How to test your message before you make the ad
There are quick, inexpensive ways to find out which message your customers respond to before anything is filmed, and limits to what they can tell you.
Mark Bryant
Mark has spent more than 20 years producing TV commercials and video campaigns for organisations across the UK. His team has produced hundreds of productions for clients ranging from national brands and public sector organisations to colleges, universities and growing businesses, and won Best Commercial at the Royal Television Society Awards. Through TVads.co.uk, Mark writes about TV advertising, production, Clearcast, media buying, streaming advertising and the practical process of getting an advert from idea to broadcast.
How an animated TV ad is made
With animation, everything on screen has to be designed and built from scratch. Here are the four stages, and what you’ll be asked to approve at each.
What is a storyboard, and why do we always start with one?
A storyboard shows you your TV advert, scene by scene, before anything is filmed. Here’s what goes into one and why it saves time and money.
How to advertise on ITV in your region
You don’t have to buy the whole country to be on ITV. Here’s how its regions work, how the airtime is priced and when a region is the right size.
How to advertise on Channel 4
Channel 4 reaches younger, harder-to-find viewers on live TV and on streaming. Here’s how its advertising works and where it fits in a campaign.
Why TV is still a shared experience
Most advertising reaches people one at a time. TV reaches them together, on the sofa, where they talk about what they’ve just seen.
Why TV airtime costs more in some months than others
The same advert in the same break can cost very different amounts depending on when you run it. Here’s why, and how to use it to your advantage.
Should you keep advertising when money is tight?
When sales slow down, the advertising budget is usually the first thing to go. Here’s what the research says happens next, and some ways to spend less without disappearing.
How long should a TV advert be?
Airtime is priced by length, so ten, twenty, thirty or sixty seconds is a real decision. Here’s what each length is good for and how to choose.
How long are ITV ad breaks?
A break on ITV1 can last up to 3 minutes 50 seconds. Here are the Ofcom rules behind that, and why they matter if you’re thinking about advertising.
TV advertising for retailers and shopping centres
If you’re marketing a shop or a shopping centre, the only question is whether more people came through the door. Here’s how TV drives footfall, and how to plan a retail campaign.
What makes a TV ad memorable?
Why do some adverts stick for years while others are forgotten by the end of the break? What the research says, and how we use it.