Categories of TV commercials

TV commercials are commonly divided into 4 different categories; dramas, spokesperson

presentation, pitch presentation and voice over. Each of these categories vary in the approach

they take when advertising, they all use their own techniques that will appeal to the audience.

DRAMA

TV ads that fit into the drama section are usually short, they’re usually about 30-60 seconds long and get straight to the point. In

drama advertisements the characters, plot, conflict and resolution are all introduced quickly and the story unravels chronologically and in a short space of time. The advantage

drama ads have on other types is that they can be engaging and enjoyable to the audience, an audience can become hooked on a

series of adverts if there’s an ongoing storyline. However, the fact the audience is so engaged could be a negative factor as it

could take away attention from the product or service.

SPOKESPERSON Another category in advertisements are spokesperson presentations.

These types of ads typically include a celebrity or public figure, the person will then speak about the product or service included in the advert in a positive way. The celebrity will speak in a convincing way

about the product so that people watching the commercial will become trustful and fond of the product as the person advertising it is a favourite of theirs. These types of ads have an advantage on others because more people are likely to take notice in an advert if there is an attractive, talented or iconic person in it than if there’s a normal person in it. A disadvantage with these types of advertisements is

that if people dot like the figure in a television ad then they are more likely to ignore it or badmouth the product or service.

PITCH PRESENTATIONSPitch presentations are another form of advertising, contrasting to the

other two categories pitch presenting is solely about selling, advertising the product or service. In this type of ad the product is

more important than anything, including the person who is selling and promoting it. For this reason pitch presentations tend to not have a

person in the ad who takes any attention from the product, they usually opt for a man or woman who will simply and subtly talk about

the product/service and how it works. The positive side to ads like these is that the focus is completely on the product, therefore

promoting it in the most effective way they can. Disadvantages of using ads like these are that they may not come across as effective, eye-catching or entertaining as the advertisers would have hoped.

VOICE OVER Another one of the 4 basic categories in TV commercials is voice over

advertisement. Voice over adverts literally speak for themselves, they are basically an advert which doesn’t commonly include any people in it but have

a person who is not in the act speaking over the duration of the TV ad. Advantages of advertisements like this are similar to the previous category, all

the attention is put on the product so that the audience take notice of the product instead of the advert advertising it. There is a negative side to these

ads though, people may not be as engrossed in these adverts as ones including drama or a celebrity. Primarily because they may not be

entertaining or the audience may not have any interest in the product or service, and there are no other factors in the advert to try and entice them.