FAQ: How Much Does It Cost To Make A Commercial?

When it comes to video and film production, there are a lot of questions that a client typically asks. Particularly clients who have never had a commercial or a video produced. One of the most common questions asked is, “How much does it cost to make a commercial?” It’s a good question for which there isn’t a simple answer. Rather, the response is a series of questions, in return.

Imagine you were thinking about having a house built. You might ask an architect the same question, “How much does it cost to build a house?” The answer you’d get, would be in the form of a list of questions. “How many bedrooms do you want? How many bathrooms? What kind of materials do you want to use?” and so on. Then there’s the question of when you expect to move into your new home. This particular question (“How soon?”) is one of many questions where the rule of “Good, fast, or cheap… pick two” come into play, as it does with any creative or service endeavor. You really can’t have all three.

So how can you inquire about the cost of a commercial, and get an answer in the form of a fairly accurate estimate? Just as with the house building analogy, you have to know as much as you can, about what you want, up front. If in the beginning you don’t have a clue as to what you want, start paying attention to the commercials that you see, everyday. Make note of the ones you like, and of the ones you don’t like (plenty of those). If you see a competitor’s ad, pay very close attention to what they’ve made. You want your commercial to outshine theirs.

Next, start to really think about your product or your message. What is it that you’re trying to sell? What is it that you want to say? Who do you want to reach? What is a reasonable goal for your commercial? How do you want to be seen by your customers? Don’t just go for a funny ad, because you like funny ads. Don’t buy into the idea that irritating ads work best because people remember them. People do remember, but they tend to only remember that you have irritated them. Stick with taking note of what you want to say, what you want to sell, how you want to be perceived, and who you’re trying to reach.

Time is also something to consider. How soon do you want to be on the air? Is there a critical date that is attached to a product launch, or sale? I’ll cover the topic of how long it takes to make a commercial, in another post, but suffice it to say that, again, it really depends on the very things I’ve recommended thinking about, in this post.

At this point, you need to address the very question with which you began, and determine how much money you are comfortable investing in creating your commercial. It may seem a little counterintuitive to have to come up with the answer to your own question, but if you think about it, you already know what you can and cannot afford. It’s a bit like tossing a coin to make a decision, “Heads I’ll do it, tails, I won’t… ok, best two out of three… ok, three out of five…” You know what your company can reasonably afford to spend on advertising, if you give it just a little thought.

The good news is that there are many ways to work within a whole range of budgets… from Super Bowl scale (we love those), to the very conservative level (we love those, too… some very creative ideas have come about, due to smaller budgets). If you’ve done a little homework upfront, and know what you want to say or sell, who you’re trying to reach, how you want to be perceived, and how much you’re willing to invest to make it all happen, you’ll be ready to speak with a producer. With the information you provide, your producer will be able to work with you to design a commercial that can achieve your goals, while staying within your budget.