5 Effectiveness Principles for TV Creative that Performs

It's 8 PM on a Tuesday evening. Your target customer is being pulled in every direction. A text just came in from their boss. The dog needs to go outside. Instagram notifications are lighting up their phone. Their kids are asking about dinner plans for tomorrow. 

Modern consumers are constantly overwhelmed by digital noise and everyday demands. Grabbing their focus is harder than ever. 

And yet… TV still captures 94% of all attention-weighted video viewing. 

Even in the chaos, TV dominates when it comes to attention. But access to that attention is wasted if your creative can’t hold it. 

The difference between a TV commercial that’s quickly forgotten and one that inspires action comes down to these five creative principles. 

 

Principle 1: Emotion is the Engine 

Most TV ads don’t make people feel anything.  

And that’s a problem. 

Because emotion isn't just creative fluff. It’s what drives most of our decision-making. Positive emotions like joy, nostalgia, and surprise build long-term brand equity. Even sadness can drive short-term impact when used strategically.  

But that doesn’t mean you should confuse "emotional" with "sentimental." Emotional creative doesn't require tears or heartstrings. It requires authenticity. Humor that actually lands. Conflict that resonates with your audience's daily reality. Characters who feel human instead of focus-grouped. 

When people feel something while watching your ad, they remember your brand. More importantly, they act on that feeling.  

Even if you’re selling enterprise software. 

 

Principle 2: Storytelling Wins Attention (and Wallets) 

System1 research confirms what we see in our own campaigns: stories with dialogue, memorable characters, and clear settings consistently outperform feature-loaded scripts. 

The temptation to squeeze in every product benefit is real. But you need to resist it. 

Because even in 30 seconds, you can tell a full story. One with a beginning, middle, and end. Start with a hook. Raise stakes your audience cares about. Resolve with your brand as the hero. 

Remember, your commercial isn’t a product demo. It’s a story.  

 

Principle 3: Distinctive Brand Assets Drive Memorability 

Progressive's Flo. McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It." Netflix's "tudum" sound. 

What do these assets have in common? They make brands instantly recognizable with fewer media impressions. 

Real distinctive assets are ownable, memorable and consistently deployed. These brand-building tools, as defined by Professor Jenni Romaniuk at the Ehrenberg Bass Institute, create memory structures that stick. If viewers can identify your brand quickly and consistently, you've built the kind of asset that drives long-term effectiveness. 

Once built, the memory structures formed by these distinctive assets compound over time. Every campaign reinforces them. Every impression makes them stronger. And makes your brand more famous. 

 

Principle 4: Design for Distracted Viewing 

Most agencies design TV creative for a world that no longer exists. A world where viewers give commercials their full attention. 

These days, viewers are busy scrolling, texting, and multitasking, which leads to 60% of TV ads being heard rather than seen.  

That means your commercial must work as audio-first content. Voiceovers, music and sound design aren't nice-to-haves. They're primary drivers of comprehension and recall. 

The most effective campaigns can tell a complete story through audio alone. Visuals enhance rather than carry the message. 

Test this with a friend. Play your commercial without looking at the screen. If the story, brand and call-to-action come through clearly to a fresh pair of ears, you've successfully crafted the spot for how people consume TV today. 

If not? Your creative isn't working as hard as it should. 

 

Principle 5: Be Clear About the Ask 

The most creative commercial in the world can fail if viewers don't know what to do next. As TV becomes increasingly measurable, your call-to-action is often the difference between achieving brand awareness alone and also driving short-term business results. 

The top CTAs for modern TV advertising fall into three categories: 

1. Drive-to-web. Most viewers expect to respond online. Make your URL visible for more than just the final few seconds. And ensure your landing page matches the commercial's messaging for a consistent user experience.
   
   
2. Text-to-respond. SMS works well for service-based businesses or as an alternative to the traditional call center. Smart chatbots can qualify prospects before human handoff. 
   
   
3. QR codes. They’re growing in popularity and are trackable as a performance metric. Just keep them on-screen long enough for viewers to notice, decide they’re interested, and scan. 

Whatever response method you choose, make it feel like a natural extension of your story, not an awkward add-on. 

 

Build TV creative that drives results. 

You don't have to choose between brand building and performance. 

The most successful commercials do both simultaneously. 

By applying these five principles, you create advertising that both captures attention and drives measurable, lasting business outcomes. 

Because when creative is designed for how people watch TV today, something interesting happens. Viewers don't just see your ad. They remember, feel, and act on it. 

Dive into what makes TV creative effective. Download The New Rules of Great TV Creative for additional research and case studies that demonstrate these principles in action.