USEFUL ADVERTIZING TVC'S written by BENTLEY D'TORRENT

MY ADVERTIZING TUTOR GIUDE (online)

It seems that everyone has a sure-fire formula for writing a great TV ad script. Start with action to get the viewer’s attention. Start with drama to get the viewer’s attention. Start with mystery to get the viewer’s attention. Start with loud music to get the viewer’s attention. Start with silence to get the viewer’s attention. Which is better? What works? All of it. And, none of it. The danger here is in getting stuck on a delivery method without first knowing what you need to say.

1) SPEAK YOUR CUSTOMER'S LANGUAGE.
The most important thing to consider when working on a script is whether or not what you’re presenting is appropriate to your audience and the message you’re trying to convey. If your product or service is fun and exciting, then your script should be the same. Similarly, the images on screen should be colorful and show smiling faces or scenes that make the viewer want to smile. Drama, action, mystery, blaring music, or absolute silence - by itself - will not sell your product or service. The connection you make with the viewer and the relationship that you can build between their need and how you can fulfill it is what will sell you.

2) KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Diversification may be good for business, but not for your advertising message. One of the greatest mistakes in advertising is trying to cram too much information into a single ad. You know these ads and you recognize them right away. These are the ones that talk about every service a company offers or mentions ten different products for sale. They sound rushed and cluttered, and you almost immediately tune them out. By contrast, the best, most effective ads have only one or a few, simple message(s) or idea(s) that they are trying to convey. The script for these ads are often no more than eight to twelve sentences long (for a 30 second spot). These are the ones that people remember and are the ones that measurably sell. If you have a lot to say or offer, create a campaign of commercials that presents your information in memorable segments or focuses on specific or individual products/services.

3) INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION.
What do you want the viewer to do when the ad is over? Call someone? Go somewhere? Do something specific? Think positively? Be angry? The commercial should, from the start, be building up to the end. And, it should build to an ending that leaves the viewer wanting to call someone, go somewhere, do something, etc. etc. Pharmaceutical companies are always asking viewers to "call your doctor to find out more." You, too, should ask viewers to buy your product, visit your website, volunteer for a non-profit, or take some other type of specific action. If you don't, there's no implied expectation that the customer will choose you when they make their purchasing decision.
Once you have identified who you're talking to, what you want them to know, and what they should do once they know it, you can then address how to package the information. This is where you decide whether to employ things like drama or action; loud sounds or absolute silence, to get their attention and position the message.
GREAT SCRIPTS AREN'T WRITTEN, THEY'RE RE-WRITTEN. Agama Advertising works with its clients to create great scripts. It doesn't matter if the script is for a sales video, a TV commercial, or an ad for the web, our team understands the process and will work with you to create a script that effectively addresses your objectives.
You need to sell more. We can help you do it. Call us today to get results.

WRITE AN ADVERTISING SCRIPT
Effective advertising is the backbone of every company. Without it, their products will have trouble surviving in a market where flashy advertising and media saturation is king. Several avenues exist for companies to advertise their products, but TV, radio and Internet ads are most effective. Each of these mediums requires a script. Many writers make a living writing nothing but advertising scripts, and by following a few basic steps, you could be one of these writers. Learn how you can write effective advertising scripts that could be your key to a rewarding career in the world of advertising.
Decide which scriptwriting software you will use. Movie Magic Screenwriter is one of the biggest names in scriptwriting software and comes with templates for a variety of scripts, including a number of advertising formats. You can also use a free scriptwriting program like Celtx (see Resources). Advertising formats are standardized and any scriptwriting software will do automatic formatting as you write.

1. Step
Determine the type of advertising script you need to write. Scripts for radio commercials and TV commercials differ. A radio commercial script is two columns. The left column indicates SFX (sound effects) and ANNOUNCER and the right column will be a description of the sound effect or the words the announcer speaks. Capitalize, bold and underline sound effect descriptions.

2. Step
Write advertising scripts for visual mediums similar to radio advertising scripts. Format two columns. The left column indicates Video and the right column indicates Audio. Write all descriptions in the left column. The right column will be for sound effects and speaking parts.

3. Step
Use present tense when writing any action scenes for a visual medium. Focus on the product the advertisement is for, but keep the commercial entertaining and engaging.

4. Step
Time your script when it's finished by reading or acting it out. Most TV or radio advertisements are 30 seconds long, which translates to about a page to a page and a half of writing. This can vary depending upon how the director shoots a commercial or how a radio script is timed

CREATE A WINNING ADVERTISING SLOGAN.

I’ve been involved in the creative side of advertising for about a decade. Most of my work has been for large local and regional companies with a few national campaigns mixed in. Making TV commercials and pitching to clients is interesting work but being asked to come up with a slogan - a new branding statement - is arguably the most challenging and enjoyable project to tackle. Here's how to come up with a killer slogan that will make you the toast of the office...at least for a few days.

1. Step
You need to define where your client wants to go with this new slogan. What is their unique selling position - what are they best at? The best slogans are clever but concise, have a double meaning that gives a deeper understanding of the company and, of course, a slogan must be memorable by everyone who hears it.

2. Step2
Once you've defined the client's goals and researched their company then you must get to work. Here's the hard part. Most jobs can be tackled head on...but it takes time (and some magic) to create a slogan. The client would do it for themselves if it was easy. You can't just say "Joe's Pizza...The Best Around." It sounds generic and not all too authentic. You need to focus on their uniqueness and strengths and kick something out that connects to them but that is also simply poetic.

3. Step
Make a list of key words for this client on a legal pad and start brainstorming about a possible slogan. Make sure that everything that enters your mind makes it onto the page. You never know what form a great idea will take. Often times your early instincts are best so hold onto all this - this is your commodity.

4. Step
If this is a company-wide challenge be sure to share ideas with others. It's not just that teamwork is a good idea (it usually is) but it's possible that you might just get the spark for which you were looking. There are many great writing teams in Hollywood because writing with two brains is often better than working alone.

5. Step
Start entering your finalists onto a computer. It's as if the really good ones are graduating to the digital world. Start polishing them around too. A good trick is to take a tired cliché and make it fresh. Using the software "A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes and Clichés" is a good place to start. You supply the key words and it kicks back clichés that can be modified for your purposes. Try it.

6. Step
Now get ready to present your finalists to the key decision makers in your company. Make sure your delivery is clean and bright. You only have one shot to make a first impression - seriously. One slogan I created (which saved our agencies biggest account) was heralded by the agency owner in about 3 seconds. Weeks of work went behind it to save the account - and it did just that. These eureka moments do come - I've seen them first hand...

7. Step
When you finally decide on the main slogan (have a backup or two but that's all) then it's time to pitch it to your client. Present it simply but don't be afraid of surrounding it with some fanfare. Just make sure it deserves the fanfare or you could fall flat on your proverbial face. A good slogan is self-evident and has to stand on its own. You can prop it up a bit but that has to be right from the start - no second chances here. Good luck - Just Do It!

GETTING A JOB IN ADVERTISING
One of my favorite things to do is chatting with college students about careers in advertising. And whenever I have the opportunity to speak in a classroom--an invitation I'm always flattered by--the subject of "what advice do you have about breaking into the business," always comes up. And rightfully so.
I've had the same collection of responses for years... probably time to do a post about it. But I'm posting them up primarily because these are my thoughts. I've taken nothing out of a book. I feel these 10 things are the correct things to do. The correct things to think when you're looking to start a career in advertising. But, since I'm making blanket statements to people who will be joining a huge field, I encourage others who have been in the industry for awhile, as I have, to challenge, add or correct this collection of thinking. I want to make sure I'm representing the collective thought of our business in an accurate way.
Some entry-level career thoughts/advice:

1. WHEN YOU START OUT
Move to the largest city you feel comfortable in, work at the largest agency you can, and get on the largest account you can. When you first join an agency, no matter what department you're in, you're going to get your butt kicked. You're going to work long hours and do menial tasks. It doesn't matter if your account is a Fortune 500 company or a local retailer. So given this, choose the former. Get your feet wet on something huge. Work on Pfizer, P&G, Nestlé or Ford. You will learn a ton more and your resume will look stellar right out of the gates. There will be a time when you're older, when you may not want to work on accounts with lots of layers of approvals. And it's far easier to go from big to small than from small too big.
The other thing is, when you join a big shop right out of college, you meet a ton of people just like you: 23/24 year olds starting their careers from all parts of the country. Meeting a large collection of people when you begin allows you to build a network that will criss cross the country as people move around. This makes you better. Also, at a big shop you're pretty much guaranteed to find talented people. When there are 300 people in one building someone there has chops. Find them, hang out with them, and learn from them.

2. KEEP YOUR RESUME TO ONE PAGE.
I've worked in this business for more than 10 years, and my resume is still one page. If you're coming out of college with a two page resume, cut it down...on the career front, trust me, you're not that interesting yet..

3. INFUSE MINOR MOMENTS OF DESIGN IN YOUR RESUME.
8 out of 10 resumes I get use Times New Roman font. Try something else. Also, pick up a design bookand see what you can do to make your resume look prettier. Doing so will elevate you. But don't go too far: I once saw a resume with a huge bird on it--going too far just makes you seem kind of weird. Oh, and keep any cover letters very short and to the point.

4. A WELL-DESIGNED RESUME GETS YOU CONSIDERED, BUT YOU GET THE JOB.
When I interview for entry-level positions I look for only two things: passion for the industry and work ethic. I look for those things because no agency can teach passion and work ethic. You either have them, or you don't. And all the great industry leaders posses those two things. When you interview, make sure those traits come out. And if you don't have those traits, please, don't work in advertising--you will only become frustrated with the business and get in the way of everyone else who loves it.

5. DON'T BE LATE, DON'T BE EARLY.
Everyone knows not to be late for an interview. Another piece of advice, don't show up 15 minutes early either. Showing up early puts pressure on the one interviewing you. Trust me, they're not ready for you yet. Upon learning you're upfront and way early, the interviewer has choices to make regarding those unplanned 15 minutes: Do I leave them up there waiting? Do I stop what I'm doing and bring them back? Do I go up and say 'hi' then come back and finish what I'm doing? Truth be told; it's kind of irritating. Being way early is good in spirit, but in today's world every minute to return an email counts.
My advice: Give yourself plenty of time beforehand so you're not rushed. Show up to the building 20 minutes early and get your bearings. Then relax, walk around the block, go into a Starbucks, call someone, just kill time. Then, somewhere around seven to five minutes till, go inside to the reception area. By the time the call comes through to the one who's interviewing you it will be just a couple minutes before you're due, allowing them to hit "send" on an email, use the restroom, and casually come out to say "hi."

6. HAVE SOME FAVORITE ADS IN MIND.
In every interview I ask, "What are some pieces of communication that you like?" This isn't a trick question. I don't want to hear pieces my agency did and I'm not expecting to hear a Gold Lion winner at Cannes, I just want to hear that you like something. There's really no wrong answer. It just shows that, in your spare time, you're paying attention to the industry (see 'passion for industry' above). No matter what's on the resume, people who can't answer this question don't get a job with me. (This isn't just entry level, by the way. At the mid-level sometimes people can't answer this. It's always shocking when one can't.

7. THANK YOU.
Yes, always send a thank you, but it doesn't have to be a note card. An email is fine. In fact, an email allows you to attach a link to a great ad, or an interesting page, or something that may have come up during the interview. It allows you to keep a dialog. But note cards are always nice too. Send whatever you're most comfortable sending.

8. CHECK YOUR SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT AT THE DOOR.
Yes, you're smart, but coming out of college, you don't know how business works. You can't. It's impossible. Even if you've interned somewhere, you haven't been "in business" yet. The company will give you a shot, but it's up to you to add value and learn. The company doesn't owe you anything except to provide an environment that's robust with opportunities to learn. It's up to you to grow and make that business better however you can.

9. WATCH THE INDUSTRY TRADES.
Agencies won't make room for you. They hire when someone leaves or they win business. Filling the void of the former is pure luck or you quickly responded to a Craig's List posting. The latter is accomplished by watching Ad week or industry blogs, such as this one. If an agency wins something, float a resume in with a note of congratulations. They need to staff it.

10. KEEP TRYING, BUT DON'T BE ANNOYING.
Once you establish contact with someone at the shop, keep in touch. Forward something cool you found online every once in a while, send a note of congratulations if you read an article about them. If they don't respond, don't worry. They're busy and they'll see that you're interested. Just remember the rule of "half": If a month has gone by since you last sent a note, it will seem like only two weeks to them. Pace your timing wisely.
f you are already familiar with Google Ad words, then you know what an effective tool it is when trying to target select marketing groups for your business. Google has recently updated Ad words to include radio ads that can be broadcast by hundreds of terrestrial and satellite radio stations. By filling out a simple form that asks questions about your target audience, where you would like the ad to air and how often, if you have a script, and your call to action, which is what you expect from the listener, you will be able to reach them quickly and easily. Each time your ad is aired, you will be charged for it. You can choose in advance how many times you want it aired. When creating your radio ad, it is important to consider the following:
* Audience
* Call to action
* Interesting script that grabs people’s attention

11. TARGET YOUR AUDIENCE FOR BETTER TRAFFIC
Your audience is made up of the people who are the most interested in purchasing the goods and service you’re offering. If you have been tracking your Ad words campaigns, then you should have a good idea of where the bulk of your traffic is coming from. Target your audience based on location, their music preferences, and time of day they will most likely be listening to the radio.

12. USE CLEAR CALLS TO ACTION
Your ad must have a call to action in order to be successful. Even if the purpose of your ad is to persuade people to take advantage of an online sale, you must make this known. People are more apt to follow-through when they understand the intent of the ad



CREATE A WINNING SCRIPT WITH A PRO WRITER
IF creating a radio script seems overwhelming, Google has assembled a group of professional radio script writers who can develop a script based on what you want to include in the ad. When submitting your project, you will receive bids from various professionals. Depending on your budget and time constraints, you can choose the one that suits your needs.
Scripts will be sent to your account upon completion. All you have to do is upload them to the radio ads form provided. Actors are available to read the lines in your script. The use of actors is a free service provided by Google. Most radio stations provide this service for free as well.

TRACK YOUR RESULTS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE RESULTS
tracking when your ad aired, where it aired, and how often it airs are great tools to use when trying to find the best times to reach your audience. Use these tools to see where improvements can be made to will make your radio advertising campaign more effective.

THE FUTURE OF RADIO ADVERTISING
by making advertising on the radio less complicated, you may see an increase in the use of radio for advertising purposes. Most people listen to the radio at some point during the day, so it makes sense to target particular groups using a variety of advertising techniques including radio.
Web Profits specializes in search engine optimization, online marketing & web design, helping businesses generate profits from the Internet. For a free report on 'The Secrets of Online Marketing for Offline Businesses' visit Website Marketing

For over 15 years, Kristof Creative has been providing businesses of all sizes with company slogan development services. Over which time, we've created numerous business slogans and advertising taglines — samples of which can be viewed on the following pages?
STRATEGIC THINKING
Behind every great company slogan is strategic and knowledgeable thinking. Thinking that can only is obtained through the professional experience of working on a broad range of advertising and marketing projects — including slogan development. The thinking we will put into action for your company slogan project.
If you're looking to create a company slogan on your own,
Don't miss this incredible slogan creation resource.
SLOGAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
We have created an in-depth and defined project process that has been modified and honed over the years in order to produce the best results for your business.

BENEFITS
The benefits of our slogan creation services are many. The most important of which, you will get a highly focused and creative business slogan that will help communicate the benefits of your business services and/or products.

SLOGAN SAMPLES
For your convenience, we have divided the company slogan samples into their relavent categories. Please use the links listed in the right column to view the samples.

FROM IDEAS TO SCRIPT
Let's walk through the process of creating ideas. I'd compare it to driving your car in the morning. You get a spark of imagination, but you have to let it warm up a bit. Then you take off with your ideas and a destination in mind. From then on it's coasting.

First, you have to come up with an idea. It's hard to find them because good ideas spring up when you're off guard. The idea may be for an entire story or a short part. If it's a short part of your story, you can usually expand on that idea. I recommend you carry writing material with you to keep ideas on paper because they can be easily forgotten. Once the idea is recorded, you should elaborate on it.
The first goal when writing a story is to come up with a sentence that explains the story. This is easier said than done in some cases, so if you're boggled you should map out small ideas. Separate your movie into acts and write a summary of each act. Make sure to chronologically order events so it's easy to follow when you start writing your script. Outlining your story makes the scriptwriting process easier because you are able to synchronize parts. Now that you've got a synopsis of the story, and each act is summed up, you can begin writing the script. As you write there will be times you are stumped. The best solution when you're out of ideas is to do something besides work on your script. In fact, I would get away from anything digital or written for a while, but that's my personal opinion. Keep thoughts about the script in the back of your head, and you'll be surprised how quickly ideas will start generating in your mind. Don't be afraid to modify your ideas once they're on paper because revision is a large part of writing. Let's sum up how to pass from ideas to a script. By the way, you should try your best to get critiques on scripts. They can be harsh sometimes or wrong, but it's good to get other people's views because they might point out overlooked flaws or add beneficial ideas to your script:

Step 1: Get an idea
Step 2: Record the idea
Step 3: Take your idea and try to create a synopsis of the story. If your idea is for part a small section of the story, then build a story around the small section.
Step 4: Separate the story into acts, and summarize each act so it lines up with your idea in Step 3.
Step 5: Begin writing the script using the chronologically organized acts.
Step 6: Edit the script so it flows with your main idea.
Step 7: Ask for a critique

or some people just sit down and write without a plan and organize later. People have different ways to tackle writing, and whatever works best for you is the path you should take.
EMPHASIZING DRAMATIC MOMENTS

what goes into the scenes that inspire us, make us sad, excited, or startled? For example, the devastating scene in "Lord of the Rings" when Gandalf falls in the Mines of Moria, or in "Gladiator" when Maximus fights Commodus, and yells the names of his loved ones while slashing Commodus to the ground. Many elements work in a scene to yank at our emotions. Let's look at the factors that create these memorable scenes.

1) Characters
Think about all the movies you see. How many characters die that we don't remember? In action movies lots of people are killed. We hardly notice most of them. On the other hand, whenever the main character is injured, the audience should feel their pain. You want to make your audience love your characters as if they were real people. The more lovable and real your characters, the more they'll sway the audience's emotions. We're not talking only about main characters, but their friends and loved ones. Think about the Passion of the Christ. This is a moving movie, not only because people have connections to Jesus, but the character is real. He cries like us, he loves like no other, and he feels pain. The part of this movie which moved me was when Jesus drags the cross through the streets and sees his mother. He begins to yell her name. I was moved by this scene the most because he was more human to me than at any other part of the movie. I challenge you to do the following... make a villain that the audience loves, while making them love the protagonist. It can be done... perhaps one day I will prove it to you... unless you do it first.

2) Timing
Many times characters are tested in a major climactic moment. Aside from movies, remember Super Mario Brothers 3? Mario fights the little orange guys, then turtles, then the monsters in the castles... they are small parts of Mario's entire goal, which is to squash that nasty Bowser into the hard brick ground. The final battle with bowser is exhilarating. Mario has come a long way, and it is time to take the day! Memorable moments are timed so a major shift takes place at some point during the center of the story, the best friend of a character is killed off, a girl finds out the guy who made her popular did it for money. These trying times grab our attention because they stick out from other parts of the movie.

3) Extremes
Extremes are important when it comes to human emotions. The moments of greatest impact are when everything is going well, then falls apart (or the other way around). Think of when characters are cut down and defeated, but then their friend comes to save them, or a force helps them. For example, in "Lord of the Rings" when Helms-Deep is attacked, and the battle seems impossible to win, but army reinforcements come to save the day. The contrast of a heavy defeat with a solid victory made for a memorable moment.

4) Music
Using pictures alone has the ability to sway the audience's emotions, but combining sound and pictures takes people's emotions to the extreme. If you can find (or write) a fitting song then you can conquer the audience's emotions. I can't emphasize how important music is. Think about it's strategic use in movies. Watch a horror movie without sound. I promise it won't have a solid effect.
Don't Make Me Do Stuff
ANGLES HAVE MEANING

NOTE: THIS TUTORIAL IS CREATED FOR THOSE WHO ARE BOTH THE WRITER AND DIRECTOR, IF SENDING YOUR SCRIPT TO HOLLYWOOD IT'S BEST TO LEAVE CAMERA ANGLES OUT.

Sometimes we forget that words aren't our only way of depicting the story and giving dialogue. We can make a statement using the cameras...
A significant difference exists between novels/stories and scripts. Scripts have camera angles, which add an extra dimension to your writing. While watching a movie, we don't usually pay as much attention to camera angles as we do to the content of the film. Camera angles are underused, and I've read when sending scripts to places such as Hollywood it's looked down upon to put Camera angles and effects in the script. I'm not advocating overzealous use of angles within the script, but I condone Hollywood if they look down upon screenwriters inputting camera angles because, like artwork, the frame matters too. Let's think about how
camera angles can portray messages.

Here's an example, the villain of a story is being introduced. He's a
powerful and influential figure. How can we portray this quality using angles? Well, the camera could be near the ground level looking up towards the villain, thereby portraying his power and dominance. This effect could also be reversed (camera looking down on the figure from above) in order to show the villain's weaker henchmen.

Scripts where camera angles might be found abundantly, involve mysterious characters. The angles are used to hide the character, or show their P.O.V. (point of view) The point of view technique is great for helping the audience see a character's exact position. For example, in a gunfight, using P.O.V. to look around the corner, and see troops marching makes for a great shot. A question which often arises is what's that incredibly aggravating ANGLE ON which is used often in scripts? ANGLE ON is used when we want to tell the camera to focus on a certain object or character in a large setting. For example, when there is a close up shot, you can tell the camera to focus on something else.

Other terms leaving you baffled? Have no fear, visit HERE or http://www.simplyscripts.com/WR_glossary.html