Today, in order to see some creativity in TV spots, we have to wait for the Super Bowl, the annual final extravaganza for American football. And, indeed, many viewers tune in for the sole purpose of watching and rating the creativity and entertainment value of the TV commercials scattered within the TV coverage. For the occasion, some TV spots end up costing more than the media buy, which by itself is exorbitant.
Now, excluding the hopelessness of the mindless TV spots for perfumes (that have nothing to do with anything), there are solutions that could make TV commercials more creative, practical, functional, and useful: and the solution is for commercial enterprises to bring Public Service Announcements to another level.
In the U.S. and U.K., PSAs began just before the Second World War — in 1938 in the U.K., and in 1941 in the U.S. They are produced with grants and aired for free. Each PSA has a social message (anti-smoking, drug abuse, obesity, etc.), but doesn’t have a commercial value or element.
PSA-style commercial TV spots could bring a refreshing creative spark to several consumer products that now lie in the doldrums of creative despair. Take car commercials for example. They are hardly distinguishable from each other and equally boring (relying mostly on panoramic views). In these cases, car manufacturers could leverage the usefulness of a PSA spot by promoting road safety. Their attention and level of interest would surely increase.
Similarly, pharmaceutical groups could produce TV spots to combat drug addiction instead of the current incomprehensible and fast-talking commercials that saturate TV news programs in the evening.
Other sectors could benefit from PSA formats. For example the cleaning industry (detergents, sanitizing products) could promote green environment and anti-pollution practices.
Then, alcoholic beverages could unleash their creativity to combat alcoholism, and food companies could promote healthy diets and anti-obesity.
These are some of the sectors that currently produce unwatchable TV commercials devoid of creativity, usefulness, and commercial value. But all consumer products, including furniture, electronics, and department stores, could be benefitting from the flexibility and creativity offered by PSA-type TV commercials.
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