Five Reasons to Appear in Your Own Commercials

Turn on your radio or watch TV tonight and I guarantee you’ll come across a plethora of spots in which the owner of a business acts as his or her own spokesperson. 

Thought is divided on the topic – there are solid reasons to do your own pitch, and reasons that are just as solid for not being your own brand ambassador. 

In this week’s article, we take a look at five reasons why it’s a good idea to appear in your own commercials.

Could you be this guy?

1.    Enthusiasm and sincerity.  It’s your company, your brand, your service, and your success on the line.  If you truly believe in what you’re doing then nobody can talk about it, explain it, or sell it as well as you.  Nobody else will appear as sincere or enthusiastic about it as you will, and your enthusiasm will perceived by the audience and motivate them.  Example from the past:  Victor Kiam's "I bought the company" spots for  Remington Shavers.

2.    Credibility.  There’s a reason why lawyers do their own spots.  The most important tool a lawyer has is credibility.  Lawyers who advertise on TV have one strike against them already --  advertising on TV for years has been frowned upon by the legal profession, and many people who see ads for attorneys who specialize in personal injury cases laugh at them.  That is, until they have their own accident.  Then it’s the attorney who seems most competent and experienced they call.  In the Boston area, Attorney Jim Sokolove does a pretty good job of appearing competent and serious.  (Here is  a Jim Sokolove TV spot.)

3.    Personality.  If you’ve got a big personality then doing your own spots is a natural.  Every brand has its own personality, and if you’re the kind of guy or gal that people are naturally drawn to, that personality might as well be your own.  This is great for car dealers like Ernie Boch  (Senior was better at it than Junior is, but Junior is coming along.)   (Here's a vintage Ernie Boch spot from the '60s.)

4.    You can’t quit.  You won’t be threatening to quit if you don’t get more money.  When a company uses a paid spokesperson it’s public image is tied to that person.  If the spots are successful at promoting your business it’s a safe bet that your public spokesperson will be wanting more money for the next go-round. 

5.    Cost.  This is simple.  It’s cheaper to do your own spots. 

When it’s time to plan your next ad campaign, think about your intent – how you plan to portray your product, service, or company.  If you’re up against cost issues, or you need to establish credibility, sincerity, or a personality for your brand, appearing in your own advertisements might be the way to go. 

Next week we’ll take a look at the other side of the coin and look at some good reasons not to star in your own commercials, so please check BullShots! next week. 

Who’s your favorite TV spokesperson?  Let us know!  Your comments and links to this blog are appreciated!  Thanks for reading BullShots!

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Brown Cow Studios of Boston produces radio, TV and Internet commercials

that establish brands and drive in business.

How can we help you? – Get in touch with Fred Pagano today.

Video Needs an Emotional Connection

My favorite TV show of this year's spring/summer season has to be The Next Food Network Star.  Last night the winner was announced, and while watching I found myself so invested in the show’s characters that I was moved to tears.

I don't usually do this, but throughout the season I found myself logging onto the Food Network website and voting for young chef, Justin Warner.

Justin's back story about his deceased father’s mentoring and encouragement to follow his own unique drummer struck a powerful chord in me.  As I heard him tell of his father's influence I found myself getting teary eyed.

But Justin wasn't the only Food Star contestant to move me.  Another, Yvan Lemoine, moved me with tales of his immigrant family gathering food from dumpsters behind supermarkets. "We would peel off the outer leaves and eat the rest — and I thought it was fun!  It was like a game," he said.  "And now I'm on Food Network Star!"And I thought my life was tough ...

Jake Harris of the FV Cornelia Marie

Here's another example, this time from The Deadliest Catch.  The character that moves me:  Jake Harris.  Drug problems.  Rehab.  When his father passes away, he and his brother try to carry on the family tradition of crab fishing.  Since neither is a qualified sea captain, they hire a skipper and work for him — even though they own the boat!  But it's bad fishing and clearly the hired captain is a bad fit, so the brothers let him go.  The captain's final act?  Revenge!  He calls the police on his former employer and tries to get him arrested for drug possession.

Every episode, my heart goes out to Jake.  I want him to triumph!

Great shows, both, that do well in the ratings.  Compelling.  Involving.  Powerful entertainment that hooks us right in.

So what's my point?   It's that great video has to tug on our emotions.  Whether you love the characters or hate them does not matter.  What matters is that you get emotionally involved.  Any video that can reach us on such a deeply personal level is sure to be a success.

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How do your videos make an emotional connection?  Your comments and links to this page are welcome and appreciated!

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Need to make an emotional connection to your viewers?  We can help!

Contact us at www.BrownCowStudios.com to learn more.

Out of Season? Then Think Out of the Box!

Last time in BullShots! we talked about the effectiveness of advertising during the off season.  This week, we'll take a look at some possible campaign ideas.

Off-season advertising campaigns lend themselves easily to humor.  The disconnect between the current season and advertising something unseasonable sets up a situation that's ripe with possibilities.  Although not all off-season campaigns need to be humorous, humor is a great way to avoid annoying your audience.

What does Santa do in the off season?  He plays golf!

For example, we've all had the conversation in which a friend tells us that she's been to a certain store, and by golly, they've already got their holiday merchandise up -- and it's only August!  Everybody shakes their head and wonders "what is this world coming to?"  The store seems greedy. 

But had the store added a touch of humor -- maybe putting out signs or tent cards with a little joke about Santa running out of room so he asked us to hold on to some things for him -- the result would be different.  The joke would become the topic of conversation, not the retailer's greed.   

You can use a serious approach too.  For example, here in New England there's not a lot of home remodeling going on during the winter.  January just isn't the best time to rip out all the doors and windows!  But it might be a great time to generate some new business.  Perhaps mention that drafty window that's bothering them right now, and that they don't have to put up with it.  "Why not book with us now and put a stop to the chills!"  Or, make a special off-season offer: "Book now and we'll save you 20% ... and, you'll be first on our list come Spring."  It's a good deal and I bet you'd get a lot of takers. 

A winter business, such as a ski shop or resort can apply the same techniques.  Why wait until ski season starts to tell the audience about the improvements you're making to Bunny Hill?  Tell them in the summer, and get those dedicated skiers excited about how great the coming season at Bunny Hill is going to be.  "Hey skiers, we just wanted to let you know that we're hard at work making Bunny Hill better than ever..."   Just keep it light.  Off-season ads aren't the place for the hard sell. 

Educating your customers can work too.  A bike shop might talk about new models and features that manufacturers will introduce next bike season.

A public service campaign is a great way to keep in the public's mind and do some good at the same time.  A seasonal specialty shop might offer safety tips:  "When your kids are walking home from a friend's house at night, make sure they carry a flashlight so they'll be seen by oncoming cars.  And by the way, this fall your spooky friends at Halloween Scene will have the most ghoulish flashlights and lanterns you've ever seen...."  Maybe Dracula should be doing the voiceover for that one? 

One of my favorite promotions was done by a tavern in a resort area.  They did most of their business during the summer, and most of that was over the Independence Day holiday.  Another holiday during the summer would be great for business.  So they decided to host a New Year's Eve party -- in August!  Complete with hats, streamers and noisemakers, they did a pretty good business that night as we all counted down "10...9...8... Happy August 17th!" 

Keeping your seasonal business front and center in your customers’ minds during the off season can be tricky, but it is good marketing.  There is always a way to do it.  Just get your creative juices flowing, think out of the box and have fun with it. 

Was this article helpful to you?  What ideas have you come up with for your own seasonal business?  Need help?  Let us know!  Your feedback and links to this page are always appreciated (just let us know where to find the link).  Thanks!

Ski Vacations in July!

Yes, it's that time of year again.  Temperatures across North America are in the 80s and 90s.  Girls in mini skirts ... guys in shorts.  Flip flops, cookouts and watermelon.  It's summer time.  And you know what that means...

It's time to start booking ski vacations!

Why don't roofers advertise when it's snowing?

Many businesses are seasonal in nature. Swimming pool installation, home remodeling, and beach resorts are just a few examples.  Most of these seasonal enterprises spend the majority of their advertising dollars during the high season, which is entirely reasonable.  After all, the time to sell new roofs is during the summer, when the weather is good and putting them up is easy.  So, we don't hear a lot of roof installers advertising in December, just like ski resorts don't advertise in July.

But maybe they should.  

One of the hazards of seasonal-based advertising is the tendency for customers to forget you during the off season.  After hitting them with your message all season long, suddenly your advertising disappears.  Customers forget you.  And when it's time to start your next high-season ad campaign, it's just a little bit less effective, because you have to re-educate the consumers all over again:  Who are you?  What do you do?  Why buy from you?  After all, your customers have had six months, and maybe longer, to forget you!

That's why off-season advertising should be part of your marketing mix.  Odds are good that yours will be the only swimming pool company that's advertising in January.  As a result, you'll have the market to yourself.  Second, you'll continue to build important brand awareness throughout the off season; customers won't forget you.  Third, it can save you money if your off season coincides with the media's off-season: There's plenty of discounted ad inventory available in January after the holiday ad rush is done. 

And finally -- this is a big one -- you might just be lucky enough to generate some cash flow when you need it most. 

Next time in BullShots! we'll talk about some possible off-season campaign ideas for TV, radio, and the net.  Meanwhile, answer this question for me:  If I book my ski vacation now -- in July -- how much will you save me? 

Off-season advertising is easy with Brown Cow Studios!

On the web, TV or radio, we've got great ideas to keep you first in your customers' minds.

To learn more, get in touch with us at (617) 230-4019, or send Fred Pagano an e-mail message. 

Match Your Imagery to the Clients You Desire

In last week's edition, I wrote about matching your style to the industry niche in which you operate.  We continue the theme this week with a discussion of how to match imagery to attract the clients you desire. 

All images have meaning, and they mean different things to different people.  A photograph of a luxury car has a different meaning than does one of an economy model.  Though both cars, the intrinsic messages are different. 

The same is true for video clips and even the written word.  You can call your pet a pussycat, or you can call it your "house lion."  Though logically, both refer to the same animal, there's a difference in meaning.  You'd expect the "house lion" to be a hunter on the prowl, wouldn't you?  Not so much for a pussycat. 

When creating videos or print ads, imagery must be carefully chosen to match the audience's mind set. 

I was recently discussing plans for a new series of videos with one of my clients.  We talked about imagery and how to appeal to the clientele he wanted to attract.  We knew that people attending the local community college would have less need for his college planning service than those who would attend an expensive private university.   Once we made that determination, choice of images to use in his video was easy -- we needed shots of kids graduating from Ivy League schools.  Shots of middle class families were important as well.  The idea was to include footage that his target clientele would relate to. 

Take a look at the two photos of industrial sites on the left.  Though both depict factories on a lake, the intrinsic meanings of the images are vastly different.  Which factory would you rather live near?  Why?


So when you're developing your next project, remember to match the imagery to your target market. 

Brown Cow Studios of Boston specializes in producing high-quality

targeted audio and video content.

To learn how we can help your business be more successful, 

get in touch with Fred Pagano at (617) 230-4019.