You’ve racked your brain for hours trying to think of a perfect idea for a commercial, but you have…well, nothing. When you actually think about it, are you even sure what goes into producing a great commercial? Is it the script? Is it the actors? Or is it the editing skills? Well, wonder no more, as we’re about to show you the ins and outs of commercial production. By the end, not only will you know what it takes to produce a quality ad, but you’ll be able to make one yourself!

Components of a great commercial

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, let’s dissect the anatomy of a great ad to see what it is that makes it, well, great.

Complete understanding of the target audience

First things first, you can’t make a good ad if you don’t know how your audience ticks. Thus, before going into the production process itself, make sure you learn everything about them, starting from their preferences, needs, and pain points.

Compelling storytelling

You know the moment you lose yourself in a book so great that you absolutely can’t make yourself put it down? Well, that’s exactly the level of storytelling you want in your commercial.

Of course, in order for your audience to actually engage with the story, you need to know what it is that they would find relatable. And for that, well, you need to go back to the previous step. Otherwise, your engagement rate will likely suffer.

Emotional connection

You can have the best story there is, but if no one can connect to it emotionally, sorry to break it to you, but it’s all in vain. That begs the question – how do you create that emotional connection?

The answer? By tapping into emotions, such as joy, trust, and excitement. That’s sure to leave a lasting impression and drive brand loyalty.

Crystal-clear message

What’s the point of a commercial with no message? That’s right, there is no one.

But not only should your ad have a message, but it also needs to be crystal clear to the viewer, too. You can’t use ambiguous language. Rather, use language that everyone will understand. Or rather, that your target audience will.

Strong call-to-action (CTA)

Commercials are there to lead to the next step, be that a:

• Website visit
• Visit to the physical store
• Purchase

… or another form of conversion. But for them to actually convert anyone, they need to have a call-to-action. Not just any call-to-action, though. It needs to be crystal clear (just like the messaging) so that viewers have no doubt in mind on what they need to do next.

Brand consistency

Imagine this: you created a killer ad. But you haven’t included any mention of your brand, let alone your logo, colors, and other parts of your brand identity.

How do you expect to see results when nobody knows who the brand behind the commercial is?

To keep things memorable and promote your brand, use every opportunity to showcase it.

High production quality

This one should be obvious, but you’d be surprised by the number of companies getting it wrong.

When we say high production quality, that doesn’t necessarily mean hiring a whole set of actors or using the latest in filming equipment. Believe it or not, you can do a lot with just a phone and a few friends. You do, however, need a plan. That means writing a script beforehand, planning when and where you’ll be shooting scenes, and deciding on the tools to use for the editing process, among others.

And if you can afford to hire a video production company? Then, by all means, make the most of their skills!

Platform optimization

Nine out of 10 times, the ad isn’t shown in one place only. Rather, it’s shown on TV, social media, perhaps even in the subway. Why does the platform matter, though?

Because no platform is the same, no screen is the same, and thus, no experience is the same. Producing a great commercial involves producing multiple versions of it, each optimized for the channel it will be distributed on.

Authenticity

People can spot a bull from a mile away. So, the recipe for an ad that brings in tons of viewership is really to be as authentic as possible.

In practice, this means talking about real problems and presenting your product/service as the solution to those exact problems.

Authenticity is actually a must in some industries, with moving as a prime example, given the sensitive nature of moves themselves. A moving company operating within the Golden State, Mod Movers California, has filmed a number of commercials promoting their services, and each time they did so, they focused on the things that make moving less stressful. The moral of the story is, don’t overpromise or stage something dramatic. Show what makes your service more reliable than others. That’s what people want to see. Honesty. Reassurance. Ok, a bit of personality, too.

What happens behind the scenes when producing a great commercial

And that brings us to what actually goes on behind the scenes before, during, and after a commercial shoot.

1. Pre-production

Think of this stage as laying the foundation for the ad. During this part of the process, you need to determine:

• What’s the main goal of the ad?
• Who’s involved?
• What’s the video production budget?
• How long will the shoot take?

This is also when you prepare the script and possibly sketch the frames themselves.

2. Post-production

If the name wasn’t a dead giveaway, this stage follows the actual shoot, and it’s essentially where your story comes to life. It’s where you adjust pacing, fine-tune audio, add voiceovers, color grade the footage, insert text overlays, animations, add special effects, etc.

This is also the time to double-check if the message is clear, the ad is consistent with the brand, and the CTA is made abundantly obvious.

3. Testing before launch

No commercial should be launched immediately after the post-production. Rather, it should be field-tested with a focus group to examine their reactions, and thus, see if it actually yields the response it’s supposed to.

4. Measuring success post-launch

So, you’ve launched the commercial? Is that it?

Far from it!

This is where you actually start to bring in viewership and where you start to gather performance data, specifically:

• View rate
• Engagement rate
• Conversion rate

The numbers never lie, meaning they should give you a clear snapshot of whether your commercial is actually great or a fluke.

What makes a commercial truly great?

As you could have seen, it’s not just one thing. Rather, it’s a mix of great storytelling, knowing your audience, clear messaging, and authenticity, above all. Sounds like a look? Well, it is. But that shouldn’t discourage you from producing a great commercial! If this is your first rodeo, just follow the blueprint we gave you above, and you’ll be well on your way to launching an ad that makes your audience crave more!