TV Commercial....can I pull this off?

7 replies
I'm sure you coprwriters would agree....some ideas come up in the craziest places. And who comes up with more "outside the box" ideas than you copywriters? A friend and I jokingly came up with an idea that I think may actually have something...won't de-throne the caveman or gecko in marketing genius..but could stick in people's minds long enough to give me an edge....maybe?

The old kung foo flicks... you know the ones...the lips move and the voice lags behind about 1 full second ? How about a "voice over" plugging my business(testimonial) or subtitles with the same concept. Maybe even tie in in the the "anchent chinese secret" slogan from the old days? Could I pull off that type of humor or would be too dated/lame? considering my targets are 45 and up I'm thinking...maybe

or.....how about an inspector gadget type snooping on folks carrying on a conversation with one of his fancy "listening" devices ? turns out those folks are talking about how much I saved them on car insurance, so he turns to another couple...same conversation

Alrighty then....I'm prepared for your kicks to the....
#commercialcan #pull
  • I think I've actually seen the kung-fu movie thing done once or twice. If I remember correctly, it had me giggling, and I can't remember for the life of me what it was advertising.

    Sounds like you have ad agency gold, to me!
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    I think you might be on to something. Here's another possibility. There's an old TV show from the 1960s called One Step Beyond. It's about paranormal stuff, similar to The Twilight Zone.

    My understanding is the entire catalog of shows has found its way into the public domain. There's a 50-episode DVD set selling at Walmart in the $5 cheapie bin. That's an enormous number of shows where you might find scenes even more cheesy or dramatic than the old Kung Fu stuff. Maybe you could make a series of commercials using this great old material. Just a thought. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author MouseandMice
    Of the two, the "kung-fu" one is better.

    However, I would warn you that Geico has a LOT of money to pour in to commercials for brand recognition. They don't need the person to pick up their phone and take action immediately-- they can wait until they are pissed off when renewing their insurance.

    It takes a lot of ads to get in to a person's head, and even then, you need to have good salespeople, etc. to close.

    I am not sure what your budget is-- maybe you have a lot of leeway before you can see results... but just a warning.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Sanchez
    ..but brick not hit back...

    Doing something that shakes people out of boredom and what they are used to but not over board (scares people), makes them laugh, smile and change state...

    (read some Seth Godin's Purple Cow)

    Odd or nostaglic things also trigger unconscious reactions in people...

    Great idea!

    Make sure that it's obvious that it's making fun of it's self and not truly serious or it will be laughed at and not laughed with...

    Reference to things people know is instant emotional control...

    May the schwartz be with you!

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  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    I'm going to disagree with the majority here
    and caution you to be very careful about
    running a branding/entertainment spot.

    A) You've made clear in previous threads
    that you have precious little capital to play
    with - branding spots require lots and lots
    of reps to create value for you. Can you
    afford that?

    B) While character/situation driven spots can
    work great on DRTV - they work best as part
    of a traditional lead gen spot - not the whole
    kit and caboodle. You are not Geico - you're
    an agent. You want LEADS, not high-fives.

    A :60 spot gives you precious little time to
    get your sales message across and get the
    intended action from the viewer.

    A :120 spot gives you some more breathing
    room but may not be as profitable as multiple
    reps of a :60 spot for lead gen. You'll need to
    test that for yourself.

    What's the CTA? Call 800#? Who answers?
    What's the script? What's the fulfillment, DM?

    I think it's great that you're thinking about
    DRTV but it's an expensive "hobby" so be
    sure you plan well for maximizing ROI.

    : )

    Best,

    Brian
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Murdaugh
    Here's my .02 for a small agency...

    You can brand yourself, but don't go broke doing it.

    Brian makes some very valid points above, you're not Geicko.

    Here's what I'd suggest. Niche yourself.

    Focus on how you can give the best rates/service to...

    -Teenage drivers.
    -SR22 Drivers
    -Drivers with a 5 year perfect driving record.
    -Drivers who've recently turned 25... (Are you over 25 and STILL waiting for that massive insurance drop you've heard about since you were 16? Here's how to get it).

    - Drivers who drive sports cars with high premiums.

    And so on...

    I'm actually speaking from experience here. I've never sold insurance directly, but I've drove a lot of leads in the (insanely competitive) online space.

    And when you focus on specific people with specific problems...

    Take me, I'm self-employed. I'm single. If you could send me a sales message on why you're the best way to go for a policy package including auto, health and life, for a guy in my specific situation, I'd hop on board.

    You ARE in a competitive business.

    And the way to compete in that space is to find a niche demographic and figure out their problems...

    "Teenage Driver? Ouch, That Can Be Expensive. Here's How To Save 50% Or More..."

    My Teen-Parent Policy Package is specifically designed to cut costs for teenage drivers by combining your policy with theirs, etc.
    You have infinite sub-niches to focus on, each with their own unique problems...

    And even if you can't be the "cheapest" guy, if you can get the point across that you understand how to fix their specific problems, people will take notice.

    I'm not dogging TV. But how much does that ad spot cost? How targeted is it? How are you going to track your ROI?

    Dig deeper. Don't be an insurance salesman. Be a problem solver. So many demographics, so many problems.

    Anyway, my .02.

    Good luck,

    -Scott
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