6 !!Chapter 1
tial descriptive information, are also included. The ‘‘story’’ of the commer-
cial is displayed.
Ananimaticis a ‘‘moving’’ storyboard. The board is usually shot on
video, with dialogue or voice-over added. Music is often added. Most
animatics present a feeling of movement.
Asteal-o-maticis made up of a series of scenes taken from film libraries,
television programs, commercials, and other sources that contain appro-
priate footage. The scenes are edited together in such a way that they repli-
cate the commercial the agency proposes to film or videotape. This is the
most realistic manner to demonstrate a commercial(s). Many times, when
the audio, including the music, is synchronized to a steal-o-matic, it
appears complete. The rights to most of the footage are not available; con-
sequently, the steal-o-matic cannot be used. The agency takes the risk of
making a steal-o-matic that lookstoocomplete because some of the scenes
are too costly to film within the proposed budget. Therefore, it is possible
that the final agency film might look inferior to the steal-o-matic.
Limited productions: In rare instances, agencies produce limited produc-
tions, which are scaled-down versions of commercials. They use actors,
music, announcers, graphics, and other elements that make the commer-
cial appear complete. The production cost is considerably less than the
budget for the final production. Usually, the commercials that obtain the
highest focus group scores and/or that test well on television are pro-
duced and aired. Some agencies allocate great importance to focus group
scores and/or television tests, while others use the results as a part of a
comprehensive evaluation process. The winning presentation(s) is given to
the director to use as a guide for filming the final production.
Focus groups: Focus group participants are asked many questions con-
cerning the commercial(s), including their reaction to the music. The com-
poser may be asked to rewrite the music if the reaction is poor.
During the initial research phase, focus groups are also used. The focus
group participants are asked questions that will help the researchers
develop a profile of their potential consumers. The agency might present
a series of taglines, which could eventually become the most identifiable
slogan connecting the public to the product, or visual images may be pre-
sented and explored. This could help the creatives take the proper
approach to developing a campaign and image for the product.
Television tests: Many products and commercials are tested on televi-
sion in a specific region(s) of the United States. If the product sells, the
commercial or campaign is considered successful, and airtime is bought
on a national basis (assuming the product is sold nationally) or a regional
basis.
Some products, although sold nationally, sell the majority of their proj-
ects regionally. In this situation, the greatest share of the media buying
takes place regionally. For example, the majority of sales for the soft drink
Dr Pepper are in the western and southwestern regions of the United