COMEDY COMMERCIALS
Commercial Video Production
Commercial Video Production For Your Product or Service
When you do marketing for any brand, there are many things on your mind. Visibility, accessibility, increasing sales or conversions, and brand identity. You want a company that understands Commercial Video Production best practices and how to specifically apply them to your brand and products. At Brainiac, we work with you closely to understand your products and how to best create content that will captivate audiences on the right platforms.
You want a video production agency who will guide you through writing, pre production, shooting, post production and even optimization to reach your target audience on your entire video marketing campaign. A high quality video is necessary ti further brand awareness and build an emotional connection between the potential customer and your brand.
Whether your ad is for Broadcast or Vertical Social Media, we got you covered. Book an appointment below to find out more about how Brainiac can help you today.
What are Commercial Video Production Best Practices?
Get attention in the first three seconds
Properly show what product is useful for
Have a strong call-to-action
For Broadcast and Programmatic they should be 30 seconds exactly
For Youtube, they should be 30 seconds to 1 minute
For organic social media, they should be 13 seconds
For paid social ads they should be 30 seconds or less
Feature brand identity
How do you come up with the concept behind the best commercial video production?
A number of factors help us work with you to decide on the best creative direction for your commercial.
Who the buyer is:
Who the buyer is determines many things. When we know the age, gender, location, income level, and any other relevant factors about the target buyer, we are able to understand the approach. This information informs the genre of the commercial, the platforms to reach the viewer on, and the structure of the commercial. This information also helps us determine casting, location, props and many other factors of the overall creative direction.
What genre of commercial is appropriate for the product?
If the product is for enjoyment, then an entertaining advertisement is necessary. Snacks, beverages, toys, entertainment products, and other enjoyable products need a feeling of excitement or humor to grab attention.
If the product is meant to improve functionality or save time, cutting straight to the chase is likely the best approach. Don’t waste time trying to entertain if the product is meant to instantly solve a problem.
What platform will it run on?
The platform will determine everything from runtime to structure. If the video is intended for broadcast or programmatic streaming (platforms live Amazon Video Prime or Paramount Plus, Peacock, etc) the video should be thirty seconds.
When you are on a platform like this, remember there is no click-through to buy online, so putting a QR code in the corner of the screen or web address is crucial if you intend for people to make a purchase while viewing. If the commercial is for brand visibility (where they later buy it at a store) and you plan on running it until they remember you amongst the pack, than you don’t need to ad anything that distracts from the visuals.
If the video is for YouTube, it can be as long as you’d like however keep in mind that viewer retention impacts the video SEO (how easy it is for people to find it when searching) and even the ad rate, so don’t waste time or it simply will be hard to find online. Getting to the point is key, as many times the ad is skippable, so you want to let the viewer know everything you can about the product within the first few seconds. Long-winded storytelling is fine, but make sure and open on the product before you get into the story, if this is the destination of your commercial.
When doing commercial video production for social media, if it is meant to organically travel, make the video between six seconds to fifteen seconds. Longer when running paid ads, yet you want to remember to connect your Shopify store or other e-commerce platform to the social network for an increased chance at sales.
Is the product hard to understand or easy?
If the product is a new invention or difficult to understand, then avoid going into super creative storytelling. Just make sure and explain all features, and problems it solves and communicate as directly and quickly as possible.
If the product is something the viewer is already aware of or solves a problem they are aware of, you can have more fun with the commercial, yet make sure that they stool know what the commercial is about at the very beginning.
Is the product singular or part of a bigger selection from the brand
When promoting multiple products, put the brand to the forefront. When promoting a single product, make the brand clear yet put the singular product as the focus. At all times, try to make sure you are representing the buyer and the location it would be used in clearly. Most people watch commercials and videos with the sound off, even on their phones, so make sure the visuals tell the story very well.
What the production budget is:
Brainiac has options for many different budget sizes. If your budget is limited you can use our in-house locations and free locations and one actor to communicate your message and product info. If your budget is larger, multiple actors and multiple locations can bring a lot of production value.
No matter which budget level you choose, it will look and sound great. However, larger budgets can afford multiple types of people who can represent the diversity of buyers the brand seeks to sell to. At the beginning of your consultation, let the company know your max spend budget and a plan will be developed to suit the budget level.
Best practices and tips for each type of product
Brainiac offers commercials for just about every product type you can think of. Here are a few best practices and tips for each type.
Commercial Video Production for food and snacks
The type of food product you are selling will determine the type of advertisement you make. Cast actors who look like your consumers and have them do activities appropriate to that type of product. If you are a health food snack or organic snack, healthy lifestyle activities and exercise is key to show in the commercial.
If the product product is for comfort food, then showing family and friends enjoying each other's company helps make the product feel like it accompanies the most important parts of life. There is always a fantastic angle to help make your product feel relatable, and Brainiac is here to help you brainstorm it.
Consumer Electronics and Gadgets
Lifestyle, Product Demonstration and Technical highlights are always going to be a part of these kinds of commercials. Use very clear information about tech specifications and advantage points while keeping the product feeling relevant. Keep the price point in mind when choosing the location. If the product is expensive, show it in an expensive loft. If the product is value-based, show it out in the real world or locations that the consumer is most likely to be in. Don’t be afraid to show affordable headphones at a bus stop or train station, as relatable shots will catch the eye of your target consumer amidst the noise of falsehoods.
Clothing and Apparel and Personal Care
Use appropriate models, price-point-appropriate locations, and messaging that the target consumer can relate to. If it is a value-based brand, show it in the real world. If it's an expensive brand, use clean and simple aesthetics. The number one rule is to keep the consumer's mindset in mind, and portray it in the attitudes of the models and actors who are wearing the clothes.
Home and Garden Tools
Product demonstrations in great locations is key. Explain the advantages and sell, sell, sell the value propositions. Features should be boldly called out and everything should be communicated visually, as of often the sound is off or not paid attention to. Make sure and communicate all features and use actors who look like the type of person most likely to use it. You don't supermodels always on these, you need relatable characters.
Supplements and Wellness
Show the lifestyle your consumer wants. Filled with energy. Happy, complete. Yet also make sure the video is clearly labeled and has any legal information that protects you from breaking FDA laws regarding false claims or disputable information. Run these scripts past your lawyer, as it is up to the brand to make sure all information in these ads is law-abiding. Marketing the benefits of all natural products can heavily appeal to certain types of viewers as you can see below.
Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
Health and pharma commercials require sensitivity and the ability to destigmatize the content. Being overly heavy or emotional will be a turn-off when dealing with touchy subject matters. Brainiac helps you identify the perfect tone for your health, wellness or pharma product.
Other Types of Products
There are dozens of best practices for each type of product and Brainiac can take you from start to finish with your specific type of product, developing the perfect, approach, style tone, and messaging.
Grab a consultation below and we’ll get you and your brand into motion right away.