How often have you watched or listened to a commercial that was either incredibly clever in its crafting, or sensationally-packed with sensory effects, only to forget the name of the product, service or brand being advertised?
There is an increasing prevalence of such sophisticated commercials, each memorable as a miniature work of art, but none which puts the brand into the conscious mind of the audience. And being remembered (as a product, service, brand or company) is what it is all about. Even with the load of subliminal messages and innuendo crammed into so many of these commercials, most of them still miss the mark -- the mark is to embed the name of the subject of the commercial into both the conscious and subconscious of as many viewers as possible.
Douglas E. Castle's FIVE TIMES RULE of Commercials (invented it myself, with the help of a whole host of advertising and behavioral sciences geniuses who came before me) is a start. Simply phrased:
"In order to be effective, your commercial must either mention (aurally) or display (visually and centrally, for more than 1-2 seconds) the subject [the product, service, brand or company name -- loudly, proudly and largely), at least five times during its play. One mention must be at the very beginning, and the longest, sustained mention must be 'hanging in the air' at the end." - Douglas E. Castle
In addition to the foregoing FIVE TIMES RULE, here are some other important ingredients to be included in the recipe of making an effective commercial:
1) If you combine both audio mentions and visual displays of your named subject, the commercial will be more effective, especially if those audio and visual are simultaneous;
2) When you mention the brand on your 'hanger' at the end of the commercial, make it simple direct and pure. Any message or slogan can be shown or mentioned in the moments preceding this grand finale;
3) Too much fast-moving, sensorially-bombarding stimuli can actually create messaging confusion, and can take the focus of the viewer or listener away from the subject. Beware of over-production!
Also, contrary to popularly-held belief, repetition is not necessarily the same thing as redundancy. Hopefully, I won't have to say this again...(grin)...
Douglas E. Castle for The Mad Marketing Tactics Blog
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p.p.s. Did I remember to tell you that this article is about the FIVE TIMES RULE?
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