Proofreading: The Lost Art

Fresh back from the 4th of July holiday weekend where I'm proud to say I wasted no less than SIX HOURS in front of the Law & Order marathon on TNT (they start the next episode AS SOON AS THE CREDITS BEGIN ON THE LAST ONE...that's brilliant!).

However, during the commercial breaks I was shocked. Shocked, I say!

During the local cut in from my cable company (where local advertisers' ads run), there was a promo FOR the cable company. The headline graphic had a TYPE-O in it!

Sure, we got a laugh out of it...however, in the next break there was a commercial for a local "Couples' Store"...you know, sexy lingere, "toys" & the like. Hey, the ad caught my eye...and then, so did the TYPE-O on the screen! Their website was typed wrong!

My friends, I urge you as clients to devour an ad presented to you by your producer. Make sure it's perfect. Obviously, this wasn't planned, not intentional at all. However, it never should have made the air. Viewers see this as a reflection of the business you run.

As a producer; it's your credibility on the line. It's one thing to screw up your own promo, but when you do it to a commercial that someone is PAYING YOU MONEY to create & air, it's simply unacceptable.

Okay, my rant is over for this morning...now, what was that store's website...?