100-year-old doctor reminisces about creating heart therapies for children.
A young idealistic couple shares heartfelt feelings and truthful fears about parenthood. Scientists separate facts from fiction about the abilities of robots. A race car driver describes his scariest driving experience—bringing his daughter home from the hospital. A 100-year-old doctor reminisces about creating heart therapies for children. You may be wondering what documentary films these scenes are from, but they are actually all moments from commercial campaigns. Numerous companies around the globe have been abandoning traditional-style scripted commercials for the free-form advertising campaigns that focus less on the product being advertised and more on consumers who enjoy those products.
Documercials are helping to promote a level of trust between product manufacturers and consumers while allowing those manufacturers the chance to present the ways in which their products will realistically affect the lives of potential buyers. Documentary-style commercials are unique in that they have the ability to find authenticity, doing so by focusing on human interaction with the product, rather than the directions of the product itself. Traditional product advertising has a tendency to have a product anchored at the center of the commercials’ world whereas documercials properly place products in their realistic place as a life assistant for the user.
Consumers are inundated with information, constant attempts to heighten their interest in learning about the products they may spend their money on and meanwhile shortening their tolerance for advertising gimmicks like the benefits of having the coldest beer of all beer brands. For that reason, documentary-style advertising campaigns have been on the rise.
This brand new movement is gaining traction because of its ability to convey honesty in its message. In the new landscape of instant accountability and viral business, gossip corporations need to be displayed to behave responsibly, and it is a good way to promote corporate initiatives. Many forms of traditional advertising have been alienating consumers; Many felt deceived by corporations, and the docummercial is an excellent tool in rebuilding that trust. Campaigns that talk to consumers in a more open and honest way will resonate more strongly, and campaigns that focus on the good intentions of corporations, and their products are provided in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Documercials offer corporations opportunities to build brand equity by showing their commitment to sustainability, accountability, corporate responsibility, and their customers in general. While in the creation process of documercials we do not employ the use of actors or write scripts. We focus more on the perspective or angle to tell the story. The questions asked of the consumer become imperative. How direct or subversive will the message and/or tone be of the piece be; i.e. For a woman’s skin care product; will the perspective be about the cause and effect or using the product has on her skin and inadvertently her self-esteem or do we take the obtuse approach of what does she feel like to live in her skin with and her day to day life experiences and inspirations? Both approaches would be effective documercials. However, the former’s scope paints its concept with a broader brush. Either way, we have found there is no better advertising than the genuine experience of a happy client be it directly or in the abstract. The result will be a testament to the impact your company has on the lives of the people you serve.
We can attest to the current communication trends with one other as a society is one of the reasons this trend will continue. Real people sharing their most intimate moments and thoughts on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other outlets have created a new way of outward talking. This is how we now catch up with each other’s lives and learn about each other. It’s become a part of our culture, so it’s just natural for documercials to connect to people this way. The human connection will become more important and intense the more than technology displaces us from one another.
