130 STORYBOARDS FOR COMMERCIALS Structure The usual structure of a pitch storyboard is the following: Visual culture deals with film studies, psychoanalytic theories, and the study of television. It can also include video game studies, comics, traditional artistic media, advertising, the Internet, and any other medium that has a crucial visual component. opening: it catches the viewers attention immediately, encouraging them to keep watching; problem statement: it presents the problem (pain point) the viewers have; Stories are built to resonate with us as humans, and date back to our earliest ancestors. solution: it shows the viewers how the product can solve their pain point; to affect: influenzare to relate: relazionarsi to retrace: ripercorrere to take the world by storm: avere un successo travolgente upstart: ultimo arrivato Since marketing is increasingly embracing a visual culture , the use of commercial (or pitch) storyboards is on the rise. Moreover, as storytelling is one of the most effective methods of persuasion and is often more convincing than a recitation of hard facts and statistics research shows people remember stories twenty-two times more than facts and figures alone storyboards are the perfect tool to give life to stories and thus connect with people and affect audience behaviour. VO: choosing the perfect back to school outfit can take a while. But choosing the perfect supplies is simple. BIC has the products you need at prices you'll love. More for your money Always! From pens and pencils to highlighters and markers. 292 PeoPle and inStruMentS The choice is simple. The choice is BIC. More for your money always! call to action: it invites the viewers to get in contact with the brand and/or buy the product. Advantages Storyboarding provides a visual representation of what a product looks like and allows companies to retrace the journey the customers take when using the product by breaking down the product concept and the big picture into fragments. This allows for the focus on each fragment and the chance to see two things very vividly, as a customer would: an existing problem and a possible solution. Companies are thus able to perceive what their customers are feeling: their weaknesses, their frustrations, and their need for an imminent solution to the problem. Knowing all these aspects will allow them to offer solutions to the pain points their customers face. This way, it is easier for them to relate to customers and convey the right message in an appropriate way. Furthermore, storyboards help team members simplify the creation and the marketing of the product they want to work on by breaking down the product idea into images and text, explaining each aspect in as much detail as possible.