I say all the time that creating a print ad is so much harder than creating a TV spot. In print, you have 1.2 seconds to nail your point before a page is turned or passed by. With TV, you get 30 seconds. That’s a lifetime to sell something. What is difficult in writing for TV is the temptation to let the bells and whistles of today’s technology take the lead – let the tail wag the dog.

If technology furthers the strategy, use it. But strategy is where the TV commercial begins. Which leads me to the other difficulty in writing for TV. All our lives we’ve learned to tell stories using words. Now you need to tell them with images, with words merely supporting them. So how do we use visuals in strategy to begin?

The big idea. What’s the main message that persuades and makes the product stand out? This is marketing 101. Determining a product’s USP.

The benefit. What is the benefit of the big idea and whom does it benefit? You have your product’s USP determined and you now need to think about how your target audience will want to hear it and what they’ll be interested in seeing.

Create visual elements that stick. Here’s where the personality of the brand shines bright. If the tone of your brand is rugged, dramatize that toughness with like imagery, typography, movement and sound.

Now you take that visual and tone to script. This is what we call a “treatment.” Use a narrative to tell the story. Much like a Cliff’s Notes version or the basic plot line of what happens. e.g. “Guy walks into a bar, gal comes over and says…” Once you’re happy with the scenario, put it in script form. Once you’re finally happy with your script, you’re off to storyboards. Now you can put technology to work for your script. The dog is now wagging the tail and strategy has not been sacrificed for the sake of cool effects.

The Cyphers Agency is proud to announce the addition of Danielle Destrade Ali to the Word of Mouth Department. She will bring support on the WOM front, which includes responsibilities like content management, blogging, internet research, contests, events, flashmobs, or anything else cool we think up!

Danielle is originally from Tennessee, but joins us from Missouri. There, she attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism, which is the world’s first journalism school (and she won’t let you forget it either). She majored in Convergence Journalism, which studies new media and Web 2.0. She digs sushi, Friday Night Lights, Oprah (her ultimate idol), and Diet Coke (she has two before lunch). She is also learning to drink coffee and be a better cook.

Welcome, Danielle! We look forward to working with you. Can’t wait to see what she is up to? Check out what she has to say over on Twitter.

The Cyphers Agency is happy to announce that Tessa Carroll has officially joined our ranks.

She has become part of our account team as an account coordinator, working with clients such as Strayer University, The National Chicken Council, The Chesapeake Bay Trust, and others. She brings experience in and knowledge of marketing, social media, and public relations with her, helping us strengthen our marketing efforts here at The Cyphers Agency.

Tessa is a graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Public Relations. She is a Baltimore City living Pittsburgh transplant with a mad love for Steelers and Nittany Lion football. She also digs cooking and dance parties (who doesn’t?).

Find out more about what Tessa is up to. Welcome, Tessa!

Effective advertising makes relevant connections with its target audience. To be successful you must understand, respect and embrace the diversity that exists in our wonderful country.

Young or old. Black or white. Sick or healthy. Whatever group you are targeting, remember these things when marketing to them.

Look at the whole person, not one demographic characteristic. Not everyone in your demo will make the same amount of money, live in the same area or have the same values and attitudes. Psychographics can never be stereotyped.

Avoid stereotypes. It seems like a no-brainer but it happens all the time. Mainly because the advertiser fails to put himself in the customer’s shoes. Account Planners in large agencies bridge this gap but many of us out there need to think this way on our own. Remember there are also positive stereotypes. e.g. Not all Asian Americans are good at math.

Laugh with them. Humor does have a place if it doesn’t rely on stereotypes. If you’re too serious, it looks like you’re trying to be safe – as if it’s a different type of advertising category. It’s all just advertising.

Make relevant ties to their personal causes. Suggest to your client that they donate a portion of sales to causes that are important to them.

And at the end of it all, test, test, test. Test your marketing on members of the target audience.

Been seeing crab claws all over the state of Maryland? Well, we’ve put them there!

We are working with The Chesapeake Bay Trust to help educate Marylanders about the impact of buying Bay Plates. Part of the overall campaign is trying to overcome misconceptions about the Chesapeake Bay Plates. While most residents can recognize the license plates, most don’t know that revenues derived from the $20 plate directly support Bay restoration or education programs.

The integrated campaign includes an interactive website, online advertising, social media outreach, digital billboards, mall kiosks, bus shelters, bus posters, metro dioramas, bus wraps, and ambient media signage. In addition, listen and look for radio, tv, and print news coverage.

In addition to helping educate Marylanders, the Trust is also hosting the Hooray for the Bay Contest. Bay Plate factoid signs, which you can see above, have been placed all over the state of Maryland to help people learn about how the Plates support the Bay. Simply snap a pic of the factoid sign and send it to contest@bayplate.org, and you are eligible to win a free Bay Plate or $2,500. Find out more about the contest and other ways you can enter.