Commercials
WHAT’S A ‘COMMERCIAL’ AGAIN?
While ‘advertising’ is a comprehensive marketing approach that encompasses various methods and channels to promote products, services, ideas, or brands to a specific audience. It includes a wide range of activities, such as content creation, campaign management, event sponsorship, and more. Advertising is not restricted to any particular medium or format and can take various forms, such as print ads, digital ads, billboards, social media posts, and television commercials. It aims to build brand awareness, engage consumers, and influence their behavior or perceptions over time.
A ‘commercial,’ on the other hand, is a specific type of advertising content, typically in the form of a short video or audio clip, designed for television, radio, or online platforms. Commercials are highly focused on delivering a concise message or promoting a product or service within a limited time frame, often ranging from 15 seconds to a few minutes. Their primary purpose is to capture the viewer's or listener's attention quickly, convey the key message, and persuade them to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or visiting a website. Commercials are just one component of an advertising campaign and serve as a concentrated and engaging means of conveying a message to the target audience..
Wait, so, ‘advertising’ means social media, and a ‘commercial’ means YouTube??
Nice try, slick Ricky, though this does reflect a contemporary view on advertising and commercials, emphasizing how the meanings of these terms have evolved with the rise of digital media. Traditionally, "advertising" referred broadly to any effort to promote products or services to potential customers, utilizing various media including print, television, radio, and billboards. However, with the digital age, social media platforms have become a dominant medium for advertising, leveraging targeted ads based on user data to reach specific audiences.
Similarly, the term "commercial" used to be closely associated with television ads, those brief promotional segments aired during program breaks. Now, the concept has expanded to include content on digital platforms, with YouTube being a prime example. Here, commercials are not just interruptions but often integrated within the content itself, as pre-roll ads, sponsored videos, or product placements.
This shift highlights how digital platforms, particularly social media and video-sharing sites like YouTube, have become central to marketing strategies, influencing both the format and the definition of advertising and commercials in the modern lexicon.
FYI CROWN has worked on commercials for brands like Tegria, Amazon, Dell Technologies, and Microsoft, and we’re happy to discuss the various approaches we’ve taken based on client goals and audience attitudes and behavors.