Different types of TV Commercials
When deciding the approach for your TV advert idea it is key to consider the different types of TV Adverts you can do. Concretely, you have to consider how you want to make the viewer feel after watching your advert and your message in association with your brand.
Essentially that’s what TV Adverts are, ‘messages’ which should always be in line with your brand. Over the years, companies have experimented with adverts, some have been really successful and others not so. For example, many people can recall the Christmas Coke-Cola advert, but not many of them will be able to recall what the Tango advert was about.
Some adverts can have the best influence on people. But others like the Tango one, are banned due to their content. Simply put, it involved a man randomly slapping people in the street. And this ended up with young people mimicking that behaviour.
Our objective is that you avoid having these problems. That is why we have created a list of some of the best types of TV Adverts you can do for your next campaign. We will go through a few examples adopted by brands over the years, and will then explain that type of commercial.
The companies and the type of tv advert we mention below have been really successful and memorable. So we will explain what did these companies do to be that successful, and why you should consider adopting these approaches.
1. Celebrity endorsed
In this type of TV Advert, the brand uses a celebrity to endorse their product or service. Many companies have done this as generally, celebrities give viewers a sense of ownership and validation, and the viewer ends up thinking: ‘okay, if this celebrity can get behind this product, so can I’.
In this example, Heinz took advantage of Ed Sheeran love for Heinz’s Ketchup, and used him in their 2019 advert.
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But why do companies choose to show a celebrity? These types of endorsements on social media and on other platforms have proven to be a terrific method for companies to create genuine relationships. In fact, 75% of marketers currently use celebrities and influencers (creating content and influential people) as a marketing tool, and 43% want to expand their expenditure on this type of advertising.
2. Customer review
‘People buy people’. In these adverts happy customers say nice things about your product or service either in their home for a real customer experience or at the place of buying the service. This gives the viewer a sense of validation – ‘these people being interviewed are just like me, and that is exactly what I’m looking for’.
According to BrightLocal, over half of shoppers trust customer reviews as much as the recommendations given by their friends or family. The power of word-of-mouth marketing is enormous, so your company can benefit greatly from this.
These testimonials are arranged, although allegedly without actors. In any case, having these women sample the product on-screen helps giving the impression that the antiperspirant feels nice and performs as well.
3. Dramatised TV Adverts
This television commercial features 3D-printed hearts and stem-cell-coated plasters. However, it would not have had the same impact if the advertisers had not used this level of dramatisation.
4. Humorous TV Adverts
Furthermore, you may liven up your television commercial with humour. And why is that? You may be thinking. Who doesn’t like a good laugh?
Companies can do humorous ads where they purposefully time in these films to make the viewer laugh and desire to share. Some great examples are the WIX and Heineken TV commercials.
5. Informative, Scientific & Educational
A ‘did you know’ approach. Do you remember seeing those men and women in big white coats in a laboratory talking about a shampoo or a new tooth paste? The purpose of these adverts is to show the viewing audience the science behind the new product and why it is so unique and worthy of your money!
6. Style and Tone
In these adverts a brand will associate their product or service with a style, tone or a meaning. For example, people associate Coke with Christmas, the red trucks, Santa and the festive season. In fact, all branded in the company’s colours let you know ‘the holidays are coming’. The advert is distinguishable where, when seen on television, the viewer knows the season (Christmas) is upon us.
Here’s a Coke Cola advert, filmed 11yrs ago, that is still being used:
7. Nostalgic TV Adverts
On the other hand, some brands decide to adopt the nostalgic approach. Concretely, they advertise their brands by referencing old films.
But the only way they (and you) can do this is by securing copyright and spending hundreds of thousands and even millions pounds to enable them to produce the adverts.
8. Comparative – washing up liquids
Simple put, this brand message entails – ‘our brand is better than the competitions and here’s why’.
What they do in this advert is to make a comparison between their own product and the competitor’s one, and then they show the result.
9. Character led
Character led adverts tend to be memorable and even merchandisable. The advert campaigns focus on the product or service through the use of distinctive characters that have been thought up by a creative agency in relation to the product or service. For instance, we can find some examples from Tetley, Meerkat and Go compare. These adverts also adopt a serial approach.
Characters are used though-out the campaign life cycle of the product. So by now, ComparetheMarket.com has successful associated a walking, talking Meerkat with their service.
10. Emotional TV Adverts
These adverts are used to pull the viewer’s heartstrings. They tend to be done so by relatable issues that are either societal, social or generational. Charities often use this approach with a celebrity and then showing 3rd world countries in dire situations with a call to action at the end of donating money.
For example, Duracell used the emotional approach with a ‘solider at war theme’ and the connect with his daughter through a teddy bear, the reliable company Duracell and their reliable product batteries ensured his message (love) reached his daughter. Another example below:
11. Problem Solving
And finally we have the problem solving TV Ads. Many companies just want to show their products work, by showing an overview of how they solve your problems using voice over, music or simply actors. For instance, Grammarly has done very well in producing adverts that fix problems.
They know the issues people have in this ‘text driven’ world, and the importance of writing clearly and correct. Thus, they have communicated in a series of adverts their offerings using everyday scenarios as their brands message.
After reading this blog, you may have a better understanding of the types of tv ads you can implement for your next campaign, which is most suitable for your marketing strategy, and the main reasons why companies use them. Thank you for reading,
Maria & Marta
Contact Impress Video now
If you would like to do a TV Advert with video production and marketing professionals, or any other type of video, we can help you at Impress Video. We make video production for businesses, the ones that impress. Don’t hesitate to contact us here!
This blog was published on 6 March 2020, but for understandability and update purposes, it was updated on 17 November 2022.
