Working with the Production Team

The more information your Charter Media^® Production Team has about your business and the product or service you want to sell, the better we will be able to make a commercial which will be effective. We have provided some guidelines that can help you make an award winning commercial.

• Give your producer a list of copy points... things you think are important and necessary for your target audience to know. Your Charter Media^® Production Team will work with you to narrow the list down to what will be effective in your commercial.
• Your television commercial script should never be more than about 90 words for a thirty second spot. About 16 double spaced characters of type can be spoken in one second. Use the fewest words you need. Your target audience will better remember a few well chosen points. Even if you need a very hard sell, less is more!
• You will probably want to include your full contact information such as street address, phone number, multiple locations if you have them, maybe GPS coordinates... your target audience will remember very little of this – if anything! They do remember general directions, such as "on the Motor Mile", or "near Tri State Mall", and a surprising (and growing) number of people will remember websites. The most important thing for your target audience to remember is who you are and what you can do for them. They’ll find you.
• You may think you’re giving the audience less information. Most viewers retain only a single impression or idea from a thirty second spot. Work with your Charter Media^® Production Team to make sure that it’s the one you need.
• It’s easy to make a spot memorable, but does the elephant (or dog, or any other gimmick) really help sell your product or service?
• Remember that your “local” ad will stand next to high budget national ads in any given commercial break. Your Charter Media^® Production Team has to take the time to maintain the highest possible quality standards so that your ad won’t get lost in the shuffle. Good photography is very important, and so is good sound. Take a little more time up front and you’ll save a lot of time down the line. There’s only so much that we can fix in editing... let your producer get it right in the shoot and the final product will be much more effective.

You are the professional at what you do. We are the professionals at putting your message on TV. We just ask that you sit back and trust your Charter Media^® Production Team!