a good position for his shot, denotes he is a good golfer which could connote that he is the better player and therefore may use clubs from chipshot.com. His superiority is reinforced with the camera when the man preparing for his shot is shown again with a long shot, denoting that he is not important in this advert and therfore doesn't use clubs from chipshop.com, the service that is being promoted in this advert.
Editing
Cuts dominate the editing in this traditional advertisement. At the beginning of the commercial they are slowly paced with a cut occurring roughly every 5 seconds. These cuts establish the setting for the viewer so people who are interested in golf so they can see the difficulty of the shot that the player needs to perform. Showing this to the audience in a low pace is intentional from the director because by the end of the advert, the viewer understands purchasing clubs from chipshot.com makes shots like the one being presented easy. The cuts then begin to speed up towards the end of the advert when the man hits the golf ball. As the ball rebounds off the tree and hits the other man standing on the fairway, the speed of the advert speeds up dramatically. This is done by including a high number of cuts all closely linked in the footage. This makes the speed of the commercial seem really fast, increasing the verisimilitude when the ball hits the man, creating more excitement in the advert.
Sound
The advertisement is dominated by diegetic sound. It begins when the director allows the viewer to hear birds singing. This shows the director plays with nature so the audience can feel a sense of reality, making them believe the point of the advert that only clubs from chipshop.com can get a player out of tricky situations. Diegetic sound is used again to show an argument developing between the two men, when the man on the fairway doesn't think his friend can get through the trees. This disagreement between the two could suggest that if the man in the trees had clubs from chipshop.com, he wouldnt be in the trees in the first place, making golf more enjoyable.
Mise-en-scene
When the director introduces the audience to the characters featuring in the commercial, the man about to take his shot is wearing a red jumper. This symbolises danger within the mise-en-scene, denoting that he is in a bad position as his ball is between two trees. This connotes that he is a bad golfer, which may be because he doesn't use clubs from chipshot.com. This is reinforced at the end of the advert when the chipshot.com logo is presented. It is introduced with a green slide. Green is a positive colour which connotes within the advert that golf clubs from chipshot.com affect a golfer positively to help them become better. To continue, the man in the red jumper hits his ball into a tree and it rebounds to hit his friend. This denotes a negative situation within hte mise-en-scene because the idea of golf is to hit the ball straight and avoid trouble such as trees and people. This connotes that a golfers skill level is reduced when they are not using golf clubs from chipshot.com because their accuracy is bad, like the man in the red jumper.
After researching into types of adverts, I have decided I want to produce a traditional television advertisement. This is because I feel with this type of advert, I have more freedom to explore and come up with an idea I like as many categories will fall into this. On the other hand for example, a political advert is strictly for politics or swaying someone's beliefs towards a certain topic, which creates a boundary so my ideas for an advertisement would be limited.
Knowing that I want to do a traditional advertisement I now need to know what topic I want to do. I am interested in creating an advert which links to sport. This is because I enjoy sport and there are a vast amount of adverts which link to it in someway, so researching into this area can help me develop an idea that would be successful.
Adverts to do with a sport usually use iconic figures. However, I want to design a product that aids sport and therefore my target audience would be the general public who enjoy playing sport.
This is an example of a political advertisment. These types of adverts are usually of an important matter
and do not attempt to make money, but to sway someones values which means the message has to be strong, so a popular fugure is commonly used.
Camera
The camera distance and angle doesn't chance for the whole commercial, but stays fixed as a close up so the audience can clearly see Obama. This allows them to see his lips moving while he talks, increasing the adverts verisimilitude. The camera angle is level to Obama, which denotes a simple layout, connoting importance. This is because the camera is tampered with meaning the subject of the commercial is serious. Lastly, Barack Obama is postioned just off centre, to the right side of the screen. This may connote a plee for help and followers which is a common theme in these adverts. This is because he is not centred connoting that he isnt important enough becuase he hasnt yet won the election, so positioning him to the right suggests he needs the publics help to win him the vote.
Editing
Very little editing is used in these adverts, due to them being a very important message and therefore they cannot be edited heavily. In this advert, one editing technique is the blurred background. This allows focus to be entirely on Obama, present the assumption the the onlooker that he is an important fugure and has to be listened to. Also, text is included at the beginning to make the audience aware who is in the advert. This denotes Obama is the significant part of the advertisement and connotes the audience need to be made aware of this so they know who they need to vote for.
Sound
The sound in this political advert is the same through the entire commerical. It is diegetic sound throughout, with Barack Obama talking into the camera. This is the only sound the viewer hears so there is no distractions, meaning the message Obama is tryin to get across is eassier because all attention is turned to him. Furthermore at the end, Obama's voice is still heard at thh end when the audience cannot see him. This connotes that even after the advert the audience still have his message in their head, connoting a strong message. The diegetic sounds is also very clear, so all the audience have to do is think and listen, creating a sophisticated tone, connoting political adverts in a serious light.
Mise-en-scene
Firstly, mise-en-scene shows Obama in a fitted suit. This denotes a formal advertisement which connotes Obama is portraying an important message. Also becuase Obama is wearing a suit it denotes he is wealthy, connoting a powerful figure so people of America are likely so follow him becuase he can make the country strong. Barack Obama's body language in the advert shows a robust character also. This is because his eyes never leave the camera, so he is always looking straight towards the audience. Doing this denotes confidence which could connote to the onlookers that he is a strong leader and not afraid to take on a demanding roll.
This advertisement is an example of a product placement advert. Again, it is short and uses brand identity such as the car manfacturers shown in the commercial to sell the product, in this case an Audi, to its audience. These brands create a strong message, which comes at a cost. This is because Audi, who promote the advert would have to pay a TV company enough money in order to be allowed to use the different brands featured in the advert.
Camera
The camera stays in a fixed position for the majority of the commercial, which allows the audience to concentrate on the brands of cars shown on the keys, which is an important message within the adverts meaning. The keys are therefore shown as a MS, so all are easly visible. The only movement of the camera occurs when the camera pans upwards to show the Audi logo. It is centralised in the shot which suggests Audi is the dominant manafacturer over the other car logo's.
Editing
The lighting is dark and only lit up slightly by a lamp which creates a shadow. This darkness makes the audi badge stand out as it is silver. This is a futuristic colour which denotes an audi is a car for the future, connoting that its the latest, best car in the market. Furthermore, text is a feature in the advert instead of speech. This forces the audience to read which could mean the Audi's target audience is a sophisticated, up market audience.
Sound
The sound is simple, non diegetic with no lyrics the whole way through the Audi commercial. This doesn't complicate the message of the advert so the audience can concentrate fully on the purpose. Also, it shows that Audi are portraying a serious message, denoting that an Audi is an important car.
Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene is a very important aspect of this product placement advert. Props are used to create the message, which are the keys of different car manafacturers. These keys show different parts of a car which is successful. They come together to form the Audi badge. This connotes that the Audi is an all round car whereas the other cars only have one good point, symbolising that the Audi is the best car. Also, using the product placement to show different manafacturers connotes the others are no good, so the audience is attracted to the Audi.
This is an example of a traditional advert, it is only 31 seconds, meaning it has only a short time to put its message across, typical of this type of television advert. It is clear that it is an avdertisement targeted at a specfic audience. This audience is car drivers who are interested in buying a new car. I know this becuase it is avdertising the new Volkswagen Polo.
Camera
The advert begins with a MS of the dog from outside the car, sitting in the passenger seat. Having the camera outside the car shows the cars safety. Also in this shot is tracking, which keeps up with the car whilst it is driving, the camera is smooth, suggesting that the ride in the Polo is also smooth and comfortable. Next, without the car, the setting is established with an ELS which makes the dog small and weak, as it is hard to spot in the room. Then the camera changes to a MS of the dog shaking, reinforcing the weakness being showed. However, this changes when the audience see the dog sitting in the car again. A MS shows the dog with its head up high, denoting confidence, which connotes the dog is comfortable in the Polo. The shot is also at a slightly low angle below the characters shoulder, emphasising superiority. Then once again, in the next scene, the camera tracks towards the dog in the shop when the setting has changed from the car again. Here, the dog is frail, showing fear as the camera gets closer.
Putting these camera shots from the different parts in the advert together, shows that the dog is confident in the Polo, but has low self esteem without it.
Sound
The Volkswagen advert also shows Polo's are a desirable car within the non diegetic sound when the dog is singing. Although it seems diegetic, it is actually non diegetic which allows the editors to make the dogs singing loud and clear in the car but muffley and quiet outside, presenting the idea that the car is simple to drive and easy to understand and life can be tough without it, like it is for the audience.
Mise-en-scene
The advert creates many assumptions to the audience to help boost the Polo's reputation in this short space of time. The main message which is shown using text at the end is that the Polo gives someone confidence, which will make a driver feel better about themselves. This is shown in the mise-en-scene when the dog has his head up and sing clearly and happily in the car, but when outside of the car, the dog is frail and shaky. Also, the dog tucks his tail in which is a common sign of them being scared, meaning he feels safe inside the Polo. This could lead to the assumption that is is a safe car to drive which is an important aspect of a car nowadays due to rising accidents. Also, within the mise-en-scene, the dog does not use a lead but does outside the car. Leads are used to restrict dogs from wondering around, meaning the car is more of an adventure than everyday life, making it appealing for an audience.
Now I have researched more into broadcast advertising, I now need to focus primarily on my task, which is to produce an advertisement for a television commercial.
Since TV was invented, advertising has been one of its many features. When many homes adopted regular television-watching as a habit, advertisements were strategically placed between breaks. This has proved to be extremely helpful for businesses and institutions as the majoirty of the western world consume television and therefore consume adverts which are often relevant to them, which is done by the programme they are watching.
There are four different types of television commercials which I need to consider. This is because I will know what type of advertisement I wish to do so I can research that further, so my final advert covers all the areas it is expected to in order for it to be a success.
Traditional Television Advertisement
This is most probably the most common form of television advertisement that viewers watch in between breaks of programmes. These are the shortest types of television adverts which last around 30 to 60 seconds, meaning a message has to be put across accurately in a short period of time. These adverts began being targeted to everyone who watched Tv, but nowadays are becoming increasingly targeted to a specific audience. This has occurred when the television has expanded to offer a more diverse channel list, meaning a variety of people watch and consume television adverts. Furthermore, apart from pushing a product to increase sales, traditional television adverts make commercials entertaining for the viewer often using actors to portray a short film, they also boost the popularity of songs which are not well recognised in society.
Product Placement Advertisement
Companies that are involved in selling a consumer item, make use of product placement. This type of advertisement rely on brand indentity to help sell the product to the audience. This is because they commonly use things such as a certain car being driven with a companies logo/manafacture e.g BMW. Using this image can make an advert seem aesthetically pleasing, creating a strong message to an audience.
These companies usually pay a TV production company to incorporate their product into a commercial.
Political Advertisement
These type of television advertisements are government based projects. This method may also be used by human interests groups and religions, to help sway someones beliefs or values. Political advertisements usually occur on television when important issues need to be decided upon amongst the public e.g. the elections.
Infomercial Advertisement
Infomercials are long advetisements which run as long as a whole programme would. This is one of the least popular types of television advertisements, due to the fact that it is shown at off hours such as 3 a.m. These adverts feature surveys on a products target audience using emails and phone lines, meaning informercial advertising aims for immediate and direct responses from an audience. These commercials must state that products being advertised are part of a paid advertisement.
As I am going to be producing a television advertisement, I need to delve deeper into this and research how they work effectively to ensure mine is a success.
Television is the most widespread and effective way of advertising awareness. Over 90% of consumers of a product advertised on TV watch television each week with the average adult watching approximately 25 hours of it in this time.
Is it still effective?
TV advertising still is relied upon by many businesses. This is proven in the fact that over the first 28 days of advertising on TV a brand is likely to see a sale increase by 5%. This is even higher in satellite channels that have a niche audience and small businesses with a targeted audience.
So, although consumers are becoming more reliant on new forms of advertising such as the internet, 43% of adults still say they respond to a TV advert, which is significantly more than radio and newspaper ads, with 13%.
Is it expensive?
As digital TV has expanded in recent years, many people now have a choice of channels specific for them on a specific topic such as SKY SPORTS who focus on just sport. This offers a niche audience for potential advertisers. This results in advertising on these types of channels alot cheaper. Years ago, it would cost a £1million budget and £100,000 for the prodcution of a commercial to run a TV campaign. However, due to niche channels needing niche adverts, an advertising solution can be found for £10,000.
How does the process work?
To make the most out a TV advert, an ad agency should be hired. Agencies deal with a variety of campaigns and therefore give critical advice for any advertisement. They manage the cost of your advertisement by negotiating with contractors to find the best price and target your specific audience.
Top agencies offer invaluable experience. These include agencies such as Ogilvy and Saatchi & Saatchi.
How is my audience targeted?
Although my audiences age, gender and status is important in an advert, it is not as crucial for a TV advertisement. Demographics are more widely used which involves capturing my target audience through their interests such as their hobbies. This is becuase it will be more appealing for them to watch becuase its more of a specific group of people.
*Broadcastadvertising is radio and television commercials. Broadcast media reaches a broad audience. Radio and television broadcastadvertising is known as mass marketing since national or even worldwide audiences can be reached. Advertising is one of the components of marketing. Marketing promotes services, products and ideas through specific channels. Broadcastadvertising persuades consumers of the benefits of advertisers' brands. Organizations such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) monitor television and radio commercials to make sure advertisers and broadcasters aren't making false claims that may mislead consumers into buying their products. Radio and television stations must ensure commercials meet FTC standards before broadcasting them.
Advertisers pay broadcasters for a spot. An advertising spot is typically 30 seconds on both radio and television, although occasionally it may run up to 60 seconds. Although most broadcastadvertising is paid, free public service announcements are typical broadcasting fare on television and radio. Broadcasters allow nonprofit groups and the government a limited number of free spots to promote messages and information for the general safety of the public. Public service announcements may include anti-drug messages or information about what to do in an influenza outbreak.
The print media have always been a popular advertising medium. Advertising products via newspapers or magazines is a common practice. In addition to this, the print media also offers options like promotional brochures and fliers for advertising purposes. Often the newspapers and the magazines sell the advertising space according to the area occupied by the advertisement, the position of the advertisement (front page/middle page), as well as the readership of the publications. For instance an advertisement in a relatively new and less popular newspaper would cost far less than placing an advertisement in a popular newspaper with a high readership. The price of print ads also depend on the supplement in which they appear, for example an advertisement in the glossy supplement costs way higher than that in the newspaper supplement which uses a mediocre quality paper.
*Outdoor Advertising – Billboards, Kiosks, Tradeshows and Events
Outdoor advertising is also a very popular form of advertising, which makes use of several tools and techniques to attract the customers outdoors. The most common examples of outdoor advertising are billboards, kiosks, and also several events and tradeshows organized by the company. The billboard advertising is very popular however has to be really terse and catchy in order to grab the attention of the passers by. The kiosks not only provide an easy outlet for the company products but also make for an effective advertising tool to promote the company’s products. Organizing several events or sponsoring them makes for an excellent advertising opportunity. The company can organize trade fairs, or even exhibitions for advertising their products. If not this, the company can organize several events that are closely associated with their field. For instance a company that manufactures sports utilities can sponsor a sports tournament to advertise its products.
Broadcast advertising – Television, Radio and the Internet
Broadcast advertising is a very popular advertising medium that constitutes of several branches like television, radio or the Internet. Television advertisements have been very popular ever since they have been introduced. The cost of television advertising often depends on the duration of the advertisement, the time of broadcast (prime time/peak time), and of course the popularity of the television channel on which the advertisement is going to be broadcasted. The radio might have lost its charm owing to the new age media however the radio remains to be the choice of small-scale advertisers. The radio jingles have been very popular advertising media and have a large impact on the audience, which is evident in the fact that many people still remember and enjoy the popular radio jingles.
*Covert Advertising – Advertising in Movies
Covert advertising is a unique kind of advertising in which a product or a particular brand is incorporated in some entertainment and media channels like movies, television shows or even sports. There is no commercial in the entertainment but the brand or the product is subtly( or sometimes evidently) showcased in the entertainment show. Some of the famous examples for this sort of advertising have to be the appearance of brand Nokia which is displayed on Tom Cruise’s phone in the movie Minority Report, or the use of Cadillac cars in the movie Matrix Reloaded.
*Surrogate Advertising – Advertising Indirectly
Surrogate advertising is prominently seen in cases where advertising a particular product is banned by law. Advertisement for products like cigarettes or alcohol which are injurious to heath are prohibited by law in several countries and hence these companies have to come up with several other products that might have the same brand name and indirectly remind people of the cigarettes or beer bottles of the same brand. Common examples include Fosters and Kingfisher beer brands, which are often seen to promote their brand with the help of surrogate advertising.
*Public Service Advertising – Advertising for Social Causes
Public service advertising is a technique that makes use of advertising as an effective communication medium to convey socially relevant messaged about important matters and social welfare causes like AIDS, energy conservation, political integrity, deforestation, illiteracy, poverty and so on. David Oglivy who is considered to be one of the pioneers of advertising and marketing concepts had reportedly encouraged the use of advertising field for a social cause. Oglivy once said, "Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest - it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.". Today public service advertising has been increasingly used in a non-commercial fashion in several countries across the world in order to promote various social causes. In USA, the radio and television stations are granted on the basis of a fixed amount of Public service advertisements aired by the channel.
*Celebrity Advertising
Although the audience is getting smarter and smarter and the modern day consumer getting immune to the exaggerated claims made in a majority of advertisements, there exist a section of advertisers that still bank upon celebrities and their popularity for advertising their products. Using celebrities for advertising involves signing up celebrities for advertising campaigns, which consist of all sorts of advertising including, television ads or even print advertisements.
My brief is to create a TV advertisement, so therefore in my research, I will be focusing specifically on broadcast advertising which will help me develop my knowledge so that my own advertisement is a success.
