Making sense with Ads

Hi guys! It's Anirudh here, and as most of u know, im working with the music division of
Isquare.Recently, we guys made our first Ad film as a first step towards the media division. I
should say it went pretty well...It was much above the standards one would expect of a
first-timer's Ad film...Having said that..I just wanted to share my after-thoughts on how to go about further Ad making projects.

I'm totally not sure how to go about this, but
first of all, lets think about what we think of Ads in general. More often than not, Ads are
annoying things that interrupt the flow of your favourite Movie/Show, cause you to check
out another channel and basically, things that we dont exactly look forward to. While this is
the case with the viewers, imagine how much money, effort and time is spent in
making those Ads... Various companies/organisations have their own
advertising & marketing department and spend a lot of money on making these Ads,
aimed at improving their reach and thereby their sales. Then arises the question: are Ads as effective as they are intended to be?And here is the widely accepted answer: Not really.

Ad makers know this and are continuously trying create an impact by coming up with
innovative ideas. But the problem is, not all innovative ideas and efforts reach people. You could create an Ad that absolutely excels in photography, has a fascinating BGM, involves a top actor/actress, has the most realistic sets and mind blowinjg locations, but if people just prefer to switch to the next channel, what then is the use of all the money, time and effort? What actually
makes the difference between the movies/shows and the Ads? Firstly, Movies
are interesting (entertaining) and Ads are not. There are exceptions, yes, (to both!) but
have you really looked forward to watching new Ad as much as awaiting a new movie?I haven't.A successful Ad is one that entertains people as much as it sells its product.
Having said that, how can Ads be made interesting? Ads that let an open question
always work. (provided the question is thought provoking enough. I'm not referring
to ones like "Pulli raja") I'm talking about Ads that make people think about them even
after they've turned off ther TV. Secondly, Ads need to stick to facts as much as possible and stop exaggerating to the level of annoyance. I mean, C'mon guys! You dont really believe that chewing a specific brand of gum makes the girls come behind u like driven cattle, do u?And whatever brand of shoes it may be, it is definitely not going to make you fly. Shirts that glow white like tube lights are a myth and so are mountain jumping bikes.the problem with over exaggeration is that people tend to start disbelieving in the actual capabilities ofthe product itself, which is bad news. People tend to trust Ads that dont lie too much. Ads need to be more convincing factually and thematically. A little bit of exaggeration does the trick, agreed. But lets try and stick to the popular saying "moderation in everything".
So, here we are, with two basic things to remember while making an ad: Keep it
interesting and keep it real.

And here's a note addressed more to myself than to others in the field: The background music is as important as anything else and has to suit the feel of the situation. It too has to be interesting to get people's attention. What photography and editing does to the eyes, the music should do to the ears.
With that in mind, lets hope our forthcoming Ads have what its takes to stop people from swtching to the next channel every time our Ads pop up.