Practice Shaving Time From Commercials
Posted by David Huffman on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 @ 03:27 PM
By Phil Brown
Ohio Center for Broadcasting
Cincinnati, OH Campus
brown.p@beonair.com
Ever tried turning a :60 commercial into a :30…into a :15…into a :05?
With commercial copywriting, we are faced with taking copy points a client has set forth, and are compelled to turning those points into results driven memorable entertainment!
Sometimes the client has written the copy for you…but in most cases, you have to write the copy yourself. At times, this can be challenging with what you’re given to go on.
In years past, most commercial radio copy was for a :60 spot. Most people remember the first and last things they’ve heard, let alone what was in the middle. Presently, the :60 commercial isn’t heard too often.
The concept being that Less is More.
By removing the fluff and clutter and focusing on one thing or concept, retention of the message increases dramatically! Give yourself the challenge…take a :60 spot, reduce it down to a :30 but still get the message across. You will find it’s typically easy to get rid of clichés, crutch words, fluff, etc.
Keep this thought in your head when you’re writing: The mind does not like clutter.
Keep it simple and at the same time find emotion, find a slice of life, find something that someone can relate to. Tug on the heart-strings of the mind.
Now, take that :30 and reduce it down even further to a :15 spot. Lastly? Reduce it to a :05. You’ll see that you’re forced to really think and focus on the one thing that the client wants to have in their message to the consumer.
By practicing this exercise when you write, you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll become at being able to deliver precise, concise results driven commercials.
Image credit: SuperDe1uxe