How to Write a Commercial

30 seconds of salesmanship

Know Your Audience

• A commercial selling yachts will definitely be different than a commercial promoting specials at the local restaurant.

• Make sure you use words, phrases, and reasons that make sense to your audience.

Formulate your idea.

• Everyone in your group should contribute ideas. Be sure to listen to everyone respectfully.

• The commercial will be short, so pick one idea and stick to it.

Begin your first draft

• Radio ads are either fifteen, thirty or sixty seconds in length.

• You will create a commercial between 15 and 30 seconds long.

How long is a 30-second script for a radio ad?

• Think of a 30-second radio ad as two segments.

• The first segment emphasizes the product’s benefit, and the second segment closes the ad with your tagline.

Tagline

• A tag line is a memorable word or phrase that is associated with a product.

• While a tag line is not mandatory, a good tag line can go a long way in keeping your product in the mind of your audience.

Famous Taglines

• 7-Up The Uncola• Burger King Have it your way.• Nike Just do it.• L’Oreal Because you’re worth it.• Milk Council Got milk?

Insert the business name into the draft.

• Do this three times for thirty second commercials.

Grab the listeners’ attention.

• Tell the listener immediately what the product is and why he/she needs it.

• Remember that you need to mention the product’s name 3 times in the commercial

In segment two end the ad.

• Remind the listener again of the great points of your product.

• End the ad with a tagline or other memorable words.

Read the draft out loud with a stopwatch.

• Read at an even, realistic pace, and time how long the script runs.

• Add or delete words to get the commercial to the right length.

• Do not try to read faster, just read it as you would any script.

• (Use an on-line stopwatch)

Let the script sit for awhile.

• Everyone read the script to check for errors. • Edit it as necessary, but remember to time it

again once you are done.

Present the script to your editor for final approval.

• That would be me, Mrs. Wieseman

Resources• http://www.ehow.com/how_2002075_write-radio-ad.html• Man and child• http://annecammon.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/radio17w.130210441_std.JPEG

• Old Time Wooden Radio

• http://www.usc.edu/org/emeriti_center/rfa/images/OldTimeRadio.jpg

• the shadow• http://www.douglasjohnston.net/weblog/wp-content/shadow_wall1.jpg

• montage• http://americanelephant.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/old-time-radio.jpg

Resources• his master's voice• http://api.ning.com/files/

gATGG9hFq7KTOoil7vnP2*hs4C4V8GVzYmHApZFrbXxkohYMJ4vrgS37fLOhj04gwqd52ULVJ3wg79SE*LVyEfTdqR2qGbIk/HisMastersVoice.jpg

• new jello• http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/302236199_a3ab373ede_o.jpg

• gerber• http://www.the-forum.com/advert/images/gerber.JPG

Resources• hair wigs• http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/147842696_7f1c720b13.jpg

• babe ruth cola• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/hist490/1920S/1920SPHOTOS/baberuth/

1930sBabeUnderwear%255B1%255D.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/Hist427/427ads/427magazineads.htm&usg=__XlV8omoVKtlfQ3BtzooW1BLO9ho=&h=800&w=677&sz=161&hl=en&start=63&sig2=eGqNsrNmptaMr4jDXUZeCA&um=1&tbnid=mdDO5Gug6YnUHM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1930s%2Badver%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D42%26um%3D1&ei=_qXbSqa8CofiNcGjnbsG

• listerine• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/hist490/1920S/1920SPHOTOS/baberuth/

1930sBabeUnderwear%255B1%255D.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/Hist427/427ads/427magazineads.htm&usg=__XlV8omoVKtlfQ3BtzooW1BLO9ho=&h=800&w=677&sz=161&hl=en&start=63&sig2=eGqNsrNmptaMr4jDXUZeCA&um=1&tbnid=mdDO5Gug6YnUHM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1930s%2Badver%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D42%26um%3D1&ei=_qXbSqa8CofiNcGjnbsG

• mars bar• http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1160/1347373967_8a6ef38c98.jpg

Resources• coke early• http://www.blogcadre.com/files/images/soda_ad.thumbnail.jpg

• postum• http://www.old-time.com/commercials/1940%27s/Ad%20Postum.jpg

• pepsodent• http://purplemotes.net/extras/pepsodent.jpg

• cello girl• http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood.com/media/2006/01/cellogirl.jpg

• TV• http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/TV/TV04/TV0422-2-72dpi.jpeg

• 1951• http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/1343091908_5afd698e2e.jpg

Resources• old time radio detective stories• http://up2.podbean.com/image-logos/18360_logo.jpg

• family• http://gravesidetales.com/wp-content/uploads/radio_1.jpg

• cloak and dagger• http://up2.podbean.com/image-logos/34190_logo.jpg

• sherlock holmes hat and pipe• http://images.quickblogcast.com/94060-86797/Sherlockholmespipehat.jpg

• end wrinkles• http://www.creativelydifferentblinds.com/BlindImages/2787.jpg