Since our opening on January 15th, I have received many mails and within these mails have been many questions. But it almost seems that, for one reason or another, many of these questions were worded as if the person asking did not really feel comfortable about asking in the first place.
Let me assure you that the age old saying that “there is no such thing as a stupid question” holds true for the advertising business as well. Given that many marketers are in direct contact with their agencies on a regular basis, it may seem that all the answers are either already accounted for or that the account execs or directors have them memorized. So what then when someone like TVLowCost comes along with a business proposition that seems out of line with all the packaged replies of the agency?
The first thing seems to be a kind of thought transmission along the lines “well, this can’t really be for real, otherwise somebody would already have done it” or “this is bull – no way they can deliver” or “like I need another agency, they all talk a good game, but when it comes down to it…”. And this is followed by a kind of introspection that asks the question, “but what if there is something to this?”
This is when the email gets sent or a phone call gets made and TVLowCost is asked to explain and verify its business model. As these conversation get into a little more detail and the comfort levels rise, it becomes clear that we are not out to criticize, but to offer an alternative to the current way of communicating a message through the medium of television.
When we are asked as to the cost, the package cost that includes a full day of shooting, where more often than not we are able to shoot two, three or four commercials for the same price as one commercial in the classical sense, clients initially think we are offering slam-bam video productions done in a garage. When we show them our reel, lead them through the process and explain why the costs are so low and the results so good, they begin to realize that the question was far from stupid, but that the answer could not have been known as they had never dealt with us before. Their existing agency could not have had an answer pre-packaged as they work much differently from TVLowCost.
The next question often then pertains to the timing: on air in eight weeks max, three weeks min. We have the system and the resources in place to make this happen – we make it happen because we will not make our clients sign an agency contract – we get repeat business because we earn it.
“How do I know you guys are for real?” seems to follow on the cost and timing heels. Again, we did not produce 300 commercials in two years by being wing-nuts (no disrespect to what was a very useful fastening device at one time). We have won over 60 clients in these years and we welcome the comparison to any agency in the world.
So please keep asking questions, you have nothing to lose – you may even get answers that shed light on some of the things you’re doing at this very moment.
