Top of the day students at GURU U! Anyone who participated in last night's meditation session with the Guru should pay their incense tax as soon as possible.

THE GURU'S LECTURE: Today's lecture question is simple: does the commercial make a point if we turn off the sound?

Consider for a moment some facts. TV has invaded every nook and cranny of our lives; airports, waiting rooms, bars, bedrooms, and even some offices. Background noise is common, such as children yelling, office workers, clients, or a TV with the sound muted. Maybe the viewer is just not listening.

So we must test the commercial to see how well it works without sound. Turn the volume down and ask yourself, "Can I understand this commercial without sound?"

Today we discuss Rule 6: "The Sound of Silence"

"This piece of art tells a story. Take a look. Is it fair to say the picture depicts a battle scene? Can you immediately guess the Army of Sales Sheep is loosing? Is it easy to tell the Army of the Guru is winning? Do the words on the painting back up this conclusion? Do we honestly need an announcer to tell the story? We do not. TV is visual as well as auditory, we must rely on the picture to tell the story. We should never rely on the sound track to explain our ads."
"I don't get it. You mean we shouldn't even have a soundtrack or an announcer in the spot? That's kind of boring!"

"She is right. Cool music, funny jingles, singers, there are lots of sounds in good commercials, Look at how we all heard and memorized, 'Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese...?"

"Grasshoppers, to fly high above the common herd you need your eyes open and your ears closed! What is the true power of TV? Is it sight or sound?"
"An easy question. Sight is the true power of TV. TV is all about visual power and raw emotional clout. Nothing compares to the visual power of TV!"
"I get it, Guru. You are telling us to be sure the message works visually, with the soundtrack as a back up only!"

"Your minds are opening like the wings of a butterfly!

Now I will show you some ads to illustrate this point. You will see the consequences for yourself. We will then test the entire class to discover who has been sleeping in my training dojo!" Watch the ads.