Entries Tagged as ''

3 reasons why this such a good tv commercial

It’s hard for a TV commercial to get my attention, hold my attention and make me remember it. That’s because I’ve not only seen so many commercials but I’ve also been a part of so many commercial productions that I think I’m a little jaundiced about spots.

So the other day while just changing channels, I came across this Bayer Aspirin commercial having never seen it before. It totally drew me in and got my attention and I’ll tell you why I think it worked so well.

GREAT WRITING IN 7 SECONDS
You innocently watch a guy at a sporting event, enjoying himself. Some paramedics come towards him, which confuses him because he has no medical issues. But as they tell him, he soon will. WHAT?! That’s a great commercial hook. Bam! 7 seconds!

GREAT COMMERCIAL ACTING
Make no mistake, it’s not the voice-over that impresses in this spot, it’s the actors. Our protagonist not only delivers his set-up line well but his facial expression after he’s told he’s about to have a heart attack is spectacular, it’s real and it’s honest. But let us not ignore the great simple performance of the paramedic who firmly but calmly informs her soon to be patient that he’s going to have a heart attack.

SIMPLE EDITING IS NEVER SIMPLE
From the establishing shot to paramedics entry and conversation shots, it all flows really nicely and innocently until the viewer is as smacked awake as the protagonist when the heart attack line is delivered. The editing is simple because there seems to be nothing especially dramatic unfolding. Until it does.

Maybe you saw the ad and it didn’t grab you like it grabbed me but it was so impactful to me as the viewer I wanted to share it with you. There enough NOT so impressive spots out there that I think we should celebrate the really good ones.

What do you think about this spot? Great? Or did it seem like just another TV spot?

MEDIA RELEASE – General Electric Signs O’Connell for Narration

audioconnell Media Release 2015550px

FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, January 5, 2015 – – Voice-over talent Peter K. O’Connell was retained by General Electric to serve as narrator for a recently produced corporate video presentation.

Working Capital Solutions (WCS), a business unit of GE, asked O’Connell to narrate a company presentation outlining how WCS helps GE generate and maintain healthy levels of working capital including accounts payable, inventory and accounts receivable.

About General Electric
GE works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imaging. Doing. GE works.

In 2013, GE delivered solid results despite the volatile economic climate with earnings of $16.9 billion. Industrial cash flow from operating activities for the year remained strong at over $17.4 billion.

GE traces its beginnings to Thomas A. Edison, who established Edison Electric Light Company in 1878. In 1892, a merger of Edison General Electric Company and the Thomson-Houston Electric Company created General Electric Company. GE is the only company listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also included in the original index in 1896.

About Peter K. O’Connell
America’s Friendly, Neighborhood Voice-Over Talent, Peter K. O’Connell, has worked with a wide variety of companies from around the world in addition to this most recent project for General Electric. Some of Peter’s clients include Kraft Foods, PBS Television Network, Shell Oil, Pitney Bowes, Bacardi Rum, Highlights HIGH FIVE Magazine, Deloitte Canada, Rich Products, U.S. Army, Starz Cable Television Network, BlueCross BlueShield, SunSetter Awnings, Time Warner Cable, Harlequin Enterprises and Darien Lake Theme Park.

Described as a natural born storyteller, Peter K. O’Connell’s voice-over productions have been heard globally in radio and TV commercials, medical narrations, television infomercials, political commercial voice-overs, TV network promos, e-learning narration projects (computer-based training, internet-based training and web-based training), PSA’s, message on-hold, as well as other video and media productions. Peter owns audio’connell Voice-Over Talent, a division of O’Connell Communications, LLC and can be reached via audioconnell.com.

– 30 –

NOTES TO EDITORS

Company Media Releases ON LINE:
http://www.audioconnell.com/media

Company Name Pronunciation:
au·dio·o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-oh-kah-nel) or au·di-o’·con·nell (awe-de-oh-kah-nel)

Company Name Spelling:
Use lower case letters- audio’connell or audio’connell Voice-Over Talent

Company Web:
http://www.audioconnell.com

Company Blog:
http://www.voxmarketising.com

O’Connell Voice-Over Resume:
See resume here

so about the delay in sending my Christmas card this year….

2014 Christmas Card picture

So during Christmas week, all I had to do was sort through my databases, clean up the usually junk and then hit send to get my Christmas card eblast out. The card itself was done (complete with the annual great work by my in-house artist). The list should have been pretty easy because I include almost everyone in the Christmas card e-blast including other voice-over talent. Normally when I do an e-blast, I omit all voice-over talent because they are not my target market audience. That was the plan, anyway.

Except last Tuesday (12/23) I got walloped with the stomach flu that lasted through the week (even #3 got into the spirit by getting sick on Christmas morning).

So the card didn’t get send out until this week. Most of my friends and clients really won’t care and the folks who might judge me…well I don’t care if they do – they’ll miss the spirit of the whole thing.

But here is the part I found funny.

So I have almost 4,000 email addresses. I know that maybe 20 folks who get the e-blast holiday message will unsubscribe from my list. I always find it strangely awkward that someone chooses THAT particular e-blast, of all the ones I send all year, to unsubscribe, but oh well. I don’t begrudge that they wish to unsubscribe and I will certainly honor their wishes…but really? Unsubscribing from a Christmas card?

I mentioned this goofiness on Facebook and in addition to the funny comments it garnered, there were more than a few folks concerned they hadn’t yet got the email blast card! How funny they didn’t want to be left out and nice that it was important to them — it’s gotta be the artwork!

I explained that because there were almost 4,000 emails, I break them up into hourly ships of about 500 addresses each…it just makes things go smoother and the internet Gods don’t get made at me. So between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET, people got their emails.

The updates were post on social media as the day progressed: “I finally got it!” and “I got mine!” And of course many sent kind regards back via email.

In case for some reason, you didn’t get yours, worry not – now you have.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the O’Connells!