The Critical Importance of the Voiceover
What do these brands have in common?
HP Apple Corona Sprint
Dell Reese’s NBC Victoria’s Secret
Amazon Verizon Eveready Batteries Gatorade
Hershey’s JBL Speakers
They all created television ads that aired on network, cable or local broadcast stations (and likely posted on the Internet), without any audio voiceovers that mention their brand name.
Distracted, smaller audiences
Seems kind of crazy, right? Especially when continually fragmented, increasingly smaller audiences with shorter attention spans are leaving network television in droves, advertisers need to remember, more than ever, how their audiences behave. Would-be viewers, prospective buyers, get up during a commercial break, leave the room or multi-task with other screens.
Impact two senses with brand names
When I notice these commercials I just think of the wasted opportunity to impress both visual and auditory senses. To me, auditory mention of a name brand may divert my attention from my laptop while I’m watching TV.
Just because big agencies create a trend doesn’t mean it’s the most effective way to maximize expensive television media time. Unfortunately, winning creative awards is more important than accountability for results.
I always want to ensure every possible element is in place to maximize success. It doesn’t make good sense to only have the name just in the video portion. Even if you have no call-to-action and just want to continue your branding campaign, don’t count simply on the familiarity of music by itself.
While this Corona ad is a favorite of mine, if the audience isn’t staring at the screen at the precise moment it airs, they may completely miss the message and nullify any value of the media expenditure.
A voiced tag line mentioning a brand name can deliver a priceless double-punch. When paired with memorable music, voiceovers increase the impact of visuals of any video.