Lessons From Commercials
Want to find a great way to improve the effectiveness of your communication skills? Watch television. In particular watch the commercials.
Television commercials are a part of television. The advertisers pay for the program, which allows us to view it for free. Often we see commercials as a distraction from the show we are watching. If you really look at them, you can see much more. Effective commercials teach us some great lesson on how to communicate effectively. On the other hand, poor commercials can show us what not to do.
The next time you watch a commercial, notice how (or if) it grabs your attention. Does it use drama? How about humor? Are there startling facts, like “Four out of five dentist recommend this toothpaste”? When you see what works in commercials, you can use the same process in your presentations. Here are some lessons from television commercials.
Lesson 1: Know your target audience.
Both Pepsi and Levi demonstrated this lesson.
- Pepsi's commercial re-creating several campaigns through the years showed how the company changed its advertising and image to reflect the teen target's interests. The commercial also played to the current teen market's interest in nostalgia. The more you know about your audience, the more you can create a presentation that will appeal to them.
Lesson 2: Research.
Commercials that appeal to a certain audience will be used on a progr75am that matches that audience. A program on home improvement would be a great place for ads on remodeling, landscaping, construction and anything related to homes. You probably would not get a great response from ads on office equipment.
Lesson 3: Consider tying your topic to an event.
Current evens make your presentation seem more relevant. Sporting events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl are great for interjecting life lessons. Current events are also great for humor. Watch the Jay Leno on the Tonight Shore or Jon Stewart on the Early Show and see how they use current events for humor.
Lesson 4: Teasers can build interest.
Sometimes the wildest and funniest stories you tell can lead your listeners to great conclusions. It does not have to be the story itself, but rather the point the story makes. When you get to the end, show how the story leads to this point. You will often find that your stories can be used in several ways to make different points.
Lesson 5: Use Emotion.
Memories are created when we really experience life. The more emotion you can create in your listeners, the greater the mental picture will be and the more they will remember it (and you). Make them laugh, make them cry, anything to create a feeling. One word of caution here. Never end your story on a downer. If you have a sad emotional story, show how you or someone learned or benefited from it. Bring them back to where they feel good.
Lesson 6: Involve your listeners.
The more you can do to put them in your presentations, the more they will relate to it. Ask them to remember a time when they had a similar experience, or what they might so or feel if this had happened to them. When you involve them at a mental and emotional level, you create a connection.
Now, here is an example of a commercial that uses emotion, catches your attention with an unusual twist, makes you curious and takes you to a point at the end that you probably would not have expected. CLICK HERE
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