A Specific T.V. Commercial

            Television commercial is considered the most effective form of advertisement especially when dealing with mass market. Due to the TV commercial popularity, TV networks charge high prices for the commercials given airtime during popular TV events. The majority of television commercials use features that listeners soon relate to such as a song or a jingle. A good television commercial is regarded as the one that invokes the right emotion in the mind of the viewers (Wright, 1999). There are listed essential elements that should be present for a television commercial to be effective. The ‘Nivea Goodbye Cellulite’ cream reduces cellulite and makes the skin smooth. The ‘Good-bye Cellulite’ commercial from Nivea done by OMD in New York, USA has proved to be an effective advertisement with the product sales increasing in 2007 and 2008. The ‘Nivea Goodbye Cellulite’ commercial can be rated as an effective television commercial since it follows most of the essential elements.

The first essential element a television commercial should have is ‘people’. Putting people in to a television commercial helps in drawing the target audience as opposed to a commercial with the either the product, buildings or other surroundings. This is because people relate to other people and as long as the audience can see other people using the product and working out for them, they will be drawn to it. The people in the commercial should relate well to the product being advertised. The commercial features a group of very lively, jumpy and excited girls. They arrive at the city square with a shiny yellow car with the Nivea logo. The girls show of their thighs to suggest that the product has worked for them since they are smooth and contain no cellulite.

An effective television commercial should have a well planned out video. This particular commercial’s video lasts for 15 seconds. The video is well planned out such that there is time for the advert to identify the product, to use people, a space for a song and for the girls to dance to the tune. On top of these, there is a space where the product is displayed and contents described. The visual presentation alone is so effective that any individual would know what the advert is about even without listening to the audio presentation. The video tells the story of the product that targets young people. The video is bright showing a happy environment. According to the scenes of the video, the product makes the customer more comfortable with her body such that she can wear short dresses, shorts and skirts and dance without shame. The video would sell the product, (Nivea Good-bye Cellulite) effectively and this shows that it was well played out.

A good television commercial should time out within the required time. The script should contain short sentences that grab potential customer’s attention. Due to the short length of the commercial, which in this case is fifteen seconds, the commercial puts the message across using short and punchy sentences. Apart from the song, the commercial contains few sentences, short and to the point. The advert contains the following sentences “Nivea Goodbye Cellulite. A gel cream formulated with L-carnatine, to help reduce the appearance of cellulite. ‘Nivea Goodbye Cellulite’. Touch and be touched” (Commercial Corp., 2009). Repetition is used to emphasize the name of the product being advertised. The quality of the aural aspect of the commercial is so good that any individual will know what the intention of the advertisement is even without having to view it.

In order to make a television commercial a powerful sales tool, it is important that the audio and video should match (Ogilvy, 1963). In the commercial, the audio and video are well coordinated. The girls arrive in a Nivea car; one of the girls waves a goodbye sign as she shows her flawless legs on getting out of the car. The song that is sung coordinates well with the product message. The song tells the single girls to keep the swagger on, then says goodbye as the girls dance to the tune and show off their smooth legs. They are then joined by other young people including a man who dances to the tune. The ladies in the video appear to be in high spirits, in addition to having near-perfect skin, and at the climax of the commercial, a lady is shown leaping for joy with the backdrop of the cream. The audio and the video compliment each other such that on absence of the other the message will still be sent across to the customer.

The commercial is scheduled during the day and evenings on television when most young girls and mothers are in the house. It mostly appears in the middle of talk shows and reality shows and soap operas because these are popular with women. The commercial brings out a fashionable aspect whereby every young lady has a form of connection with the commercial’s song. The product produced better results when it was advertised on Tyra Banks show. Several women came out to reveal the effectiveness of the product. The statistics show that the ratings for keenness in viewing the commercial rose from the incident.

A good television commercial contains audio and video elements that related to the audience that is targeted (Austen, 2002). The commercial targets young women since most of them have cellulite problems. Even models are noted to use the cream due to their body structure. It is therefore every woman’s dream to fight the nightmare and realize a smooth flawless skin. The cream commercial does a good job in bringing out beautiful skin when used. However, it only emphasizes of a size 8 girls that is not representing the majority of population. The commercial has a beautiful, lively and clear video. The Nivea girls are also joined by a crowd a feature that shows that the product excites people. The choice of the song is superb, as it would attract audience fast. When the television is out of sight, a person would be attracted to the song and would want to sing along or find out what it is selling. The aural aspect of the commercial is as succinct as it is comprehensible. Short sentences are used and words are pronounced really well. This would attract a customer walking in a mall and the commercial is played.

A good television commercial keeps environment in consideration. For example when making an advert about dirt, it is important to take the video in a garden. The Good-bye cellulite commercial was taken in an open ground on a sunny day. This shows that the advert emphasized on freedom. There was enough space to dance and have fun. The advert is taken on the streets as the passers-by are seen on the background. The advert is a good advert as it involves participation of everyone. The Nivea young girls find some men dancing and they join them as stunning as they look because they are not afraid of cellulite. However, despite the effectiveness of the ‘Goodbye Cellulite’ commercial from Nivea, it lacks one important aspect that describes where the product can be found. It should have been of essence to write or say where the product can be found. A website or the stores they are stocked contact details should have been given in order to make the advert more effective and complete.

In conclusion, a good television commercial is the one that is relevant, eye-catching and catchy (Austen, 2002). A good advert must invoke an emotion to the viewer such that you may need to tell your friends about it since it leaves you laughing or singing. There should be one thing that a viewer must get that will stick in the mind. Good-bye cellulite commercial is such an advert. It leaves the viewer wanting to dance along the song. Every time the particular ‘good-bye’ song is sung on radio or in a movie, it reminds one of the Nivea commercial. The final phrase of the commercial, “touch and be touched” is simple and easy to grasp (Commercial Corp., 2009). It also invokes an emotion of tenderness and comfort. The 15 seconds commercial is quite effective and contains the necessary information, it is interesting and it sells the product within the strict deadline. There are no words locked out and there is enough time to air the product to the viewers. The ‘Nivea Good-bye Cellulite’ television commercial was generally an effective and successful advert.

Works Cited

Austen, Clare. What makes a good commercial on TV. Andover, MA: Helium, Inc, 2002.

Commercial Corp. Nivea – Goodbye Cellulite – Commercial. 18 June 2009. 29 Jan 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nud_JKyR4G8

Ogilvy, David. Confessions of an advertising man. New York, NY: Atheneum, 1963.

Wright, Ray. Marketing: origins, concepts, environment. Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA, 1999