Yesterday a new client called with many questions about the cost of TV Infomercials including production values like camera quality, animations, and set construction. Now mind you he was calling about a Short Form TV Infomercial or a DRTV Commercial to sell an inexpensive new and patented fitness product. He was confused because he had spoken to some companies in the Los Angeles area who quoted a minimum of $100,000.00 for a short form project. Together we looked at some competitive products and broke down the production values for each to help him determine how high the production values for his Direct Response TV project needed to be.
Of course there are many factors that determine the cost and quality of a TV Production. Nowadays there are HD cameras sold at Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy for a few hundred dollars, so beware of a producer offering HD, when in fact it may be a consumer format like HDV. Likewise, the lighting should include a truck full of professional lighting like HMI and Kino Flo lights. Some producers offer very low prices that would be appropriate for a wedding or Bar Mitzvah event, not a national quality TV commercial.
On the flip side, large corporate advertisers like beverage and automotive companies spend $250,000.00 and up on a single 30 second spot. The hottest camera out there today is a heavy duty broadcast HD camera called Red. Recently, a new client approached InfoWorx Direct asking us to replicate an ad for a competitive product. We broke down the production values and suggested that the client spend about $55,000 with us to replicate the two minute DRTV spot which had a budget over $100,000.00. We added a film lens package, a studio shoot with custom set, dolly, additional crew, animation and a graphic designer to our standard package. After 19 years of award winning TV Infomercial production (and many roll outs), we know where and when a marketer needs to put some extra dollars into their production.
The bottom line….TV production values do matter. You cannot produce national quality infomercials and Direct Response TV commercials for a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars as so many sites advertise today. However, a good short form infomercial can range between $15,000 and $50,000.00 and a good long form infomercial can range between $55,000 and $150,000.00. National quality, broadcast HD cameras, professional talent, lighting, design, editing and animation are all must haves, but there is no need to break the bank.
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