So you're thinking about putting your business on local TV. It's still one of the best ways to get noticed in a regional town. Regional television is broadcast to nearly 8.5 million people across regional Australia (Regional TAM), and a well made 15sec ad on your local station puts your name in front of the whole district.
What most people don't realise is how many steps sit between "let's do a TV ad" and actually seeing it on air. Miss one and your ad ends up sitting on a hard drive while your sale comes and goes. So here's the whole journey, in plain English.
It all starts with the script. In 15 or 30secs you have room for one idea, one offer and your name, and not much else. A good script tells people who you are early, gives them a reason to come in and makes you easy to find. We've written a lot of these over the years and we have a tried and tested way of doing it. If you're curious, our TV commercial tips are a good place to start.
Then come the pictures and the sound. Your ad might be built from footage we film, from your own photos and video, or from design and animation. A professional voiceover and the right music make a huge difference, and the music needs a licence before it can go to air. Ours is licensed for 24 months, so you can keep running the ad for a good while.
The edit is where it all comes together. Pictures, voice, music, your logo and your offer on screen. You get to watch it, ask for changes and sign off the final version before it goes anywhere.
The bit nobody tells you about
Before any ad can run on commercial free to air TV in Australia, it has to be classified. That's required under the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. The ad is checked against the advertising rules, and you may be asked to back up any claims you make, so "best prices in town" needs proof. Once it passes, the ad gets an approval number and a classification, which decides when it's allowed to air. It usually takes a couple of business days once everything has been submitted, so it pays to plan ahead. If you're advertising in New Zealand, there's a separate approval process there too. We handle all of this for our clients, so you don't have to.
The stations also need the ad in their own broadcast format, which isn't the same as the MP4 you'd post on Facebook. Send the wrong file and it comes straight back. Once the ad is approved and in the right format, it goes to every station you've booked, along with its approval number. Standard delivery is overnight, and there are faster options if you're cutting it fine.
While all that's happening, you or your station rep book the airtime. Which station, which programs and how many spots.
Plenty of cheap video options will make you a nice clip for social media. Very few will take it all the way to air, and that last stretch is where things usually go wrong the first time round. An ad that hasn't been classified, or a file the station can't use, the day before your sale starts, is a stressful way to spend a Thursday.
So talk to your station rep early. They know their audience, they'll help you choose the right programs for your budget, and they'll tell you their deadlines. Leave a few days for approval before your first spot goes to air, and a bit more around Christmas and public holidays. Only make claims you can prove, because a fact you can back up beats a big promise you can't. And remember that one ad can do a lot of work. The same ad can run on TV, on your socials, on YouTube and on the screen by your counter. With licensed music and a clean edit, you can swap the end card for your next sale without starting again.
That's exactly what Adbox was built for. We've been getting regional businesses on air for nearly 20 years, led by our Managing Director and Creative Lead, Aaron Petersen, who has spent more than 30 years in regional advertising. We can take care of the lot, from the script, voice and music to the edit, broadcast approval for Australia and New Zealand, and delivery to the stations. Our Box Packages have fixed prices you can see before you start, and they're briefed and delivered within 72hrs*. Pick a package or give us a shout and we'll talk you through it.
Information from Regional TAM.