What commercial voice over involves

A commercial read is the most demanding format in voice over. You have between 15 and 60 seconds to establish a brand, carry a message and drive an action, and every word has to earn its place. The performance is doing the work: pace, emphasis, warmth, restraint. A read that sounds generic is money wasted, however good the script is.

We cast against the brief rather than against a category. Two brands selling the same product often need opposite voices, and the difference between a confident read and a hard-sell read is usually one casting decision.

Why the voice decides whether an advert works

In an advertisement the voice is not a delivery mechanism for the script. It is the part the listener actually reacts to. Audiences form an impression of a brand within the first two or three seconds of hearing it speak, long before they have processed a single claim, and that impression is built almost entirely from tone, pace and accent.

This is why a strong script read by the wrong voice underperforms a modest script read by the right one. It is also why a voice that worked for one campaign can quietly damage the next, if the brand has moved and the read has not.

Choosing the tone for an advertising voice over

Tone is the decision most briefs leave vague, and the one that costs the most when it is wrong. A few practical distinctions we work through before casting:

Authority against warmth. Financial and medical advertising usually needs credibility first; food, retail and family brands need someone the listener would like.
Energy against restraint. High-energy reads cut through on radio and lose on premium brands. A quiet read on a noisy platform disappears.
Peer against narrator. A voice speaking as one of the audience lands differently from a voice speaking about them.
Accent and market. A regional accent buys authenticity in its own market and can read as a stereotype outside it.

Where commercial voice overs are used

Television and radio spots, national and regional
Online video, pre-roll and paid social
In-store and point-of-sale audio
Cinema and out-of-home screens
Sponsorship idents and brand stings

Usage rights, handled before you book

This is where most commercial projects go wrong. Voice talent is paid for the recording and separately for how you use it. Term, territory and media all change the fee, and a spot cleared for online use only can become a problem the moment it airs on television.

We quote usage upfront as part of the fixed price, so you know what you are cleared for and for how long before anything is recorded. If your campaign extends, we handle the renewal.

What you get

Custom demos from shortlisted voices, read to your actual script
A fixed quote covering recording, direction, editing and usage
Broadcast-standard audio, mastered to the levels your platform requires
Alternate takes for A/B testing where useful
Timing adjustments to fit an exact duration

Working across markets

Running the same campaign in several countries is not a translation job. Scripts need adapting for length, since a line that fits 30 seconds in English often runs long in German or Spanish, and humour and idiom rarely survive a literal transfer. We adapt the script, cast native voices in each market and keep the brand tone consistent across all of them.

Send us the script and the brief. You will get demos from real candidates and a fixed quote, usually within 24 hours.

Commercial Voiceovers