I actually enjoyed the commercial.

If his energy displayed in the commercial is the same as in his live show, and he is catering to a younger urban audience, I would bet 1. it's an effective ad, and 2. he's got a great little niche market.

I agree, Keith. Some people think there is just one type of entertainment.

Effective advertising is all about identifying your target audience. If your primary customer is the consumer who wants to book you for a party, then TV, radio, and newspaper could be useful. If you do strictly corporate work or trade shows, you're better off in a business-to-business vehicle, like a trade magazine.

Regarding TV specifically, Ray is correct that to be effective, you're probably looking at several thousand dollars a month just for the schedule, not counting production costs.

If that fits your budget, don't necessarily buy the low-cost package the cable rep offers you. They'll tempt you with $5-20 per spot costs, but they'll be ROS (run of station), which means you'll be on channels that don't make sense for you, and at times when nobody's up watching TV. Spend a little more per spot and work closely with the rep to get the channels that your audience is watching. For example, if your primary customer is mothers booking birthday parties, do you really want to be on the fishing channel? No, probably HGTV would work better.

Also, don't have your commercial at the top or bottom of the hour - that's when the show is over and people are switching channels. Make sure to get a spot *within* the program.

And remember, with TV and radio especially, the rates are definitely negotiable. Newspaper usually has a more rigid rate card and they're resistant to trade. Broadcast/cable is often open to trade.

Good luck!

So the question is why is it magicians do not appear on commercials? (except Uncle Majic).