Website design By BotEap.comIn this age of localization, it is now possible to watch TV commercials on nationally famous shows that relate to your immediate area. These are priced affordable to the advertiser, but also serve the purpose of bolstering ad revenue for local networks that advertisers who only target a limited geography would not otherwise get.

Website design By BotEap.comAs a result of this phenomenon, some of the commercials we see are obviously self-produced, as paying a big-city Madison Avenue ad agency is a bit of a stretch for small advertisers, especially in this economy. For that matter, these mom-and-pop advertisers perceive that paying any agency is too expensive.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, these small businesses may not realize that their commercials can run in time slots where they are surrounded by slick ads from big-city agencies, making the amateurish nature of their pitches even more exaggerated.

Website design By BotEap.comIronically, however, television and radio commercials that often feature testimonials or dramatizations of the actual owners of the business, as well as their children, grandchildren, and occasionally their pets, tend to be quirky enough in a comedic and entertaining way that the ads are actually watchable regardless of their lack of polish. The reason for this is that the people who shoot, record, mix and produce these spots are true professionals, technical artists behind the scenes, who ensure that the spot is a success, despite having homemade content.

Website design By BotEap.comUnfortunately, this is not the case for home print advertising. While TV and radio ads have excellent technical guidance from studio engineers, print ads that take place on the desk of someone with little or no composition experience, design sophistication, or technical understanding of where to run the ad, they usually fail miserably on one number. of areas

Website design By BotEap.comFirst of all, the design falls short, and the message failure follows close behind. The resolution of the images and the readability of the text complete the mess, making the amateur attempt at do-it-yourself marketing a complete waste of precious funds. And with print advertising, you have the added distraction of other on-page visual competition (unless you bought the back cover of a magazine, for example, in which case if your ad is lacking in some form, it won’t). loses a second glance.)

Website design By BotEap.comMany parameters must be considered when creating print advertising. The type of printing process, line screens, and type of media used greatly affect print contrast, color reproduction, and registration accuracy. Will inverted type be swallowed by heavy surrounding color if the wrong font weight is specified? Will font substitution occur when submitting artwork to the publication’s art department if the fonts were not embedded or outlined, leading to copy fit issues? Were the images sent as RGB instead of CMYK, resulting in a washed out or no color display? And if the RGB conversions were done without knowledge of proper color balance, will portrait photos look too red, yellow, or worse, green?

Website design By BotEap.comNewspaper ads differ drastically from magazine ads in both resolution and readability. An error in one medium can become a catastrophe in another depending on the error. Combine these difficulties with the absence of professional hardware and advanced software along with professional experience and proven expertise, and you have the makings of a true dud every time. There is no safe haven when it comes to print advertising. And even when you have decades of experience to rely on, the whims in the publication’s newsroom can derail even the most professional ad, let alone an amateurishly produced one.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile print is still the last testing ground, one of my clients produces their own TV commercials with remarkable success. An accomplished trial attorney by day, he has had years of improv experience both in the courtroom and in front of film crews as the host of a television show in our region. With a rare confluence of self-confidence and personal appeal, he exudes a heartfelt mix of affability and likability both on camera and off – a quality not commonly found in someone so forceful in front of judge and jury! Clearly, he has a gift that has translated not only into an exemplary career, but also the ability to promote himself through radio and television. However, he acknowledges that his skills don’t carry over to print, which he admits he knows nothing about (along with websites and, until recently, computers!) and has kept me in the mix for over 20 years. years to keep it on the right track. .

Website design By BotEap.comAnother case of television and radio advertising in our region cannot be described in such glowing terms. In fact, upon first exposure, I got goosebumps hearing the two voices deliver their youthful message in singsong rendition, tediously irritating this listener’s sensitive, musically trained, pitch-perfect ears. Over the years, they opened more stores and added television to their self-marketing repertoire. A highly unlikely success story, they now enjoy widespread popularity despite, or indeed thanks to, their amateur marketing!

Website design By BotEap.comAnother radio ad has been broadcast annually each summer with the same flagrant mispronunciation of a common word by the store owner, displaying his complete ignorance. Am I the only one hearing his mistake? No one mentions it to you… not even his wife?

Website design By BotEap.comIt turns out that, with enough repetition, the radio ads we cringe about—whether due to poor articulation, grammatical errors, artificial voice, or obvious lack of refinement of any kind—have become acceptable in their familiarity and chime.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, it is sad to admit that self-made print ads that are run over and over again in an attempt to reinforce with repetition continue to sabotage the advertiser after all this time.

Website design By BotEap.comThere is a common thread within this story, regardless of whether the DIY ads were made for print, radio, or television. The advertisers who come forward, whether for their acting and voiceover talents, or their scripting, design, and composition expertise (or lack thereof), are all convinced of their self-made success and continue to invest countless funds to run these ads to the delight of the beneficiary broadcasters and publications. Blinded by their egos to the lack of revenue generated in response, they justify their efforts by how much they have saved in the creative process, making use of their natural talents, instinctive genius, and brilliant business acumen.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile we’re embarrassed by their idiotic attempts at Hollywood stardom, we pore over their showrooms, buy their wares, and most ironically of all, remember their ads!…which proves one thing: sometimes you are lucky and even bad marketing!