Commercial marketing is as old as TV, and the first commercials aired around the time every home had a television in their living room. The commercial became an instant hit, in the 1950s they took over the market by storm. During this period, technological advances and rapid urbanization of society filled every home with necessities not known prior to this.
Every home had fridges, a car, and a TV. TV was not used for radio broadcasting anymore, or it was not the only thing, rather big companies spent millions on proper marketing strategies and the most successful were commercials. What makes commercials appealing to the masses and why are they so successful in promoting different products, find out in the text below.
The Subconscious Effect
Most people, when asked what is the last commercial they saw, would not know what to tell you, as we all just scam through the commercials never stopping to find out what they are promoting, product or service.
However, many consumers have witnessed the phenomena of subconscious remembrance of products and brands, even though they have never heard of them before, or have they? The impact of advertising on our brain has been researched for a long time, and research suggests that our direct exposure to commercials – its sensual visuals, catchy jingles, and phrases – is stored in our permanent memory, which we trigger when we encounter the product or by association.
Therefore, the effect of the commercial does not necessarily have to be instant selling of the product or service, often it is about spreading presence and awareness. People recognize the brand, are familiar with it, and have heard somewhere about it, therefore if they by any chance come across it on the market shelf, chances are they’ll buy it.
Commercials are notorious for staying with us for long periods of time, and some have even iconic status, as they become part of pop culture and are a world sensation. People are known to remember scenes and pictures better than words, as the visual presentation of a product or service creates the imagery in our memory, making it stay there for quite a time.
Branding
The success of commercials is not only their ability to make you remember a product or service, it is the way in which they present it, making you remember it. One of the aims of advertisements is to brand a product or service by making a clear statement and communicating to your audience what the product’s purpose, usage, or ability is, or what the benefits of the service you offer are.
Proper branding is the key ingredient of every commercial, and it is why they have stayed around for so long as a marketing strategy. Of course, you’ll need professionals to do the job of making the commercial, like Toronto video production company, with a whole staff of experts taking care of every aspect of the commercial, from editing, setting, sound and video quality, and much more.
Take Coca-Cola for example, in the last several decades they have launched some iconic commercials, like their Christmas commercial. It became so recognizable and memorable, people started affiliating the spirit of Christmas with Coca-Cola and the idea of dinner without it became unimaginable. Their goal was to make it a family drink, and the setting was one holiday where the entire family sits down and eats a meal together.
Redbull does a similar thing, associating its drink with sports events and creating collaborations with partner companies to brand it as your go-to drink whenever you are training, playing soccer, or doing any sort of activity. Their slogan gives you wings means exactly that – makes you more energized for such activities and occasions. It also means setting you free from your restrictive abilities and enhancing your senses.
That is why commercials are a successful marketing strategy, they send a message, a statement, they make it clear to the audience what their product is and for what purposes. That’s why, despite the fact that the sugar and caffeine content of a can of Coke is comparable to that of an energy drink, you’ll go for a bottle of Coke over a six-pack of Red Bulls for your Thanksgiving meal.
Targeting the desired audience
A commercial is successful because it draws exactly the kind of audience you want as customers. How many of you have sat around the TV while a commercial is on and the people around you seem hooked, while you showed no interest at all, or the situation was reversed with you hooked on the commercial while your friend wants to change the channel? Companies are very well aware of the fact they cannot sell their product to everyone, and they are not trying to.
Great companies are creating a loyal customer platform and their commercials are aimed at the part of the audience interested in the service or brand, rather than the ones who’ll just switch the channel.
All these and many more are the reasons why the commercial withstands the test of time. Even today, in the digital era, commercials are still the number one marketing and selling strategy.
