By Andy Valadez, StealthMarketer/Marketing Evangelist

Summary: Ever made a TV commercial? This week I ask Wanda Carraway, president of Reel World Media, to offer some insights into what makes a great commercial and how to place it when you are ready to make the media buy. Shooting commercial is half the fun, the other is placing it where people will see it and respond. Wanda’s company has shot over 3,000 commercials and her list of clientele is incredible, see: www.reelworldmedia.biz

There is a blurring of TV and web and now people can leverage themselves with visual media like never before. I asked Wanda Carraway, president of Reel World Media, a company specializing in TV and movie production, to help me with this article. You can do something low-budget and place it on YouTube.com and invest more money to get your commercial in front of TV shows specific to your audience and regional location.

Reel World Media has a comprehensive media kit that you can get by e-mail from their team at: info@reelworldmedia.biz

There is so much that goes into developing a TV commercial. One has to think about the script, the shooting location, negotiating your pricing, locking in your feature (so you don’t get bumped), and confirming the actual run on the various cable and TV networks. According to Ms. Carraway, here are the major benefits of TV Advertising:

• It’s an impact medium combining sight, sound and vivid product demonstration and color
  
• Geographical targeting (helps you to keep in budget, but have excellent frequency)
  
• Match your target market demographic
  
• Upscale audience reach (specific to the Nielsen reports)

Ms. Carraway provided this quick list of detail on the steps they go through to help plan a TV commercial shoot:

Pre-Production: (guide to understanding the pre/post production)

1. Meeting and Consultation

1. Type of business; competition; attracting your customer
   
2. Reasons for advertising (brand awareness; sale or special; new product; new store, etc)
   
3. Specific goals for advertising
   
4. Past advertising and marketing efforts and their successes
   
5. Samples of current and past efforts (what you do and don’t like)
   
6. Do you have a logo, slogan, jingle, etc., and if you do, do you want us to use them?
   
7. Best time and location for running the advertisement (time slots)

2.Concept: (during consultation) - rough outline of your commercial is hatched (discussed);

Example: Jack-in-the-Box as a human character is in a “clown’s head talking about his latest sandwich; the closing scene is shot of the take-out bag.”

3. Script - when approval of the concept is finalized

1. A full television script is written (includes everything seen / spoken)
   
2. When script is approved / finalized a date / time is scheduled to shoot your commercial
   
3. Edit session (day / time of the week) is scheduled
   
4. Cleaning / arranging location for shoot; recruiting of “extras,” etc.
   
5. Go over criteria for shoot (example: is a sunny day or cloudy conditions acceptable?)

4. Production: shooting a commercial begins when the script (everything) is client approved

5. Post-production

1. An announcer and appropriate music is selected from our music library
   
2. “Rights / clearances”
   
3. The commercial is edited in our edit suites
   
4. A VHS “confidence-dub” is completed and given to the customer
   
5. Approval of the edited commercial is finalized
   
6. The master is archived in our tape-library and dubs are made for Time Warner and other stations

TV commercials can be placed on your website for others to see, in your PowerPoint demonstrations, looping videos for trade shows, entered in Advertising/Marketing contests for further exposure, and now on YouTube.com (please read service details before utilizing this medium), and used to train your company about the message that is running in the media so they know what to expect when customers start calling. In addition, there may be a need to change your commercial from season to season or come up with a story line to re-introduce your company to your audience.

Shooting a commercial can be a fun process allowing you to invite customers and clients to be a part of the “production”. Reel World Media just completed a shoot for my client Sona Medspa and it will begin running next week in the Houston market. We will post it at www.BodyBySona.com and www.SonaHouston.com and on YouTube.com for others to see. If you see it, tell us what you think.

Our main character was Kathie Turner who had fun with the shoot.

Marketing Dynamics directed and wrote this commercial that played in the Louisiana Market on WWL TV New Orleans

If you are interested in talking more about TV commercials, I would be happy to talk to you. You can reach me at 281.463.4560 or e-mail: info@marketingdynamics.org

Andy Valadez is President and Founder of Marketing Dynamics, a Strategic Marketing firm working with emerging entrepreneurs and growth-oriented companies, movie makers, authors, musicians, media personalities, television shows, technologists, networkers, non-profit organizations, and real estate professionals with gross annual sales under $50M. Andy graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA Degree in Marketing focusing on Public Relations, Promotion Strategy, and Sales. He also received an Applied Business Certificate from Tulane University in New Orleans and served our country as a United States Marine during Desert Storm/Shield.

Commentary on the Interview with Co-author of “The Kingdom Assignment”, LeesaBellesi:

By Andy Valadez, StealthMarketer/Marketing Evangelist

Summary:  Andy Valadez interviews Leesa Bellesi on his Podcast about “The Kingdom Assignment” and the upcoming star-studded celebration of the  “Well Done Awards” he will be attending this celebration with his family at Coast Hills Church in Aliso Viejo, California May 30th, see:  www.KingdomAssignment.com  Mr. Valadez comments on the Marketing principles applied by the many whom have undertaken and capitalized on the Marketer within to achieve amazing impact in the community.

I had the opportunity to catch up with my client Leesa Bellesi, Co-Author of “The Kingdom Assignment”.  After I completed my podcast interview with her, I started to think about all of the Marketing applications revealed in this book.  Basically, laymen and women were asked to take on an “assignment” with $100 dollars in the first book.  The volunteers were asked to take $100 and multiply it. The task was daunting, but many went on to create value and accomplish their strategic objectives (there is a whole lot more to the story, but you will have to get the book series to discover how powerful of a resource this really is). 

Leesa Bellesi

How I met Leesa and Denny Bellesi is a story of its own.  I volunteered for a “Kingdom Assignment” of my own.  That assignment led me to the introduction of “Open Door Mission” here in Houston (a shelter for the homeless). I was given $100 at my church and was challenged to multiply it based on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 of the bible.  That $100 led me to three companies who all donated various services.  The Houston Aeros donated tickets and concessions for 7 homeless men we were going to bless from “Open Door Mission” (thank you Ken Double, Voice of the Aeros).  A limousine service (Elite Limousine) donated the limo ride and a steakhouse (formerly O’Rourke’s Steakhouse) donated a 4-course meal.  We picked up 7 recovering homeless men and took them on a night on the town - limo ride, dinner, and a hockey game.  We watched various clips from the movie “Miracle” to prepare the crew for the surprise hockey game (they knew nothing of the plans for the evening).  This story was picked up by the Houston Chronicle by reporter Barbara Karabi and the next thing I know I was being flown to Laguna Beach, California to meet with the authors to talk about Marketing their next book, “Kingdom Assignment III”.  Here is a picture of my guys, my “Band of Brothers”.  I continue to volunteer at Open Door Mission, bringing in speakers and mentors.  In fact, if you are interested in joining our rotating panel of speakers, please send me an e-mail. 

My Pastor Jerry Edmonson (front center) accompanied our crew!

Anyway, the Bellesi’s are giving me an award at their “Well Done Awards” celebration in Orange County, California May 30th along with others who have completed their own amazing assignments.  I have been mentoring a homeless gentleman, Bill Adams (pictured to my right) and he will be joining me as we receive my award together.  Bill is a man on a mission and he has his own amazing story that we might share with you one day.  I found out that Bill was also a former Marine like me and I gave him my lapel pin (see below). He told me he felt like he got his stripes back. This was an awesome night and he and I have become great friends.

Former Marine Bill Adam, receives a lapel pin

Okay back to the reason for this article.  I believe we all have a latent ability to be strategic Marketers.  In essence, the Marketer within has to be nurtured.  I like success stories, I really like success stories about successful businesses and successful Marketers.  I see a book like “The Kingdom Assignment” opening up the doors of one’s mind and heart, helping people to discover the value of their influence via their talent, their treasures, and their time.  Each of these stories is an example of ordinary people becoming average, common super heroes!  Marketing is a passion and as I say not everyone is a Marketer, there are principles to follow, but passion creates opportunities and creative thought “opens doors”.   



My family, Bill Adams, and I look forward to attending this awards night and hope to have some interviews, photos and more stories to share with you.  Please listen to Leesa’s interview and if you are inspired, join us in California and volunteer for a “Kingdom Assignment”.

If you are interested in talking more about the Marketer within, I would be happy to talk to you.  You can reach me at 281.463.4560 or e-mail:  info@marketingdynamics.org

Andy Valadez is President and Founder of Marketing Dynamics, a Strategic Marketing firm working with emerging entrepreneurs and growth-oriented companies, movie makers, authors, musicians, media personalities, television shows, technologists, networkers, non-profit organizations, and real estate professionals with gross annual sales under $50M.  Andy graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA Degree in Marketing focusing on Public Relations, Promotion Strategy, and Sales. He also received an Applied Business Certificate from TulaneUniversity in New Orleans and served our country as a United States Marine during Desert Storm/Shield.