Types of Commercials: Which One Is Right for Your Business
Not every business needs the same kind of commercial production, and honestly, not every business should want the same kind of commercial. The right format depends on your industry, your budget, and what you're actually trying to accomplish. A law firm and a retail boutique have very different stories to tell and very different ways of telling them effectively.
Here's a breakdown of the commercial styles we produce most often, who they work best for, and what goes into each one.
On-Camera Talent
This is the classic format…someone talking directly to the camera. It could be a professional actor, or in a lot of cases, it's someone from your own team who's comfortable in front of a lens and genuinely knows your business.
On-camera talent works especially well when authenticity matters more than polish. A business owner talking about why they started their company, a doctor explaining their approach to patient care, a contractor walking through a recent project…these feel real because they are real. People respond to faces and voices they sense are genuine, even in a 30-second spot.
The tradeoff is that not everyone is naturally comfortable on camera, and a stiff or nervous delivery can undercut an otherwise solid commercial. Part of our job is coaching that performance so it feels natural rather than rehearsed. Or, we could also cast a professional actor for the role and give it a more polished delivery.
Scripted Voiceover with Custom B-Roll
"B-roll" is supplemental footage that plays while someone talks, instead of just showing a person speaking the whole time. Usually it’s footage we shoot. It gives viewers something visually interesting to watch while the message is being delivered.
This is one of the most versatile and commonly used formats, especially for retail, restaurants, and service businesses. A professional voiceover artist delivers your script while the screen shows footage we actually shoot of your business…your space, your products, your team in action, real customers if appropriate.
This style lets your business look its absolute best without needing anyone to talk on camera. The voiceover carries the message while the visuals build credibility and atmosphere. A restaurant can show the kitchen in motion and the food being plated. A retail business can show product details and the in-store experience. It's polished, professional, and doesn't require anyone on your team to memorize lines or get comfortable with a camera in their face.
Scripted Voiceover with Stock Footage
Sometimes the nature of a business makes filming difficult or unnecessary. We produced a commercial for a temp staffing agency where the most practical approach was professional voiceover paired with high-quality stock footage of office workers across different industries. There wasn't a single physical location to showcase, and the message was about the variety of placements the agency could offer.
This approach significantly reduces production cost since there's no filming day required, while still delivering a polished, professional commercial. It works well for businesses that are service or concept-driven rather than location or product-driven…staffing agencies, software companies, financial services, and similar businesses where the value proposition isn't tied to a physical space.
Interview Style
This format captures someone speaking conversationally, usually responding to questions off-camera rather than reciting a script directly to the lens. It tends to read as more credible and less produced, which makes it particularly effective for professional services.
An attorney talking about their approach to client cases. A business owner discussing what makes their company different. The conversational format creates a sense of direct connection between the viewer and the person speaking, and the slightly less polished delivery actually works in its favor, it doesn't feel like a sales pitch, it feels like a conversation you happened to walk in on.
When we film these, we usually draw up a list of questions ahead of time and film them as sit-down interviews. We have a direction (or two) that we focus on for the commercial(s) and have an outline of what we need for the commercial(s), but the outcomes are very much authentic and unscripted.
Another advantage of interview-style production is flexibility. We can edit additional longer-form content perfect for your website and/or social media. Multiple assets, all built around the same authentic story.
Testimonial Style
This is one of the most persuasive formats available, particularly for healthcare practices, medical offices, and any business where trust is the primary thing you're selling. Real patients or clients talking about their genuine experience carry a credibility that no amount of company-produced messaging can replicate.
And, just like “Interview Style” we can edit longer-form video clips for your website and social media pages. You get a lot more creative assets from the same day of filming.
Narrative Style
This is the most cinematic and dramatic approach…scripted scenes, actors, a story arc, production value closer to what you'd see in a national brand campaign. Think mini movie rather than direct address to camera.
We produce these selectively. Narrative-style commercials require a significantly higher budget to execute well, and frankly, they're not always the strongest choice for a local or mid-sized business. This format tends to work best for established brands with strong existing recognition, where the goal is reinforcing an emotional connection rather than introducing the business and driving immediate action. For a business that's still building its presence and needs viewers to walk away knowing exactly who you are and what to do next, a more direct format usually performs better and costs considerably less.
Animation
Sometimes the best way to make a point is one that can't actually be filmed. That's where animation comes in.
We produced a commercial for an orthodontist built around patient stories about how they'd lost their retainers. One patient's story involved a unicorn stealing a retainer at the beach. Obviously, that's not something you can send a camera crew out to capture. So we animated it instead, using a simple sketch-style approach that came in around the same cost as a standard day of filming.
That's the real value of animation. It opens up creative possibilities that live-action simply can't reach, and it can do that without necessarily costing more, depending on the style.
Sketch-style and simple motion graphics are typically the most budget-friendly animation options, and they work well for explaining a concept, telling a quick story, or adding personality to a brand in a way that feels playful rather than corporate. Character animation, think more developed cartoon-style figures with movement and expression, requires more time and a higher budget but delivers a more polished, fully realized look. Full 3D animation sits at the top end of the budget range, but it's capable of a level of visual sophistication and realism that nothing else can match.
Animation is also a strong option for businesses with complex products or services that are hard to visualize through standard filming, software companies, financial products, healthcare procedures, or any business where showing the concept matters more than showing a physical space or person. It also tends to be a great fit when a brand wants to inject some personality or humor that live-action might not capture as naturally.
The right animation style, like every other format on this list, comes down to budget and what story you're actually trying to tell.
Choosing the Right Format
The honest answer is that the right format depends on your business, your goals, and your budget. A retail business showing off a beautiful space benefits from custom b-roll. A healthcare practice benefits enormously from testimonials. A law firm often does best with an interview-style approach that builds trust through direct, credible delivery. A staffing agency or service business without a physical location to showcase might be perfectly served by voiceover and stock footage at a fraction of the cost.
We typically walk through these options with every client before any production begins, because the format should be driven by strategy, not by what looks impressive on a reel. We get to know our clients, figure out who their target audience is and create a plan for what to create, and we don’t stop there…we partner with media buyers to make sure your commercial is targeted precisely to the right viewers to maximize your ROI.
Multilingual Commercials
Format isn't the only thing that should match your audience. Language does too.
The NY tri-state area is one of the most linguistically diverse markets in the country, and a huge portion of it is being ignored by advertisers who only produce content in English. A Spanish, Mandarin, or Korean-language version of your commercial isn't a niche add-on, it's a way to reach a massive, brand-loyal audience that's significantly less saturated with competing ads.
Any of the formats above can be produced in another language, whether that means filming with bilingual talent, recording a translated voiceover, or adapting a script to make sure the message lands the way it's meant to, not just translated word for word. We've produced multilingual commercials for clients including a charter schools, healthcare practices and law firms…and the response has consistently shown that audiences notice and respond when a business speaks to them directly in their own language.
If your customer base includes non-English speaking households, and in this region it almost certainly does, this is worth a conversation before your next production.
How Much Does a Commercial Cost?
For a full breakdown of what production actually costs depending on the approach, check out our complete commercial pricing guide. Most of our packages start at $3,000 for a full production day, with no-filming options starting at just $1,400 for businesses working with a tighter budget.
Recommended Reading: Hulu Local TV Advertising for Local Businesses
About the Author
Mike Meyerson is the founder of Absolute Motion Video, a commercial production company serving businesses across the NY tri-state area, Long Island, and Hudson Valley for over 25 years.
