Pay close attention and make it work the best for you.
No doubt you've listened to, and then quickly deleted,
messages from account execs from your local radio
stations. Maybe you've even entertained them in your office.
Hopefully you didn't have to sanitize your phone or office
afterwards.
Well, radio can be great way to garner awareness cheaply...
ahem, inexpensively... if you do it right. Remember...
97.823% of all radio ads S-U-C-K. That leaves you to carry
the banner for great radio advertising. And when you do, you
will get noticed. Believe me, you will get noticed.
Why do so many radio ads suck? Between the screaming
car ads, nasally voiced business owners who should never
get anywhere near a microphone reading their own ads,
and the next "turnkey" business opportunity, they are all
dressed in their plaid suits and resorting to hucksterism.
They want your money and they want it now.
They forget one thing. Well, actually a lot of things, but the
main thing they forget that people are not tuning in for their
ad. Listeners want Rush, Rome, Al, Laura, music, sports,
news, or whatever. People aren't saying, "Gee, I gotta hear
great heating and air conditioning ads today!"
Your ad is interrupting what they listen for. By nature, you are
already behind the eight ball before you start in radio. But
there is hope.
First off, do NOT let a radio station employee write your ad.
If your exec isn't a writer (you may luck out in that some
radio execs are copywriters in training looking for an agency
gig) and you don't speak up, your ad will probably get
written by either: the station producer- who may have
already written 4 or 5 other ads that same DAY,who doesn't
have enough time to fully attend to your needs, and thereby
wasting your money; OR a disc jockey (strange term- they
don't spin wax anymore, Daddy-O) whose annoyed he or
she has to write an ad, or who's not a talented writer to
begin with, also wasting your money; OR by an intern,
secretary, or other employee - who may relish the
opportunity, but may not have the chops yet, or is being
pressured to write something "quick and dirty" so it can
produced and on the air -- also thereby wasting your money.
You have creative control and the ultimate yay or nay, so feel
free to choose your writer. Hint and Shameless Plug : There
is a link here to direct you to an excellent radio writer. It's
http://www.brandedbetter.com.
Now, when it comes down to concepting and reviewing
scripts, remember this: Radio is called Theater of the Mind
for good reason. Use it to your advantage. Recall your
disadvantage before starting.
Cleverness will grab attention. But... it must be on strategy
to be effective. Give your writer ONE benefit to express. How
does that benefit resonate with the target audience? Don't
think if you have a "mundane" or "boring" product or service,
there's no cleverness to be had. Give a good writer enough
information, and they will find it.
A few of the BEST radio ads I've ever heard was for a soil
conditioner. Yup. A soil conditioner. Two voices. One
performed by the writer. The other performed by midlevel
(read... talented, and nonunion) voice talent. Writer as The
Hick Farmer. Nonunion Talent as the Smart Farmer.
Hick Farmer: "Hey, nay-bor...Whatzzat on yer roof?"
Smart Farmer: (obviously) "It's a satellite dish."
Hick Farmer: "Whazzit fer...? Talkin' to the Martians?"
You can almost hear the slack jaw in your head. And it
makes you want to hear more. That's your goal for radio.
Another ad for the same product was even better.
Smart Farmer: "Hey, neighbor... Why so glum?"
Hick Farmer: "Aw... the weeds, the bugs, the disease... my
crops are about ruined... I've had an awful year. The wife
has been pickin' her tooth for leftovers."
Now, I'm not a farmer. I never heard of conditioning soil. But,
you can bet I understood what it did after these ads. And did
I mention I was wondrously entertained when receiving this
information?
To be fair, these ads were produced by an ad agency with a
good sized budget. The campaign also won some ad
awards and some industry awards. The point is-- a good ad
isn't loud, repetitive, trite, condescending, or tries to jam as
many words possible into the time frame. In fact, silence
works to your advantage. Silence in radio (or even TV) is like
white space on a print ad. It tastefully surrounds the content
for maximum effectiveness, drawing the eye (in this case,
ear) in to read (hear) the copy.
Voices are important, too. Ever listen to the radio and hear
the same voice all over the ads? That's usually Mr. or Ms.
Producer-- the person who makes sure the ad gets made.
That's why they don't have time to write a good one for you.
Many freelance writers, myself included, know something
about voices and casting, and can probably get you the best
talent for your dollar. Some writers can even voice their own
copy. And think twice, no... three times about voicing it
yourself. Better make that four times.
Oh, and if you're wondering what length of ad to buy? In
most cases, go for the :60. For just a few dollars more, you
get twice the time to play with. If you are spending money on
radio, use ALL the resources available to you to create the
best possible ad. And that usually entails going outside the
radio station walls to get it. ~~
John is a freelance commercial writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. He publishes a free monthly e-zine focusing on branding, advertising, and marketing from his website http://www.brandedbetter.com. Speaking with both agency and in- house experience, he knows the most valuable asset of a businees is its brand.
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