What’s your first thought when you see a great commercial? Are you curious? Excited that it’s not an annoying one that you want to skip? Do you immediately look up the brand that produced it? At ColinKurtis Advertising, we love creating compelling commercials that tell a story. From understanding the brand you’re working with to launching the final product, here’s a step-by-step guide on ways to bring your concept to life on the big screen.
Understanding the Why
Whether you’re on the creative side or client side, begin by immersing yourself in the brand. Understand its core values, unique selling propositions and the overall identity that sets this brand apart. This foundational step ensures that your commercial aligns seamlessly with the brand’s personality.
Once you have that down, begin conducting thorough market research to identify:
- Trends
- Consumer behavior
- Competitor strategies
This will help you uncover opportunities within the industry landscape to position the brand uniquely.
Establishing a Core Message
Finding the central message of your commercial is the next step. Think about the one thing that makes the brand special and worth remembering.
Keep your target market in mind as well as the length of the commercial. With TV commercials averaging between 15-60 seconds, it can be a challenge to fit an entire story, so be aware of your core message at all times throughout the creation process. Additionally, when you think of the streaming services that now dominate the TV advertising landscape, it’s important to note how these services are great ways to find your target audience, as viewers are able to customize their viewing experience.
Brainstorming for Brilliance
Here comes the fun part! Gather your creative team for a brainstorming session—virtually or in person. When you’re generating ideas, remember that no idea is a bad one, especially if it aligns with the core message and is on-brand. Write everything down either in a document or on a whiteboard, to keep track of the options.
Always remember to consider various concepts, keeping in mind the tone, style and emotions you want to convey in the commercial.
Weaving the Narratives
Whether it’s a linear story or a series of connected moments, the storyline should be compelling and relatable.
During this process, it’s crucial that your team considers the types of imagery and messaging. To support this and to develop and organized flow, try:
- Starting a draft script to pinpoint the story
- Creating a mood board with images to consider
When it comes to script writing, again, remember you only have 15-60 seconds to tell this story. Every word—and image—chosen in the final version MUST count.
Ready, Set, Produce
Bring together a team of creatives, including directors, copywriters, videographers and editors. Each member plays a crucial role in translating the script into a visually stunning and cohesive commercial.
To set the stage and plan every detail of the commercial’s production, seamless collaboration between team members is required. For example, in one of our latest TV advertising commercial shoots, the ColinKurtis team assembled at the crack of dawn to hang historical images in an industrial building. This teamwork helped keep production on time as well as ensured the scene was set exactly the way we (and the client) envisioned it!
This detail-oriented process brings up another key aspect of planning the commercial production. In order to successfully stay on time and budget, choosing the location, props and talent (voice actors and stunt performers, if required) will help your team experience a smooth and organized shoot.
From the Stage to Life
Now that you have everything meticulously planned (and the venue booked), it’s time for execution! In this phase, your team will capture the visuals, scenes and moments according to the script. Here, the footage should align with the creative vision chosen in the earlier stages, where you establish the ‘why’ and the story you want to tell.
Once the initial footage is captured, it will need polishing before releasing it into the world. Consider adding effect such as:
- Music
- Graphics
- Any visual effects or animation
Hello, New Commercial
Time for the grand reveal! Release the final product across various channels, including television networks and online platforms, to reach the intended audience. Also be sure to add it to the brand’s website to increase engagement as well as writing a blog and email newsletter to share it with more potential viewers.
Over time, monitor its performance and be prepared to adjust your strategy based on real-world responses.
Your Go-To Commercial Partner
Producing a compelling commercial takes a creative village. That’s why it can be beneficial to seek an agency that serves as an extension of your team and can provide skills or expertise that you may not have on your immediate team. ColinKurtis has over 25 years of experience helping brands customize their brand storytelling and creating commercials that leave a lasting impact.
Want to learn more about ColinKurtis and how our creative team is equipped for your marketing success? Contact Mitch Robinson at Mitch@colinkurtis.com or call 815-965-6657 EXT. 1.
Blog post from:
Debra Tucker
Vice President, Creative Director
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