DDB Vice President, Director of TV & RADIO Mr.Don Trevor(in 1968)
As you well know, the most important ingredient in a commercial is the concept or the idea.
If the concept is good, the chances are that the commercial will be good.
If the concept is poor, the chances are that, no matter how well the commercial is produced, it will still be a mediocre commercial.
Ideally,\ the best commercial is a combination of a great concept with beautiful execution which will make the viewer react and propel him to go out and try the client's product.
Essentially, that's what a good commercial should doit should sell.
The greatest waste in America today is the money spent on ineffective advertising.
If you have a bad ad in Life Magazine, you have spent $50,000 for that space.
If. however, you have a bad ad on television (on a one hour Special), you might have spent $425,000 excluding production costs.
Let's take a typical American viewing home: husband, wife and two children living in the mid-West.
They live in a modern, complicated world.
They read the morning newspaper, read the news---there is always an uncertainty in the Viet Nam situation, taxes might be
increased, etc.---one of your children just woke up with the sniffles, your mother-in-law is coming for dinner and you're late for the sales meeting with your boss.
Now, this is a family that we want to reach with our advertising message.
He is in the right income bracket for our product---but how do we reach him?
Research shows that, in this particular home, the television set is on for 5~ hours per day, the radio is in use for 1/2 hours a day, 45 minutes are devoted to newspaper reading, and 30 minutes are devoted to magazine reading.
Everyday, there are about 1200 potential advertising impressions that are thrown at this typical Jones family in the mid-West.
The morning newspaper is full of ads.
As he takes the bus to the office, he is bombarded by ads and messages, the radio in the car blares at him and everybody says,
"listen to me, look at me, I'm the best, buy me".
So, my question is,
"how do you cut through all this with your particular message?"
Well, I wish I knew the answer.
There is no fool-proof formula, no research that can prove to you that one concept is right.
Research can explore some of the implications of a creative concept or research can point out what information is necessary or relevant to making a decision about various creative concepts.
But research cannot tell which creative concept is right.
The creative concept becomes meaningful and takes on life only when it's executed.
Advertising is not a precise science.
What we must do is treat our viewer as an equal.
Don't talk down to him, appeal to him on a high level of intelligence.
Therefore, our commercials must be truthful, believable and simple.
Let's take the last ingredient first.
Simplicity.
What is simplicity?
I went to Webster's Dictionary and I looked up what simplicity means.
Here it is-it's very interesting.
Webster's definition is: freedom from pretense or guile ... candor .•. directness of expression... clarity ... restraint in ornamentation... plainness.
End of quote from Webster.
Now we're getting a little closer to television.
So why don't we discuss simplicity in relationship to commercials first.
ROLL VOLKSWAGEN "SEE" COMMERCIAL
(In a white backing, it is a film only of advancement and the retreat of the beetle. )
Announcer;"A VW can go gorwardad, and can bsckward. If it is possible to stop, it is possible to start. It can go uphill, and downhill. It can go fast..or slow. Will it be wonderful?"
A VW can go gorwardad, and can bsckward.
It can go fast, or slow.
it can go uphill, downhill.
and turn around, Isn't that wonderful?
Now, you must admit this si simple.
Let me give you another demonstration of graphic simplicity of a very complicated story and let me show you how it was handled,
ROLL VOLKSWAGEN "BOX" COMMERCIAL
(If the box is made with the cardboard, the seat and the roof are installed on it, the window is opened, and the wheel cap that attaches the mark of VW is fixed, become VW Station Wagon.)
【chuukyuu c.f.】I for your information post the printed advertisement that became the radical of this idea as help that you imagine the screen.
This is scheduled to be exchanged when the actual thing of the commercial is obtained.
Got a lot to carry? Get abox.
Now add a few seats Say 8. Make an aisle youy can walk to the back.
Cut a hole in the roof to the sun in. Windows? At least 23. Door? 5 should do.
Front it up and what have you got? The whole idea behind the Volkswagen Station Wagon.
Let me give you another sample of something.
We had a problem.
One of our clients is Heinz and we have to sell ketchup.
Well, all ketchups are alike.
They all taste alike, the base is the same---it's tomato---so how do you find the hook that makes this one ketchup more desirable than the other ones?
The simple hook---the simple idea---the one idea that can really sell this product.
Well, we took our Heinz and we took other bottles and played around.
We tasted it and we found no difference.
We put it on hamburgers---we put it on frankfurters---nothing.
So we suddenly had an idea. Here it is.
ROLL HEINZ KETCHUP "RACE" COMMERCIAL
(film only of copy of making two tomato ketchup inverted, flowing, and going out)
Announcer;" ”It is a competition for catsup famous to follow it with Heinz. It was early that it was not [hainso]. It is an early defeat in this race though dances. Delicious of Heinz is thick. ”
So much for simplicity.
The last two commercials were actually two very simple demonstrations.
A demonstration is one of the most believable ways to ~how your superiority over your competitor's product.
If you are lucky enough to have a product with a difference that can be demonstrated visually.
a good demonstration can be extremely effective.
【chuukyuu c.f.】I for your information post the printed advertisement that became the radical of this idea as help that you imagine the screen.
continue to tomorrow.
