Overthinking your advertising can be a painful process. You write scripts. You rip them up. You start over. The words begin to pile up. Suddenly you’ve got too many words to fit into a 30-second spot. It’s a common problem: Trying to cram too much into too few seconds.

Always try to see if you can say more with less. Don’t start the process by winging it and writing a ‘script’. Begin the process by defining your theme in only a few words. Then think about how a story can enhance that theme. Finally, consider which is more important: showing a story visually or telling a story verbally or with words.

For the sake of brevity (actually, in this case it’s virtually zero words) and inspiration, here’s a 42-second advertisement from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). It illustrates the ‘showing a story visually” approach beautifully — and in a very entertaining fashion. The theme of this ad is: people who love trees. Now, granted, FSC has some fun with the subject. But, as you’ll see at the end, the video perfectly pitches FSC’s message: Buy FSC certified paper products and wood. The video ends with the words (translated)… Fortunately, there are other ways to show your love (for trees).