Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

I've been involved in more commercial production (as the client) than I care to remember. The group is right: the answer to your question is "it depends." It depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is the creative talent you use to create the commercial. Really great copywriters and art directors and production crews cost more than mediocre ones. But they deliver a finished product that will sell so much more stuff that their fees will seem insignificant.

So the answer is: The more you spend the better end result you'll get (to a point). Your goal should be to spend whatever it takes to get a commercial that makes your media investment really pay off. The guy who goes for the low bidder on the creative end almost always loses.

You can benchmark all you want, but the real winners will be the guys who find the best talent and give them great direction. (Success = sound positioning and strategy + brilliant execution)