Cecil Archbold - COMMERCIAL VOICEOVER

Commercials…  Watch TV and you’ll see them.  Listen to radio and you’ll hear them.  Browse the internet and you’ll experience them.  However you get your content, you will encounter commercials.  Which means you will experience commercial voiceovers.  You can think of voice overs as the tracks on which the commercial train runs.  A train without a train track isn’t going anywhere.  Similarly, a well-crafted commercial isn’t going to accomplish much without a professional voice actor to deliver its message.  But it can’t be any ol’ voice.  It must be the voice that’s a perfect fit for the product or service.

A commercial advertisement is programming that’s produced for the purpose of soliciting an action.  That action could be a request for purchase, donations or to simply generate awareness.  This programming is paid for by an organization whose goal is to get you to do something.  If the organization’s goals lines up with your need, then you move.  If they don’t line up, you don’t move.  Sometimes the organization opens your mind to a need you didn’t really know you had prior to listening or watching the advertisement.

The elements of a commercial are quite involved.  It’s composed of research, casting, creatives, copywriters, legal, production, animation and more.

A tremendous amount of work goes into the development of commercials.  Resulting in a defined WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE.

A celebrity or relatively unknown?

Male or female?

Child, teen, young adult, middle aged or senior citizen?

Ethnicity, racial or cultural background?

One on one personal engagement, small group or a crowd?

Overall environment, indoors or outdoors?

Time slot?

Targeted programming?

TV?

Radio?

Digital?

Indoor or outdoor?

When the ad is requiring a voiceover talent to deliver the lines, that talent is expected to BE the words on the page, not read them.  The voice should be relatable to the listener, meaning those listening can effortlessly put themselves in the ad.  The actor needs to speak in a conversational voiceover style to provide a way for the listener to connect with the ad.  The listener should feel like they’re having a conversation with a neighbor, friend or family member.  As it’s been said, most of us love to buy but we don’t like being sold.

So, what is Commercial Voiceover?  When you come across a commercial advertisement, and you hear a voice but don’t see a face.  That’s Voiceover!  …and that’s where I come in.  I’m a male African American professional voice actor.  More than just a voice, I’ve been trained to read between the lines of your advertising copy.  I know how to lift the words off the page and give them life.  I also understand that the advertising world is continuously changing, so I regularly train with the voiceover industry’s best coaches so that I remain on top of industry trends.

Take a minute and listen to my sound.  Then reach out to me for a custom demo of your script.