Beyond TVCs
As a lover of content and as a person with some amount of objectivity, I have noticed, not without surprise, that in the 10 years that I have been on this gig, content has shape-shifted around me and I have tried my best to shape-shift with it — from noisy TV journalism to producing magazine format and reality shows to working on ‘scripted reality’ shows and fiction dramas, to leading creatives for India’s first-ever web series on Facebook, I now find myself making consultative sales content for a leading international fashion publishing house. Consultative sales? That’s the most fancy-bizarre combination of words I have used in a while. This blog is a means for me to divine what’s next and a chance for me to use more fancy-bizarre words.
The What’s in it for Me
Television commercials, or TVCs — here’s the first one, made in 1940 — are now no longer being viewed just on TV sets — mobile screes, laptops, iPads, theatre screens, showroom displays, whateveryouchoose are all fighting for pride of place.
My thoughts today are on the opportunities provided by these Whatever You Chooses. Bear with me if there is a bit of Captain Obvious happening here. Clearly when there are so many viewing platforms to choose from, why restrict yourself to making just TVCs — which are massively mounted (expensive) productions that create a ‘feel’ of your brand — why not go beyond and actually make your brand ‘work’ for your customer — which is to say, why not allow your brand to speak directly to your customer? But you may ask, doesn’t a TVC do that? It does, it tries to give you a sense of the brand, but — can we use these viewing platforms for more?
Yes! Simply/ simplistically, by creating content that will create sustained engagement. All of us are looking for opportunities to benefit from — the ‘What’s in it for Me?’. Answer that question for the viewer and you are home! Why am I watching this while I could be shopping online? Why am I watching this instead of making myself a stiff drink? Is this interesting enough for me to watch while I make myself that drink? How is what I am watching going to make me look and feel better? If the TVC answers this question for the viewer at first viewing, then great. But you can go beyond the TVC.
