The TV Shoot, The Spoiled Brat, And A Painful Lesson
It was two days before our shoot. I was in the office with the client going over the story boards and filling him in on all the details for his latest television campaign. At that time, with my agency being in its infancy stage, we were taking in any client we could, which is why I was seated across from the "Redneck Crazy Man" as I liked to refer to him. He owned a string of low end rental car shops and his only redeeming quality was that he was a quick pay.
For this particular shoot, my script involved an NBA star and a good looking young boy I had cast through a local talent agency. The boy had been in a few commercials and he knew how to take direction which is crucial when it comes to working with children.
As I was going over the script, the client stopped me mid-sentence, put a picture of a boy in front of me and said, "What ya think about this kid?" Not sure what he had up his sleeve this time, I looked at the picture of the 10 year old boy. "He's cute, why?" I asked. "Cause he's gonna be in the commercials." He said deadpan. "But I've already cast a boy through the talent agency who's perfect! He's coming in tomorrow to do the radio spot and he's contracted to do the TV shoot the following day." I replied. "Don't care". He said. "This here boy is my grandson and if he isn't in the commercials there ain't going to be any commercials." I looked at the picture again and looked back at my redneck crazy man client and shrugged. How bad could he be? I was about to find out.
The next day at our recording studio the "cute" grandson I'll call Jake in this article to protect all concerned, came in with his mother to do the radio commercials I had originally scheduled with the professional child actor. I gave Jake the script and because he had never been near a microphone, I began to coach him as to how close he should get to it, how to be careful about pronunciation, etc. "Let's try a few lines" I said, and that's when the fun began.
Jake I quickly learned, had speech problems. The client's name had a couple of "R"s in it and Jake pronounced "R"s like "L"s making the name of his granddad's car rental company sound like a Lithuanian side dish. In addition, he would put a "th" on all words containing an "S". No matter how many takes he did, the copy came out sounding like a foreign language. Jake grew restless and complained to his mom that he was bored and wanted to go home. And after a couple of hours of futility I ended up salvaging what I could and hoped the listeners were bilingual.
The following day Jake showed up (late) with his mom for the television shoot. Our crew had already been there several hours setting up for our first scene while the NBA star was in makeup. Jake looking bored, grabbed a basketball and started bouncing it on the court right next to one of the sound engineer's high end reel to reel tape machines. "Be careful bouncing that ball so close to that machine." I told him. "That is a very expensive piece of equipment." "Who cares?" He replied deadpan. "If it breaks, my grandfather will pay for it." That's when I knew we were in for a long day.
As I tried to get him to focus on the lines he was to deliver (in that special foreign language of his) his eyes went right to the craft services. "Donuts!" he cried as he dropped the ball right on the tape machine and began stuffing his face. I had rewritten most of the lines trying carefully to edit out any "R" words but the name of the company couldn't be avoided. When he was not causing mischief or complaining to his mom that he was bored, Jake was hungry or he was tired, sprawling around on the basketball court while I tried diplomatically to get him back in front of the camera. At one point I found him trying to flirt with some of the female crew telling them that when his grandfather "kicked" this would all be his. As I steered him into makeup, the makeup artist said, "My, what cute little boy!" "I'll get back to you at the end of the day to see if you have reassessed that opinion" I whispered to her.
The grandson was not only confrontational and rude to the crew but also to the NBA star as well who looked like he wanted to crush the little runt a few times. The rest of the shoot went as smoothly and after about 10 hours of work, I prayed we had enough film to choose from to finish the :30 second spot.
The makeup artist came up to me later in the day and when I asked her if she still considered the boy cute, I seem to remember her response including the word "strangulation".
What was the lesson in all this? Well despite what you have heard, the client isn't always right. In fact, sometimes the client is dead wrong. It all depends on your relationship and chemistry as to how you handle a difficult situation such as this. Don't be afraid to assert yourself in showing the client what's best for his advertising and marketing plan for it will benefit both of you in the long run. Just as he is an expert in his business, so too are you in yours. And if you are ever in a situation such as the one I've just described, the "grin and bare it" approach may be your only option!
Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results.
Visit his web site at http://www.eisenbergagency.com
Mailto: halacious@eisenbergagency.com.
 Google News Updated : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:08:18 GMT Health Highlights: Sept. 7 2008 - U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report - On the heels of the huge nationwide salmonella outbreak that caused more than 1400 illnesses from Mexican peppers, a regional Oregon alfalfa sprout distributor has recalled its product in Oregon and Washington state after the sprouts were linked to 13 ... Salmonellosis outbreak prompts sprout recall Salmonella outbreak traced to alfalfa sprouts Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:07:54 GMT Gates outacts Seinfeld in Back To The Future - CNET News
CNET News - Which is why Crispin Porter Bogusky, the agency responsible for the otherworldly new Microsoft TV spot featuring the clowning Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, is already happy. Microsoft's Renewed Vista Strategy Journals week in review: news from One Microsoft Way Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:01:52 GMT 'True Blood': Something More Than Human - PopMatters
PopMatters - by Cynthia Fuchs Bill Maher thinks vampires may be overstepping by demanding “basic civil rights just like everyone else.” He asks his guest on Real Time, a representative for the American Vampire League, “Doesn’t your race have a sordid history of ... 'Six Feet Under' creator behind HBO's 'True Blood' 'True Blood': Undead On Arrival Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:11:56 GMT Land Of Big Science - Newsweek
Newsweek - The Large Hadron Collider is a symptom of America's decline in particle physics and, some fear, in science overall. By Fred Guterl, William Underhill and Sarah Garland | NEWSWEEK Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link. The Final Touches For The Large Hadron Collider's Launch When European physicists bring their monstrous supercollider to ... Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:13:15 GMT Ike blasts Turks and Caicos as Category 4 storm - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos (AP) - Hurricane Ike damaged most of the homes on Grand Turk island as it roared onto the Bahamas, raked Haiti's flooded cities with rain and threatened the Florida Keys on its way to Cuba as a ferocious Category 4 ... Video: Haiti suffers floods as Hurricane Ike hits Caribbean - 07 Sep 08 Eyewitness: Waiting for Ike Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:20:36 GMT Evans KOs Liddell at UFC 88 - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Elias Cepeda, InsideFighting.com Rashad Evans shot himself straight to the top of the long list of challengers in the UFC's light heavyweight division with a devastating knockout win over the sport of MMA's top name and former champion, ... Liddell Loses Luster With UFC Defeat To Evans Rashad Evans knocks out Chuck Liddell Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:18:30 GMT No. 4 Florida Pulls Away From Miami For Win - AHN
AHN - Gainesville, FL (AHN) - Tim Tebow threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, lifting No. 4 Florida to a 26-3 win over in-state rival Miami Saturday. Marve's debut gives Miami (Fla.) reason for hope Tim Tebow leads Florida past Miami Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:39:03 GMT Earn Money At Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... If you are an ardent web surfer and MLMer like... Read More First and foremost - You should identify your target market.... Read More Having a quality brochure makes a positive impression on a... Read More The ability to lead, persuade and influence are integral skills... Read More People say it all the time: "This advertising costs too... Read More Typical methods of advertising-newspapers, radio and television are effective if... Read More The internet offers you the opportunity to seek out jingle... Read More Unless you have become extremely popular in your personal or... Read More More about advertising by BIG Mike McDanielAdvertising is not a... Read More Would you like to get your new or existing Internet... Read More "Print & Mail is a type of service that... Read More Ask anybody who has been in business for a long... Read More Many people in business lay-out (design) their own ads. That... Read More Solution: You can protect yourself by partnering with other lead... Read More Many believe that when it comes to advertising, it's a... Read More Probably the most interesting thing about brochures and leaflets is... Read More It is a given that billboard advertising "outdoor" is not... Read More What is it about magnets that draw people to leave... Read More To succeed in today's crowded marketplace where most of the... Read More In order to sell more products and service, you need... Read More Doesn't that just grab you by the eyeballs and make... Read More The Pundits say the economy is slowly, but surely, recovering.... Read More My father called me to complain, again. He's 82 and... Read More Achieving sales is probably the biggest challenge a web business... Read More Electronic reader boards are the most efficient way to convey... Read More
Adsense
websites
Juice - Scam of the Decade or Opportunity of the Century
Direct Mail Rules of Thumb
How To Create A Better Brochure
Media Savvy - How To Lead, Persuade And Influence
How To Tell If An Advertisement Costs Too Much
Marketing Tips - Advertising
Top Jingle Companies: What to Look For, What to Expect
Promote yourself on radio for free
Ads Dont Sell - People Do !
Present Your Product On A TV Show for FREE
Choosing a Print Mail Dealer
The Online Equivalent of an Effective Newspaper Advertisement is FREE
Design Your Own Newspaper Ads
Dont Put All Your Eggs in The Same Basket
How To Make Your Advertising Work!
How To Write More Powerful Brochures, Leaflets, And Catalogues
9 Tips for Better Billboards
Magnetic Business Cards: Make Your Marketing Message Stick
I Dont Want to be Different
The Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy
How To Write Kick-Ass, Profit Pulling Adverts For Your Business?
When Times Get Tough... or When to Really Advertise
Crazy Ads? Maybe Youre Just Out of The Demo!
Finding Your Target Market
Electronic Reader Board
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Secrets to Get Free Advertising
The opportunities to get free advertising for your product or... Read More
What Happened? Troubleshooting Poor Response from Ad Campaigns
Too many small business owners today run ad campaigns that... Read More
The Only Bad Advertising Is No Advertising - Or Is It?
Depending on whom you ask, you will get told many... Read More
Outdoor Sign
Many business organizations that needs to disseminate late-breaking information to... Read More
See How to Advertise and Gain More Money to Blast Another Project
We have a Great News that we think that may... Read More
Should Your Small Business Hire an Advertising Agency?
So, you own a small business, sales are down and... Read More
Brochures - The Ultimate Sales Tool
"How brochures can help you stand out from the competition,... Read More
Seven Ways to Kick Up the Power of Your Print Advertising - More Small Business Power Tools
If you're a retailer and the only kind of advertising... Read More
Direct Response Advertising; Radio vs TV
Radio advertising vs. television advertisingMany new advertisers assume that they... Read More
Advertising on a Budget -- Part 2: Thinking Small
This is the second article of a three-part series. I'm... Read More
How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time
Use This Quick 3-Question Evaluation Process, So You Can Be... Read More
Dont Be a Secret Agent
This tactic of the game was hard for me to... Read More
How To Tell If An Advertisement Costs Too Much
People say it all the time: "This advertising costs too... Read More
Marketing Advertising, While Advertising Your Market!
Today in the Business world whether online or off, it... Read More
Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions
If your company is one of those innovative businesses that... Read More
Advertising on a Budget -- Part 3: Frequency, Frequency, Frequency
This is the third article of a three-part series. I'm... Read More
Small Business Image
The single easiest way to increase sales is to look... Read More
Three Keys to Crafting Successful Print Ads
Want to create print ads that get results? Below are... Read More
Avoid Being Vague
We are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily?on television... Read More
Media Planning: Smart Choices for Your Success
Media Planning for SmartiesYou say you're ready to advertise. How... Read More
Moving message Sign
Moving Message Signs are a unique, attention-grabbing way to communicate... Read More
The Graphic Problem
Digital printing has revolutionized the sign industry. Current printers can... Read More
Top 9 Reasons To Advertise
Advertising is not for every company. But some require it... Read More
Creativity and Getting Outside of the Box
Sitting in front of a blank piece of paper? Wondering... Read More
Testing Headlines
A correspondent to AdBriefing, my monthly newsletter, has posed a... Read More
Advertising |