TVC: Future of TV advertisements

Future of TV advertisements

Though advertisements for cigarettes are banned in many countries, advertisements can still occur by the broadcast of race events.

The introduction of digital video recorders (also know as digital television recorders or DTRs), such as TiVo, and services like Sky+, Dish Network and Astro MAX, which allow the recording of television programs onto a hard drive, also enable viewers to fast-forward or automatically skipthrough advertisements of recorded programs.

There is speculation that television advertisements are threatened by digital video recorders as viewers choose not to watch them. However evidence from the UK shows that this is so far not the case. At the end of 2008 22 per cent of UK households had a DTR. The majority of these households had Sky+ and data from these homes (collected via the SkyView^[15] panel of more than 33,000) shows that, once a household gets a DTR, they watch 17 per cent more television. 82 per cent of their viewing is to normal, linear, broadcast TV without fast-forwarding the ads. In the 18 per cent of TV viewing that is time-shifted (i.e. not watched as live broadcast), viewers still watch 30 per cent of the ads at normal speed. Overall, the extra viewing encouraged by owning a DTR results in viewers watching 2 per cent more ads at normal speed than they did before the DTR was installed.

The SkyView evidence is reinforced by studies on actual DTR behaviour by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) and the London Business School.

Other forms of TV advertising include Product placement advertising in the TV shows themselves. For example, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition advertises Sears, Kenmore, and Home Depot by specifically using products from these companies, and some sports events like the Sprint Cup of NASCAR are named after sponsors, and of course, race cars are frequently covered in advertisements. Incidentally, many major sporting venues, in North America at least, are named for commercial companies, dating back as far asWrigley Field. Television programs delivered through new mediums such as streaming online video also bring different possibilities to the traditional methods of generating revenue from television advertising.^[16]

Another type of advertisement shown more and more, mostly for advertising TV shows on the same channel, is an ad overlay at the bottom of the TV screen, which blocks out some of the picture. "Banners", or "Logo Bugs", as they are called, are referred to by media companies as Secondary Events (2E). This is done in much the same way as a severe weather warning is done, only these happen more frequently. they may sometimes take up only 5 to 10 percent of the screen, but in the extreme, they can take up as much as 25 percent of the viewing area. Subtitles that are part of the program content can be completely obscured by banners. Some even make noise or move across the screen. One example is the 2E ads for Three Moons Over Milford, which was broadcast in the months before the TV show's premiere. A video taking up approximately 25 percent of the bottom-left portion of the screen would show a comet impacting into the moon with an accompanying explosion, during another television program.

Google's Eric Schmidt has announced plans to enter the television ad delivery and optimization business. This is despite the fact that Google only has a text advertising business model at present. There are few details in place about how this may occur, but some have speculated that they will use a similar model to that of their business strategy directed at radio broadcast, which included the acquisition of operations system support provider.^[17][18]

Online video directories are an emerging form of interactive advertising, which help in recalling and responding to advertising produced primarily for television. These directories also have the potential to offer other value-added services, such as response sheets and click-to-call, which greatly enhance the scope of the interaction with the brand.

During the 2008-09 TV season, Fox experimented with a new strategy, which the network dubbed "Remote-Free TV". Episodes ofFringe and Dollhouse contained approximately ten minutes of commercials, four to six minutes fewer than other hour-long programs. Fox stated that shorter commercial breaks keep viewers more engaged and improve brand recall for advertisers, as well as reducing channel surfing and fast-forwarding past the ads. However, the strategy was not as successful as the network had hoped and it is unclear whether it will be continued into the next season.

Brand Building: Title sponsor and Product placement

宮心計與霸王

宮心計大結局取得50點收視，是近期最hit的電視節目，這幾個禮拜，很多廣告客戶都要求廣告在宮心計時段內播出。唯一不用擔心要以高價入spot的廣告商，便是宮心計的冠名贊助霸王洗頭水。

霸王做title sponsor，應該是不錯的投資。宮心計跑出，不知是否意料之外，反正收視越高，廣告商就越有利。冠名贊助對霸王來說，還有spillover effect，即是在廣東省收看的觀眾，仍會看到節目中出現的霸王商標，不像廣告時段中的廣告在當地的訊號中被插播了當地廣告。即使在香港，霸王的5秒廣告總是在廣告時段的最前或最後的最佳位置出現，比起入regular spot又更著數。

然而，對於已經頗有名氣的品牌來說，這類型的冠名贊助對品牌並沒有太大幫助。因為這類冠名就真的只是冠「名」，提升知名度有餘，卻無法增加消費者對品牌的好感。反而，一些知名度較低的品牌，可以藉贊助來踏出brand building的第一步，即是建立知名度。

假如所贊助的項目或節目有質素，往往更會為不知名的品牌帶來一種有quality的感覺。例如BenQ、Samsung等台灣和韓國品牌打進國際市場時，便以贊助世界盃、歐洲國家盃、奧運等大型賽事，提升品牌知名度，成效不錯。

除了title sponsorship，另一種更加能提升brand equity的手法是product placement。好的product placement當然不是像在TVB處境喜劇內，將產品變成「背景道具」那麼表面。正在上映的電影「2012」，戲中便有名貴汽車Bentley的product placement。那一幕是這樣的，億萬富豪逃難，在危急關頭要坐上汽車逃命，正當車上各人包括司機都手忙腳亂無法噠著部車之際，億萬富豪喝停眾人，在寧靜的環境中以聲控解鎖，汽車隨即噠著。雖然Bentley不是title sponsor，但這個product placement的效果，卻遠比title sponsor好。既能讓觀眾留意到Bentley這個品牌，更能為這個名字賦予豪華、高科技、保安系統出色等正面的感覺。

本地電視劇的product placement很多時只停留在表面，真正能帶動品牌的product placement，應是潛意識的軟銷。外國很多名牌時裝、名表、名車都以類似的手法贊助電影與電視，而製作單位包括編劇亦能配合品牌需要，度身訂造內容，香港在這方面顯然還有待改進。

TVC

Television advertisement

"Commercial Break" redirects here. For the song by Chumbawamba, see Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records.
A television advertisement or television commercial – often just commercial or TV ad (US), or advert or ad (UK/US), or ad-film (India) – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organisation that conveys a message. Advertisement revenue provides a significant portion of the funding for most privately owned television networks. The vast majority of television advertisements today consist of brief advertising spots, ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes (as well as program-length infomercials). Advertisements of this sort have been used to sell every product imaginable over the years, from household products to goods and services, to political campaigns.

The effect of television advertisements upon the viewing public has been so successful and so pervasive that in some countries, like the United States, it is considered impossible for a politician to wage a successful election campaign without the purchase of television advertising. In other countries, such as France, political advertising in television is strictly restricted,[1] and some, like Norway, even completely ban it.


Characteristics

Many television advertisements feature catchy jingles (songs or melodies) or catch-phrases (slogan) that generate sustained appeal, which may remain in the minds of television viewers long after the span of the advertising campaign. Some of these ad jingles or catch-phrases may take on lives of their own, spawning gags or "riffs" that may appear in other forms of media, such as comedy movies or television variety shows, or in written media, such as magazine comics or literature. These long-lasting advertising elements may therefore be said to have taken a place in the pop culture history of the demographic to which they have appeared. One such example is the enduring phrase, "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should," from the eighteen-year advertising campaign for Winston cigarettes from the 1950s to the 1970s. Variations of this catchy dialogue and direct references to it appeared even as long as two decades after the ad campaign expired. Another is, "Where's the Beef?", which grew so popular that it was used in the 1984 presidential election by Walter Mondale. And yet another popular catch-phrase is "I've fallen and I can't get up", which still appears occasionally, decades after its first use.

Advertising agencies often use humor as a tool in their creative marketing campaigns. In fact, many psychological studies tried to demonstrate the effect of humour and indicate the way to empower advertising persuasion.


An animated TV advertisementAnimation is often used in advertisements. The pictures can vary from hand-drawn traditional animation to computer animation. By using animated characters, an advertisement may have a certain appeal that is difficult to achieve with actors or mere product displays. For this reason, an animated advertisement (or a series of such advertisements) can be very long-running, several decades in many instances. A notable example is the series of advertisements for Kellogg's cereals, starring Snap, Crackle and Pop. The animation is often combined with real actors.

Other long-running ad campaigns catch people by surprise, or even tricking the viewer, such as the Energizer Bunny advertisement series. It started in the late 1980s as a simple comparison advertisement, where a room full of battery-operated bunnies was seen pounding their drums, all slowing down...except one, with the Energizer battery. Years later, a revised version of this seminal advertisement had the Energizer bunny escaping the stage and moving on (according to the announcer, he "keeps going and going and going..."). This was followed by what appeared to be another advertisement: viewers were oblivious to the fact that the following "advertisement" was actually a parody of other well-known advertisements until the Energizer bunny suddenly intrudes on the situation, with the announcer saying "Still going..." (the Energizer Battery Company's way of emphasizing that their battery lasts longer than other leading batteries). This ad campaign lasted for nearly fifteen years. The Energizer Bunny series has itself been imitated by others, via a Coors Light Beer advertisement, in motion pictures, and even by current advertisements by Geico Insurance.

PPM: pre-production meeting

PPM即是pre-production meeting，一般在拍廣告片或廣告硬照前，導演或攝影師都會與廣告公司和客戶開會，解決製作方向的問題。但不同的公司有不同的風格，有些公司/導演/攝影師會巨細無遺的將每項製作細節交代清楚，也有option供客戶選擇；有些則只有草草幾張reference，要大家用想像和信任行事。

以下是一些基本的電視廣告片PPM項目，大家可以了解一下，再在不同的PPM上學習適應不同的工作風格。

Director Treatment: 一般情況下，導演會先講述對故事板的個人觀感，然後闡釋準備如何演繹故事板，希望突出的地方及整體的觀感等。部分導演更會以文字寫出來，放在文件裡。

Shooting Board: 這與Storyboard並不一樣，雖然有些時候可以把故事板當作Shooting Board。Shooting Board是經導演消化後的故事板，Storyboard以交代故事概念為主，Shooting Board則詳列拍攝的分鏡細節，拍攝角度等，所以大部分情況Shooting Board都比Storyboard較詳細。

Tone Reference: 同一個故事可以拍攝出不同的格調，導演會以不同的參考材料，例如其他廣告片、電影片段，甚至雜誌上的相片，解釋畫面的格調。

Pack Shot Reference: 由於一般客戶較重視產品本身的拍攝效果，有些導演會仔細交代拍攝產品的角度、方法、擺放位置、商標展示效果等。若由演員使用有關產品，更會討論演員的表情、使用手法等影響觀眾對有關產品印象的細節。

Location: 若拍攝需要外景，便會交代現場環境，拍攝角度，拍攝時間，場地安排等細節。

Props: 主要道具

Talent Casting: 主要演員的選角，除了候選演員的Comp Card或相片外，還會有試鏡片段。

Wardrobe Reference: 大部分的廣告片製作都會特別為演員購買或訂造服裝，在購買或訂造前，製片公司會提供建議服飾的相片。若未能拍到實際服飾的相片，則會提供款式類似的圖片，以作參考。

Make Up Reference: 化妝形象會以圖片作參考

Hair Reference: 髮型亦會以圖片作參考

Music Reference: 若非直接購買歌曲版權，創作人員便會提供背景音樂參考

V/O Talent: 創作人員會提供旁白或演員配音的候選配音員聲帶

Production Schedule: 製作進度時間表

一些製作甚至會開幾次PPM，大家在電視上看到的廣告片，其實經過很多人的努力才出街的！

Brand Building: Brand Promise

找尋卓越品牌和作出品牌承諾

要塑造品牌，首先要確定自己的價值觀(values)和你的「顧客」的價值觀，把你的價值觀融入你的工作和個人的生活中，使之與你的「顧客」的價值觀建立內在關係， 確立你的品牌基石。 要能達此，　你就必須尋找出你的工作的深層意義，並以之突顯於「顧客」眼前，以奪取其心。作者倆以美國幾家有名的機構如何表達其產品的深層意義，以來闡揚其價值觀：

• 以製造心臟起搏器(heart pacemaker)聞名的美國醫迪電子公司(Meditronic)的員工認為，該公司的業務意義在當有需要的時候，使醫療技術成為生命的支柱。

• FedEx的工作核心不在分類包裹，而在確保某人一定能及時地收到他急需的東西。

• 美國鋁業公司(Alcoa)的業務宗旨不在搞金屬生意，而在開發一種材料，幫助人們提高其生活素質。

了解品牌任務的深層意義，對維繫個人在品牌營造和管理的決心有重大的影響。 以地政工作中的「丁屋」審核工作為例，若地政主任認為審核丁屋的工作，是為了履行政府的承諾、原居民在憲法上的權利、維持中國鄉村傳統、解決原居民的房屋要求… 等等，他們就不會認為「丁屋」制度是不公義的制度，那麼，他們在該方面的績效就一定大大地改善。

有效的品牌，一定是令人們感覺到是「貨真價實」的。 這樣，「品牌主」就有需要作出一定的品牌承諾，並要確保其履行，乃至使人們對它記掛、信任、覺到有持續的需要，甚至感到它不可或缺、價值非凡！

個人品牌承諾，是一種聲明，用來對自己強調，自己在品牌方面的努力必須能滿足「顧客」各種的需要，說明你想如何用自己的決定和行為來有力地影響他人。 闡明品牌承諾可幫助你集中精力，努力滿足他人的各種需要。

應在此強調品牌承諾，只應是一簡短的聲明，把個人目標和品牌承諾的內容，使之濃縮到數個(英語)詞中。 能做到這樣的話，人們就能聚焦地體會到承諾的內容，並因此而可彰顯出「品牌主」對維持實現承諾的決心，使人印象深刻。 美國聯邦快遞的“An unrelenting commitment to deliver” (「不屈不撓的遞送承諾」)、Jeannie Seeley-Smith的“The insight to guide, the compassion to inspire” (「以洞察力作指導，以同情心為啟示」)、和 James Scothorn 的 “Do it right for the right reasons” (「理由正確，就將它做好」)， … 都是經典之作。

個人品牌承諾不僅成為「品牌主」的方向指導，也是其品牌素質標準的保證，更是驅使「品牌主」朝向成功的「圖騰」。 當「品牌主」在某些時候心存疑慮或猶豫不決時，望著該「圖騰」就可掃除一切疑慮或阻礙，邁步向前！