TV commercial

Production has three phases and each is stricter than on an ordinary video. The creative concept is approved before shooting, the storyboard is drawn shot by shot, and the shoot day is planned in fifteen minute blocks because the crew is bigger and time costs more. Post takes two to four weeks including sound mix and colour. From brief to delivery it is six to ten weeks if nothing goes sideways.

Why it is a different financial league: on top of production come music licensing, performer fees tied to where and how long the spot runs, and often separate versions for different formats. For a commercial costing ten thousand euros the media buy is usually several times that, so production is the smaller part of the budget. Which is why saving on production and then paying for a weak spot to be widely seen makes no sense.

What the client must decide: the one thing the viewer should remember. Not three. Then where it will run, because television, cinema and social have different lengths, formats and sound rules, given that a large share of social viewers watch muted. And who approves, ideally one person with the authority to decide.

When it is the wrong investment: when there is no budget for the media buy. A beautiful commercial with no airtime is an expensive business card. A smaller company often gets more from five simpler social videos than from one perfect spot. And if the product needs explaining, thirty seconds will not do it and an explainer video fits better.

Before every commercial we ask what the viewer should remember if they remember only one thing. When three answers come back, the brief is not finished and shooting cannot start. Try it today: watch a competitor's commercial with the sound off and check whether it is still clear what they sell.