Anti Telkom advertisement

[eye_suc]

This is merely a question, and is most likely completely impossible. Just want to know the possibilities...

Is a person allowed to directly assualt a company (for arguments sake lets call this company mokleT) via a television ad? What if such an ad was broadcast by a non profit organization (can you sue a org that doesnt make money?)?

Another problem, how would you go about getting such an ad broadcast (this costs money last time i checked)? Do stations like e-tv offer free ads for special organizations (Salvation Army, Anti Women and children abuse, DIE MOKLET, handicapped children homes)?

I just have to fight to keep down my food whenever i see that speedy gonzales ADSL ad! The only telkom ad that makes me smile is the one about Pilot, the oefie that runs to hear his owners voice.

Thank you for reading my futile thread, just wanted to know what could possibly happen for interests sake.

[simons]

Why not telecoms. or any company that is potentially dangerous to consumers

[LoneGunman]

re anti telkom adverts, not a bad idea at all. (I do voice overs for adverts, so I know a little about the structure of 'how' adverts go from an idea, through to end product on TV)

bear in mind Television is just 'an effective delivery system for adverts' - thats all.
Shows which are popular, provide higher revenue for the channels, from advertisers to buy ad slots to sell their rubbish.

Channels don't really care what the 'product' is - as long as the buyer of the slot pays up.
Technically, 'comparative advertising is banned here' I think - a pity, because then you get into real mean advertising where the consumer benefits massively.
("Colgate says its new toothpaste does great things, they're wrong, and here's why.."
So we don't see that kind of advertising here.

Nonetheless, an anti-Telkom (or anti-monopoly advert) I think would be fine. Just gotta
a) get a decent script
b) film it
c) book airtime on a channel/channels for broadcast.

The cheapest way of making an advert, is using titling and voice over. No on-camera actors/actresses/cute dogs or anything.

I dont know the rates for booking single slots, or series of slots for a 'campaign' as its called - but I'm pretty sure phoning SABC/MNET, to get their current rates for different saturation slot-costs, is a neato first step. (I do voice overs for adverts, so I know a little of the structures needed)
Usually the Client (myadsl for instance) approaches some ad agency, and get given a bunch of projected adverts/routes to sell the Product (anti-telkom) - then depending on budget, the agency does it, and charges some frightening figure to the client, which includes the rental of airtime slots to show the approved 30 second ad.

However, if you have a 10, 15 or 30 second ad done by yourself, on broadcast quality tape, then you bypass the whole costly ad agency part of it completely, and deal directly with the TV station. Hand over tape, pay the costs for repeated broadcast at preset times (according to the TV station's own payment-scales, for what they consider more expensive ad times or 'prime time') - and sit back and enjoy the fun.

Forumites for Myadsl could easily make an effective simple advert for the forum itself, if one wanted to. Could make a nice 15 seconder commercial

Here's a quick TV advert script, to sell myadsl, for instance, in a way that costs nothing, yet doesn't LOOK like it costs nothing (a very important factor) Just coz you can afford to pay actors/actresses - isn't always a good reason to do it. Sometimes simplicity sells.

---------------------------------------------
FADE IN AND OUT OF THE FOLLOWING TITLES.
WHITE LETTERING ON BLACK BACKGROUND.

FX ENGAGED TONE AS HEARD ON TELEPHONE, WHICH FADES SLOWLY.

TITLE:
SICK OF BEING LIED TO?

TITLE:
TIRED OF PAYING FOR SLOW
AND EXPENSIVE INTERNET?

TITLE:
EXPENSIVE PHONE CALLS?

TITLE:
WANT TO LEARN THE TRUTH?

SOUND FX: LARGE AUDIENCE SLOWLY DOING A SLOW CLAP, THIS INCREASES
UNDER THE REMAINING TITLES, BUILDING AND ECHOING..

TITLE:
JOIN AN ONLINE LOCAL FORUM

TITLE:
AND DISCOVER WHAT YOU'RE MISSING

TITLE:
COME TO www.mybroadband.co.za

TITLE:
WE'RE INDEPENDENT, AND MAD AS HELL.
JOIN US.

SOUND FX FADES OUT.
VISUAL FADE OUT
-END
--------------------------------------------
-Boom, there's your 10 -15 second commercial. Some titling - which can be done for next to nothing, on any arb edit suite. An audio FX which can be sourced for nothing.

Only cost is the TX'ing (transmission) costs.

rpm what do you think? :P

[UtterNutter]

I do voice overs for adverts

Really? Radio or TV? And give us an idea of which ones so that we may place a voice with the nick!

:D

[neio]

Make it something funny and you'll have people talking about it around the coffee machine in the office.

You need the hook.

Like somebody going to buy vaseline before they open their telskum bill.

Now thats funny.

Picture it.

Big macho Guy arives at home after a long days work, sees the Telskum bill in the post box, eyes widen slightly in fear, jumps into car and rushes off to chemist to buy vaseline, comes back and covers body in vaseline in readiness to open bill.

Lol.

[LoneGunman]

rather not tell you the various products, but they're on radio, TV and cinema. Yup, you've heard me.. a LOT :)

re the 'make it funny' angle, sure - but when was the last time you saw an angry advert?
Advertisers always try doing 'funny' - because they want people to have that warm fuzzy feeling and brand identification with their Product..

we dont want that. We're working with abstract concepts here, not 'a product' available in Your Local Supermarket Now!.
We want the p*ssed off people sitting with slow internet, high phone bills - to show them there's a non bullsh*t non-corporate thing happening online where they can get some answers, and find others equally as p*ssed off.

You dont get angry, dramatic and simple adverts on local TV much.. also given that - if u were 'selling' this forum as a way for people to find the truth - hey, no one's making money from this, its not a hip or groovy fashion thing. Its a nice leap forward for an independent forum to let the public know there's a way of bypassing all the rubbish adverts for this or that ISP, or Telkom's latest profiteering scheme..

Also, you cant compete with the big budgets and make a high quality 'funny' ad, so then okay, corner the 'angry' market which the Big Advertisers don't ever use and CAN'T use - and get the message across. (The message being simply 'come to this forum for the real story on your internet/phone problems')

Bear in mind, this would be my take on selling 'myadsl' as a Product, whereas a specific anti-Telkom message-ad, might be too overly focused. Yeah they're the Bad Guy, and you can make some humour from showing this in a 30 second ad - but if folks get onto this forum, they can discover WHY they're the Bad Guy..
(my 20 cents worth) :)

[AcidRaZor]

The background music can be telkom's HOLD music "too doo dee doooo" then everyone would know who they are and we dont have to say telkom :D

[AcidRaZor]

What if we did an ad that went "Using Skype Out you can call from JHB to CPT for 35% less than your local provider"

Is that comparing?

[stoke]

"The cheapers rates anywhere" was ok when Budget car rental used it.

[eye_suc]

Cool stuff! Well, i was actually thinking about killing a Sizwe dummy on camera, but lonegunman's idea is WAYYY better!

The budget car rental example, yes!!

Come to think of it, if you mention in a TV ad about cheaper phone rates, you wont directly be refering to Telkom, but seeing as they are the only monopolistic bastids around, we ARE refering to them, so there is no confusion! (apart from this post though).

Hmmm, we need LOTS of donations to get the best slots for an ad. Imagine having an ad run EVERY SINGLE TIME TELKOM runs their ADSL ads? HAHAHAHA, i swear i would crack a rib...

[stoke]

I know - lets put an ad in with the teklom bills - I sometimes do see third party stuff in there - if we're clever enough, we could get away with it, and it should be cheaper than a good 30 second TV slot.

[Spamtheman]

Tired of [image of telkom bill next to an extra large tub of vasoline]
join www.myadsl.co.za [www.myadsl.co.za url]

It'd work for print adds as well.

[mbs]

Just a thought - the kind of ad proposed by LG would surely be relatively simple to create using digital tools like Flash? Would it be worth creating it digitally and then streaming to broadcast-quality video for flighting, which could then be simultaneously published on the 'net? I'm definitely no expert when it comes to multi-media stuff like this - is it possible to do relatively easily? If so, could someone start this off and coordinate as a 'consensus production' founded on group effort?

[AcidRaZor]

most companies use flash for broadcast quality "graphics" if im not mistaken

[nocilah]

no... we use adobe after effects or adobe premier... flash can be used but is a but ache to use for production quality... something like lg mentioned would take about an hour... then would need a sound editor another hour or less to put the sound track in.

also competitive ads cant be done in south africa(law)... unless you crafty and flight them on friday saturday and sunday then telkom will moan and tv will take it off on monday which will create media and people wil moan to telkom and what bastards they are.

[caroper]

For the backing track take a listen to:

Enigma
Age of loneliness
1:30 to 2:00

Just fits the 30second frame and the lyrics are perfect :)

[Dastrix]

I really think if something like this is going to be achieved it must go for the jugular and prod the emotive like other Telkom ads do. For example (and I'm thumb sucking figures in this so please excuse me - o and this is my first post, hello - I heeded the call to register..)


Scene opens on a little kaya in the stix where an old black man waves goodbye to what is clearly a telkom van, but has no logo on it (like the same Telkom ad).

Old man goes to the phone and his smile turns into a face of utter dissapointment as you hear an annoying pre-recorded female voice in the background saying "this service has been suspended due to non payment, please..."

picture fades to black and clear white writing appears

70% OF SOUTH AFRICANS CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP IN TOUCH

fades to black and the the following appears

ONE COMPANY CONTROLS TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

fades to black and the the following appears

THEY ARE ROBBING US BLIND

scene changes to a boardroom where "fat cat" type men (of all nationalities) in business suites laughing loudly while smoking cigars and drinking alcohol of some description. A scene of clear excess.

Camera pans and the same old man is seen collecting glasses and placing them slowly onto a tray.

Camera follows him out the room, a door with "TELECOMMUNICATIONS MONOPOLY" on it swings shut.

Camera pans to show his silhoette walking slowly down the corridoor

fades to black and the the following appears

AND KEEPING OUR NATION POOR

fades to black and the the following appears

www.mybroadband.co.za


I think that should have a similar effect to root canal without anasthetic.

I know most ad agencies will do pro bona work, the main cost is flighting it on television in a timeslot that is going to make a difference. Perhaps a sponosr for this sort of thing? Someone who gains to benifit, like an ISP?

[MaD]

Hi Dastrix, welcome to myadsl.. nice ad ;)

[eye_suc]

Hmmm, strange how nobody has made an ad yet :P

Mebe everybody is afraid of the Telkom demons cutting off their ADSL.

[AcidRaZor]

Brilliant ad Dastrix. Instead of "One company controls telecommunications in south africa" I think we should say "South African government can end this human rights violation" (because, in affect Telkom is denying our basic human right to communicate (yes, that just came out my ass, could be true, could not be true)

But I reckon the above mentioned "One company controls..." would give telkom some (shaky) ground to stand on in a law suit of some kind.

To the others that suggests some kind of background music, how about recording the HOLD music from telkom (before the voice interupts) that way they KNOW it's telkom without saying it.

[-toady-]

yeah brilliant ad but nobody would see it in its entirety as the rush for the mute button the minute the hold musak started would be hectic....

WretchedToad :D

[kilps]

See http://www.sabcairtimesales.co.za for some costs

//me thinks we need a sponsor :(

[arf9999]

See http://www.sabcairtimesales.co.za for some costs

//me thinks we need a sponsor :(
yup, my point exactly. Production can be done on the cheap, but who can afford the media?

[jarr]

TITLE:
COME TO www.mybroadband.co.za

TITLE:
WE'RE INDEPENDENT, AND MaD AS HELLKOM.
JOIN US.

SOUND FX FADES OUT.
VISUAL FADE OUT
-END
:D

[TMoose]

yup, my point exactly. Production can be done on the cheap, but who can afford the media?Yikes, looks like a 10 second ad between 18:30 and 19:30 would cost R16200! That's insane!

Radio is MUCH cheaper. You can get a standard 30 sec ad on 5fm in rush hour for under R3000... still, for one broadcast that's a crapload of money.

On weekends it actually gets affordable, you can get an ad for as little as R420 between 18:00 and 22:00 on 5fm on a Saturday night (if I understand this correctly).

[kilps]

But out of plain interest who do you think is going to care about Telecoms while listening to 5fm on a saturday night .... :D

[peered95]

not many, and with that Rodger Good oak on he'll stop it early and talk about this amazing dance track that he got...:p

[mccrack]

Excellent Ad Dastrix (almost had tears rolling) .

Perhaps myadsl should look for a sponsor with deep pockets and a strained relationship with Hellkom, me rolls my eyes to Internet Solutions ( peering saga ) ....

[The_Librarian]

Just a thought - the kind of ad proposed by LG would surely be relatively simple to create using digital tools like Flash? Would it be worth creating it digitally and then streaming to broadcast-quality video for flighting, which could then be simultaneously published on the 'net? I'm definitely no expert when it comes to multi-media stuff like this - is it possible to do relatively easily? If so, could someone start this off and coordinate as a 'consensus production' founded on group effort?


Nice idea, but those people running on bandwidth-starved connections usually have an ad blocker running to conserve what precious bandwidth they have (me included). ;)

[EchoDown]

at the risk of posting too much...
how bout this...
After the add before myadsl add finishes inbetween ads there is always that silence before the next add,I say use that silence....IE:the previous add finishes/que silence/in BIG WHITE LETTERS on the screen.......
TELKOM
MONOPOLY
say about 15 seconds long
END
so i say use that lull in sound to your advantage and then make it real real cheap by just saying telkom monopoly,no sound even
cheers guys

[peered95]

Subliminol messaging on toilet rolls is still the best way :D

[eye_suc]

not everybody uses toilet paper...

problem is, we would want to reach as many people as possible, and the people you REALLY want to reach are those that do not always have TV's or internet: The Disadvantaged. They also have the right to communicate with friends and family, but they CANNOT. THEY should know about what their government is doing about the problem...

[thisgeek]

not everybody uses toilet paper...


Hmmm... what do they use then? :confused:

[eye_suc]

I think some people use their hands. Leaves also work pretty good. As well as newspaper. But glossy magazine pages can hurt you badly, just imagine getting a papercut down there. EINA!

Donations of even 5 seconds during prime time viewing should suffice for now. All you REALLY need to say to the public is "Phone companies are ripping us off. Other countries dont pay for local calls" Something short and sweet and fast, but it must be repeated againg and again. HAMMER it home...