Commercial Announcing

Meeting 4
English for Broadcasting
 1. Introduction - outline
• This chapter explores
– the various forms of commercials,
– ways of properly analyzing commercial copy,
– and delivering script lines in a professional manner.
• controlling the rate of your words
• marking copy
• The ability to “sell ”on the air is extremely important
in your development as a broadcast performer.
 2. Sources of Broadcast Commercials
• Large market: advertising agencies
• Small market: local agency, the salesperson himself/herself,
or even station staff member.
– Some ‘talent’ can also do it ‘on the spot’ based on a fact
sheet. The commercial is in the form of a testimony
 3. Commercial forms: radio
Formats: Straight Read Commercial
• simple message read by an announcer • the most basic commercial consists of copy
• expensive, carefully produced mini- presented with no music or other effects.
dramas that pack an amazing amount of • relies on the skills of the announcer to
material and action into a few seconds. bring the copy to life
• the most difficult to pull off successfully.
Content: • Performance elements such as emphasis,
• pausing, inflection, and rate become critical
a simple statement of the qualities of a
in the straight read commercial.
product or service
• the announcer is often chosen for this type
• very subtle presentations in which the
of spot based largely on the tone of his or
product is associated with implied her voice and the enthusiasm it conveys
benefits or fads.
 3. Commercial forms: radio
Fact Sheet Commercial
• the announcer has a listing of the basic
information and product characteristics
that should be included in the spot, but it
includes little or no direction on how to
create the commercial.
• the announcer must ad-lib the spot
• the straight read and fact sheet can be the
most challenging because the announcer
has only his or her voice to make the
commercial come alive
Music Bed
• It can be added to “ punch up ” a straight
read commercial. In this case, music plays
while the copy is presented
• The music needs to be appropriate for the
style or mood of the spot and should not
be distracting or too loud.
• A variation of the music bed is a sound
effects bed that adds atmosphere to a
commercial, such as pounding surf and
seagulls to suggest a place on the ocean’s
shore.
 3. Commercial forms: radio
Donut Commercial
• a combination of a recorded message,
usually provided by an advertising agency,
plus local live copy.
• The recorded message is often a jingle
with singing at the beginning, music only
or even silence in the middle, and more
singing again at the end of the spot.
• In the middle of the spot, when the
singing stops, the local announcer reads
the appropriate information, perhaps the
local source of the product, over the
background music.
Live Tag
• a variation of the donut in that all the
recorded copy comes first, and then the
announcer adds a bit of information that
connects the message, usually to a local
advertiser.
• the tag is most often the name and
location of a local merchant selling the
product mentioned.
• the critical element is time — the
announcer must effectively read the copy
in the time provided.
 3. Commercial forms: radio
Spokesperson Commercial
• It often employs some well-known sports
or music figure, although anyone widely
known may be used.
• Often the spokesperson is the owner or
manager of the business doing the
advertising.
High Production Value
• Commercials that include multiple voices,
music, sound effects, or even singers are
known
• In these spots, announcers present the
commercial message in a dialogue form
while acting as characters in a “ slice-of-
life ” situation.
• Music and sound effects usually embellish
this type of commercial.
• An announcer may have a limited role in
adding a tag or product information that
can’t easily be presented in dialogue.
 4. Commercial forms: TV and Cable
Voice Over
• the sales message is given by an offscreen
announcer while video of the product is
seen on the screen.
• The challenge here is to fit the copy into
the space that has been provided and to
adapt the presentation to the mood of the
spot.
Spokesperson
• A readily recognized person is paid to
speak about a particular product.
• Example: Lee Iacocca (head of
Chrysler Corporation) stepped in as
the company spokesman in a series
of commercials in which he pledged
that his cars would be outstanding.
 4. Commercial forms: TV and Cable
Testimonial Commercial LeBron James
• the person speaking on behalf of the
product is actually endorsing the product
based on his or her use of the product,
such as when LeBron James of the
Cleveland Cavaliers appears in Nike
commercials.
• These commercials often use local sports
figures or others who are hired to endorse
the product.
 Video Analysis

Listen to/watch the video commercials posted

on the LMS
What kind of commercials are they?
 5. Basic Structure of a Commercial
Beginning: Getting Attention
• To capture attention and hook the
listeners
1. ask a question (“Does your lawn look like
a dandelion patch?”).
2. make an unusual statement (“The typical
lawn is home to over 738 dandelions!”)
3. use a sound effect (Boing! Boing! “Ahh,
more dandelions popping up in your front
lawn.”)
Middle: Create & Satisfy a Need
• In the middle of most commercials,
you create a need (“a lush, green,
weed-free lawn”) and then satisfy the
need (“Sunny-Grow”).
• The middle of the commercial is also
where you find out more about the
product, e.g. “a special seed and
fertilizer blend” or “simply spray
Sunny-Grow on your lawn.”
 5. Basic Structure of a Commercial
End: Urge to Action
• The end of a commercial often includes the sponsor’s name and location
or the advertiser’s slogan.
 6. Other Factors to Consider in Making a Commercial
1. Goal
• what the commercial is seeking to
accomplish:
– Selling a product
– creating a positive image of
the organization and its
employees in the mind of the
consumer.
2. Mood
• Is it serious, humorous, friendly, or
informal?
• You must decide what tone of voice is
appropriate.
– If it’s a serious matter, your vocal tone should
reflect that mood, and not to put too much
energy
• Often commercials have a somewhat
serious tone at the beginning, when the
problem is presented, and change to a
lighter tone when the solution is offered.
 6. Other Factors to Consider in Making a Commercial
2. Mood - sincerity
• It may be necessary to have a fairly high
word rate if that’s what the writers have
given you, but you must not lose sight of
the mood of the piece.
• Energy is important in commercials
because you are seeking to attract and
hold attention, but tone and energy also
are key factors in setting the mood.
2. Mood - humor
• comedic commercials can be dangerous,
as it’s easy to overdo the humor. What
you think is funny may not seem so to the
audience or the sponsor.
• A few on-air people over the years have
even gotten away with making fun of a
product, but there haven’t been many
• even something that is funny the first
time, will become boring after it has been
heard over and over, as most commercials
usually are..
 6. Other Factors to Consider in Making a Commercial
3. Message
• What action is the advertiser seeking? What is
the specific idea? What actions are the listeners
being encouraged to take?
• Many commercials seek to drive home the “ act
now ” aspect. Listeners are more likely to buy if
they are urged to do it now.
– This is the reason for lines like “sale ends
Friday,” so you need to deliver it with the
correct style.
– If there is a telephone number to call, it
should get careful attention and not get
lost in other aspects of the copy
4. Audience
• for whom the message is intended. The style of
the delivery will be influenced by the intended
audience .
– The tone, rate, and inflection would be
different for a commercial aimed at
teenagers than for one aimed at people
considering a retirement home.
• It’s a good practice to listen to conversations
whenever you are in a public place to get a
better sense of how people speak to each
other.
– The better you understand that, the better
you will be at speaking to them in a
commercial.
 6. Other Factors to Consider in Making a Commercial

5. Delivery 6. Emphasis
• • Example:“ Jack bought a new car. ”
How to deliver the commercial?
• If we emphasize the first word, “ JACK bought a new car,
• Start by identifying the key words ” we suggest that we’re stunned it was Jack.
– The audiences do not sit and concentrate • “Jack BOUGHT a new car,” we could be expressing
surprise because Jack repeatedly said he would only
on the radio message so the key words are
lease one.
the ones you want them to hear.
• “Jack bought a NEW car,” we’re apparently astonished
– Use inflection, duration, volume, and because he always preferred used vehicles.
especially pauses to stress key words. • “Jack bought a new CAR,” implies that we had been
• expecting Jack to buy another type of transportation,
Stressing key words has considerable maybe a motorcycle or minivan.
impact and can greatly influence the • Hence, be sure to select the emphasis point carefully to
meaning of the message. ensure that the proper message is delivered to your
audience.
 7. The Importance of Timing
Practice Your Timing
• A stopwatch and a collection of scripts from old
commercials can help you start developing a
sense of timing.
• a straight read commercial will probably be 30
seconds or occasionally 60 seconds.
• Get familiar with the copy, decide where pauses
and emphasis go, and then start the watch and
give it a reading. Examine the results and
consider how you can adjust.
• A point to keep in mind is that we tend to read
faster when reading silently, so do your timing
while reading the copy aloud.
How to practice timing:
How many words did you read in 30 seconds? Stay
with this piece of copy until you can consistently hit
the allotted time. Then switch to a different radio
script and repeat the process.
When you have that one down, go back to the first
copy and see if the rhythm is still there.
Now look for another piece of copy that is quite
different in style, mood, or intended audience and
get that one in shape. Keep at it until you can
consistently get very close to the time no matter
what copy you use.
 7. The Importance of Timing
Practice Your Timing
• In addition, the elements of clarity, emphasis, and pauses
are also important because they help listener
understanding.
• First, really get to know the copy. It’s hard to read an
unfamiliar script well, even if it’s not very fast.
• Read at a comfortable rate for as many times as it takes to
know the phrase or word that’s coming next.
• Then, work on speeding up. Here’s the challenge: As you
go faster, clarity and inflection must be maintained. With
a heavy word-load, it will be easy to slide toward a
monotone. After you’ve made some progress, try timing
yourself. It may be a little discouraging, but keep at it.
Work at maintaining the performance elements, and
don’t let your concentration sag as you read the words for
the 15th time
Practice your timing
• As mentioned, reading copy with a lesser word
load is not just a matter of slowing down. Now
your inflection, phrasing, and pausing become
even more important.
– Pauses can be a bit longer and additional ones can be
slipped in after key words.
– Inflection can be increased a little to
emphasize the significance of the subject.
Try drawing out the last syllable of some
words. But, you can’t just deliver a series
of words with a pause after each one.
– The flow and the meaning must still be
maintained, even though the pace is
reduced. Again, practice with a watch, and
concentrate on communicating and
sounding interested.
 8. Energy: Hard Sell vs Soft Sell
How much energy?
• One of the accepted elements in selling is
that you need to catch and hold the attention
of the potential buyer.
– This means that you will need to sound alive and
enthused; extra effort is usually expected.
• In many situations, you may be used to
underplaying just a little, perhaps to seem
cool, so the soft sell style may come naturally
to you.
• For others, you may be too loud or
expressive and have to learn to rein yourself
in.
Hard Sell vs Soft Sell
• The hard sell commercial has a feeling of
tension and excitement.
– The announcer seems to be almost
shouting, but isn’t actually. However, hard
sell announcers do speak at a higher
volume and at a faster rate than soft sell
announcers.
• The soft sell commercial conveys a feeling of
relaxation and the announcer seems to speak in
much more conversational tones.
• Which approach you use may be the choice of
the advertiser and certainly will be influenced by
the mood of the commercial and the word
count.
 8. Energy: Hard Sell vs Soft Sell
How to lift up energy level? Working with a producer
• Waving your arms or running in place can • When you try an energy level, listen to the
get you warmed up, at least for a few producer’s comments, if it was too much
minutes. or too little.
• • Once your delivery receives the producer’s
While actually reading the commercial,
work standing up, if at all possible. Don’t approval, one of your goals should be to
be afraid to gesture and get yourself into be able to go back to that approved level
it. again without additional coaching.
• If you’re working with a producer, he or
she can help you find the right energy
level.
 9. Gestures and Facial Expression
How to show and react to the product
• Your gestures will be subtle
movements to stress a copy point,
denote the product, or actually
handle the product.
• The most important point is to never
“ mask ”the product label with your
fingers or hands.
• The product label must also always
be pointed toward the camera lens.
• A trick some performers use is to mark the product
directly opposite the center of the label so they
can easily orient the product whether from the
front or back.
• most items should be tilted slightly forward to
prevent glare from the studio lights into the
camera lens.
• When holding a product, keep your arms close to
your body and keep the product itself close to you.
– first, it will help keep the product steady so
that close-up shots won’t find the product
shaking
– it will convey a positive feeling toward the
product in the viewer’s mind.
 9. Gestures and Facial Expression
Gestures
• Three key gestures are commonly used to call attention • To hug a product is not like a face-to-face hug, but
to a product: the caress , the cradle , and the hug. rather an arm-around-the-shoulder gesture.
• To caress a product is to simply glide the fingertips of – Large cards with product information or even
one hand gently along the side of the product mannequins displaying a product can be handled
– This is usually done just as the line of copy in this manner.
mentions the product name.
• Holding a product in the palm of your hand is known as
the cradle.
– A larger product may actually require you to
cradle it with your arms, but the concept is that
you are holding the product with the same
affection that you would have for a tiny kitten.
 9. Gestures and Facial Expression
Facial Expressions
• your eyes are extremely important. The viewer
will follow your eyes and look where you look.
• That’s good when you want them to look at the
product, because you merely have to do so and
they will, too.
• However, it can be bad because viewers will
notice a performer who seems disinterested in
a product or who must stare at a TelePrompTer
to remember the script.
• You’ll often use a whole range of facial
expressions, such as a smile, a wink, or an
arched eyebrow, when dealing with a product
Anticipate and Actualize
• If it’s a product that you taste (a soup, a soda,
or something similar), you’ll use your skills to
anticipate and then actualize the product.
• Good performers can admire the product as
they anticipate how good it is going to be and
then, after actually tasting it, express,
nonverbally, that it was better than even they
thought it would be.
• This anticipate-actualize technique may be
used for other products, but it always works
well with food products.
 13. Public Service Announcement
PSA
• A public service announcement (PSA) is a spot
run by a broadcast or cable station that
promotes nonprofit organizations
government agencies.
– For example, you’ve probably heard or
seen spots for the United Way, the Red
Cross, or the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
• These spots usually try to raise funds for the
organization’s cause, or promote safety and
other social benefits if the audience follows the
message of the announcement.
• Broadcasters cannot charge for PSAs,
or but they air them to help fulfill their
license obligation of “ serving the
public interest ” and to promote
goodwill within their specific
markets.
• The delivery style for an announcer,
whether national or local, is usually
fairly straightforward and leans
toward a soft sell approach.
THE END