TESTIMONIALS: The Good, The, Bad, & The Ugly.
Testimonials can be very effective in advertising. But, like anything, they have to be done a certain way –namely, they have to be believable.
Users of a client’s brand
add validity. It’s a real person who is happy to share the good news.
Not all happy users are
gifted orators. Even though they’re excited about helping the client, most are
mic shy. Some hate hearing the sound of their own voice. And they’re just nervous
in general.
Some client’s and/or
their AE’s try to combat this by writing a script for them. It reassures them
that it covers all the points needed. However, this almost always comes out
like someone reading a script. Because, that’s what it is.
The AE’s here in
Birmingham have learned that when it comes to testimonials, I almost always
refuse to write a script. Just give me copy points, and I’ll go from there. When
the brand’s heavy user arrives, I crack open the mic and ask them for
stories. The copy points determine the questions I ask. That way, I get a real
person telling a real story in their natural candor.
When we’re done
recording, I’ll have on average ten to fifteen minutes of raw footage. Then comes the real work, editing down the footage.
Ask any writer, published
or otherwise. The story is developed in the editing, not the writing.
Often times, I’ll write
lines for a designated in-company talent. They’re the third-person objective
narrator, helping guide us all through our 30 to 60 second journey.
Today’s example comes
with audio. (After all; we do work in an
auditory medium.)
In 2015, we closed a deal
with a pre-school; School for Amazing
Kids.
I was invited to sit in
on the CNA with the AE, GSM, and the client. It wasn’t hard to find out who the
target was; middle to upper class moms. The question at hand was, what’s the
best way to make this work? I suggested testimonials by happy parents, and have
some of their kids come in. The client loved the idea. And she was so excited that she went even farther. She lined up a teacher in one of the local public
schools. The teacher would talk about how the students in her class that had attended
Amazing Kids were light years ahead of her other students.
See,
this is why we like good CNA’s. They help reassure the client that we are true
partners invested in their success just as much as they are. More preaching on
that, later down the road.
The scheduled day of
recording had arrived.
In attendance were two
parents, each with one of their kids, the public school teacher and the client.
I wanted the client to feel like they were the production’s director.
The session took about 90
minutes. I had about 70 minutes of raw audio.
There’s an old adage –In show
biz, never work with animals and kids. As brilliant as they were, they’re still
kids in a new and strange environment. The AE quickly jumped in by coaxing the
young progenies with treats from the breakroom candy and drink machines.
Now, for the good stuff.
The finished products.
We created a believable,
real, and successful testimonial campaign.
It attained the results we all worked very hard for. It increased awareness and enrollment.. The
School for Amazing Kids ran with us from October of 2015 to March of 2020. The
end date should tell you the only reason they stopped.
And, as added value, the client and the very proud parents posted video and photos of their experience on their social media. They also posted the finished and polished audio I provided to each of them. That’s additional coverage the client didn’t have to pay for. And it touts the skill and talent of our stations AE's and in-house creatives. It’s a win/win for everybody.
Next week, we’ll explore client voiced commercials; what makes them work and their pitfalls.
If you need any additional help with these subjects or anything else, reach out to me anytime. I’m always here for you.
Sincerely,
Mike
–The Reel Architect.
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