MassMedia: Advertising & PR: The A.I.D.A. Formula for Writing Commercials (W12-P3) [VID] Fa16

Below is a clip from the film, Glengary Glen Ross, about four real estate salesmen and  the challenge set before them.

The A.I.D.A marketing formula is something that can help you in your own marketing efforts.

You want to be successful in your media career?  No matter your career path, you will be "marketing" something, "selling" something, "promoting" something, if only that something is yourself.   To be successful, it would be good to know key marketing techniques.

One of those key marketing techniques is the A.I.D.A. formula.  For details, see below.


Did you notice what I just did?  

==================

The A.I.D.A. formula is a common format used in the writing of commercials.

• Parts of A.I.D.A. Commercial
1. Attention: Get audience’s attention
2. Interest: Keep interest expand attention, tell benefits, use “you,” etc.
3. Desire: Create desire in audience.  Develop some need in the audience members that the product meets.
4. Action: Tell audience what to do. Go to an address, go to web site or call now.

Take a look at the following TV commercial script.  See the parts of the A.I.D.A formula?  What's the need addressed?

A typical commercial script follows a two column format with the video on left and audio on right.  The video column describes what the viewer sees in each part of the commercial and the audio column describes what the audio will hear.

Source: Hillman


There are three major formats of commercials and the A.I.D.A. formula best fits the format called the straight sell.

Format of Commercials

• Straight Sell
• Main “character” is a pitchman who tries to sell product to you.
• Testimonial
• A personal story is told to sell the product. “I use the product. It works for me. So,…”
• Dramatization
• Tell a quick story/mini-drama to sell product.
• Get attention
• Create suspense by creating a problem/need for a character
• Solve the problem/need.  Very often it is the product that solves the problem or meets the need.

The idea of a product meeting a need is mentioned above a few times.  It is important.  There are a variety of ways of talking about human needs, but the classic is Maslow's Heirachy of Needs (see below).

We need the things above.  With this in mind, how would you write a commercial to sell a product?

Take a look at the following, recent commercial.  Does it use A.I.D.A.?  What format?  What need(s)?



What about this one?







Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.