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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
9. Creative Strategy:
Implementation and
Evaluation
outdated concern over the stigma of selling out to the
advertising world. As it becomes more difficult to get
airtime or become part of a radio station’s playlist,
many artists are finding that the exposure from commercials
can actually help sell their music. For example,
Sting sold the rights to his song “Desert Rose” to
Jaguar for a commercial in March 2000. The song,
which did not fit well with radio playlists, lingered on
Billboard’s top 100 list but didn’t become a hit until
the commercial started airing. “Start the Commotion”
by the Wiseguys was released in 1999 but didn’t hit
Billboard’s top 40 list until it was featured in a commercial
for the Mitsubishi Eclipse two years later. A
newly commissioned recording of “Ooh La La,” originally
performed by the Faces in 1973, is a key part of a
Mitsubishi Galant commercial, and sales of the song
have more than doubled since the ad debuted.
While more companies than ever are using music in
their ads, an important issue for all of them is using it
effectively and making sure the song fits with the
advertiser’s message. For example, Mitsubishi has
made music a key element of its commercials, which
usually show a group of young, fun adults in the car
Planning and Production of TV Commercials One of the first decisions
that has to be made in planning a TV commercial is the type of appeal and execution
style that will be used. Television is well suited to both rational and emotional advertising
appeals or combinations of the two. Various execution styles used with rational
appeals, such as a straight sell or announcement, demonstration, testimonial, or comparison,
work well on TV.
Advertisers recognize that they need to do more than talk about, demonstrate, or
compare their products or services. Their commercials have to break through the clutter
and grab viewers’ attention; they must often appeal to emotional, as well as rational,
buying motives. Television is essentially an entertainment medium, and many
advertisers recognize that their commercials are most successful when they entertain
as well as inform. Many of the most popular advertising campaigns are characterized
by commercials with strong entertainment value, like the “Whassup?” campaign for
Budweiser, the humorous “Got milk” ads, musical spots for the Gap, and the many
stylish and engaging Nike ads. Some of the most popular commercials recently have
been those created for Volkswagen’s “Drivers wanted” campaign, which explores drivers’
life experiences with their VWs 36 (Exhibit 9-25). TV is particularly well suited to
drama; no other advertising medium can touch emotions as well. Various emotional
appeals such as humor, fear, and fantasy work well on TV, as do dramatizations and
slice-of-life executions.
Planning the Commercial The various elements of a TV commercial are brought
together in a script, a written version of a commercial that provides a detailed description
of its video and audio content. The script shows the various audio components of
the commercial—the copy to be spoken by voices, the music, and sound effects. The
video portion of the script provides the visual plan of the commercial—camera actions
and angles, scenes, transitions, and other important descriptions. The script also shows
how the video corresponds to the audio portion of the commercial.
Once the basic script has been conceived, the writer and art director get together to
produce a storyboard, a series of drawings used to present the visual plan or layout of a
proposed commercial. The storyboard contains still drawings of the video scenes and
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
bopping to the beat or singing to the tunes of songs
such as “Start the Commotion” or “One Week” by the
Barenaked Ladies. An executive for the Deutsch
agency, which creates the ads, notes that the message
the ads want to communicate, without actually saying
it, is that “Cool people drive cool cars,” and this campaign
is about unspoken coolness. Apparently consumers
are getting the message from the music as the
coolness created by the ads has helped increase
awareness of the Mitsubishi brand and its appeal to
younger car buyers.
Watching television commercials these days is
almost like turning the radio dial as more songs, from
every kind of era and every kind of artist, can be heard
during the commercial breaks. And as more artists
open to the idea of having their music used in ads, it is
likely we will hear our favorite songs as part of the
pitch for a variety of products and services.
Sources: Donna De Marc, “TV Ads Go Pop,” Washington Times, May
12, 2002, p. A1; Jean Halliday, “Caddy Goes ‘Rock and Roll,’” Advertising
Age, Feb. 4, 2002, p. 3; Joe Urschel, “Three Words That Evolved
into a Corporate Hymn,” USA Today, Feb. 19, 1996. p. 6B.
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