The Perfect Date: How to make compelling testimonial commercials

Daniel Thorpe, President, Boom Creative
January 25, 2007

Have you ever found yourself engaged in a truly fascinating conversation, whether on a date, with an old friend, or a colleague? In this conversation, every thought is fascinating, every concept seems relevant, and you hang on every word. Before you know it, hours have passed, and you end up wanting more.

That is the foundation of making a great testimonial commercial.

When I talk to my clients about testimonials, they sometimes shy away from the idea. That’s because the vasty majority of testimonials are the awful productions that, by and large, make up the genre: truly bland individuals dispensing canned lines in monotones that are anything but “the perfect date.”

Ironically, a good testimonial can instantly transition a “conservative” client to one with a fun and even edgy message. After all, people in real life are fascinating if you give them the chance.

At STCU, our testimonial campaign helped the credit union carve out a niche and face that translated directly to the credit union’s image. In my 20 years of making commercials (most of which were non-testimonial), none have had the likability and effectiveness of the STCU spots. Today, STCU members contact the credit union for the purpose of being featured in STCU’s spots. It’s become a bit of celebrity in the Spokane market, and we have to turn potential subjects away. How does one achieve this?

Some tips:

You’re only as good as your subjects - Go back to the date analogy. If you don’t find the individual you’re featuring fascinating, chances are your viewers won’t.

Pick someone who’s genuine - Down-to-earth honest people make phenomenal testimonial subjects. You do NOT want people who try to act.

Pick someone with whom you have a chemistry - Remember the date analogy. This is a joint production in which your subjects should have as much ownership in he product as you.

Don’t choose someone who’s famous - Or, at the very least, be very wary of shooting local celebrities. They have a tendency to “act” in the persona for which they’re known for, or worse, have an agenda to promote. Use them only if you can get the real person - not the celebrity - to shine through.

Don’t pick people who are “good actors” - Think about the date analogy. Do you want an act or the real thing? Unscripted, sincere delivery is what gives the testimonial its strength.

A good testimonial commercial is all about putting the testimonial subject at ease. Get to know them as well as you can. Become friends with them. Develop a chemistry with them.

Pick someone who can’t shut up - You want a little attention deficit disorder in your subjects. Tangents are your friend!

Choose a hook - A testimonial commercial is not a substitute for solid strategy. For example, the STCU “Things I Love” campaign evolved from the propensity of STCU members to openly proclaim their love for STCU. Therefore, we sought individuals who could say with conviction that they LOVED STCU.

Pick somebody unique - We’ve featured everyone from Vietnamese restaurant owners to Caribbean immigrants to people who teach dance to kids with special needs. Not only do they have unique stories to tell, but those stories give them an opening to talk naturally about things in their lives. The nice thing about this is that most everyone has a unique trait, as long as you’re willing to look for it.

Celebrate diversity - When we push to promote diversity in testimonial advertising, we do it not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it makes for more interesting, effective spots. Our best received testimonial commercials have inevitably been ones that cross ethnic and cultural boundaries. If a person is likable and genuine, it shows.

Do your preparation - Get to know what’s in your subject’s head and understand the things that are important in his or her life. When you know them the conversation follows naturally.

Shoot a LOT - When you think you’ve got everything you need at a shoot, keep going. Your goal is to have as many options as possible in post production. Plus, the cool comments people make are invariably the ones they make after they let their hair down.

Use short sentences - In the world of a thirty-second commercial, sentences cannot be short enough. We often capture great statements made by subjects and have them repeat those thoughts in short sound bytes.

Go with the flow - Know that randomness and spontaneity is what makes a great spot (you don’t want a testimonial that sounds rehearsed.) Follow the flow of conversation to new topics.

Finally...have fun! When you and your subjects are having fun, it shines through in the effectiveness of the spot. When we shoot testimonials, we play music, serve great food and give it the establish a loose, fun environment.

Don't miss this speaker's exciting presentation at the CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Conference, March 14-17, 2007 in Las Vegas, NV. For more information about the conference, please click here.