Long term creativity in radio advertising

Radio naturally attracts creative people. The performers wind up on the air, the charismatic style shifters end up in sales, the music addicts get into programming, and the party planning pop culture junkies find a home in promotions. Creative and production attracts people who are a little bit of all these things but what sets us apart…is that we all like to thinker and tinker. This job allows us the time, albeit not always as much as we’d like, to do so. It also provides a never-ending stream of projects to try different things with.

My last two articles emphasized how radio needs writers who know how to work and communicate because you can’t rely solely on “being creative”. It is equally important that you don’t grow to completely ignore your creative responsibilities and resign yourself to a steady output of “straight-sell” ads and “stupid meets smart” two voicers. So, this week we’ll go over some tips on HOW TO CREATE that will help you write more effective ads. We’ll also discuss ways of maintaining the creative outlet that attracted you to this job in the first place.

Tip #1: Always know what your radio ad needs to accomplish: You can’t just be cute, funny, creative, and different. Your ad must do the following three things if it’s going to be effective:      

1) Grab the listener’s attention: You need to find a way to make the ad stand out from the rest. There are endless options in radio because it’s theatre of the mind. If you can think of it…your producer can make it happen with the right music, sound effects and performances. Always remember to find new ways to leverage the power of sound to inspire powerful images in the mind of the listener.

2) Execute a selling strategy: Pick your strategy based on what the client needs to accomplish with their advertising. It’s usually one of the following scenarios:

IF the client is invisible and nobody knows who they are…

THEN give the listener a reason to remember their name and make them want to associate themselves with the client’s business and find out more.

IF the client faces heavy competition…

THEN give the listener a reason to choose their business over all the other options available.

IF the client want to increase interest in and desire for their product…

THEN give the listener a test drive of the benefits and results of the product. Show them how the product will solve a problem, make their life better, or fill an emotional need.

IF the client has a well known, desirable product…

THEN give the listener a reason why they should take the plunge and buy today.

IF the client’s product offering is virtually identical to what his competition offers…

THEN show the listener the unique “over and above” element of the purchase experience.

3) Motivate the listener to act: There must always be an action that you want the listener to take. It will either be “buying the product” OR some sort of action that will bring the listener closer to “buying the product” such as checking out a video, learning a recipe, or building a custom mock up on the website.

Tip #2: Find a way to play:

If the client sends you 30 seconds of hard information to include in the ad, then there will be no room for creative writing. You are essentially an editor at this point and the most you can do is smoothen out the information and make it sound more natural. You will have 30 seconds of information with absolutely no time to make the information meaningful and memorable. So, find a way to buy some time in the ad for you to play…some time for you to do your magic. Here are two ways to do this:

1) Convince the client to boil the hard info down to 15 to 20 seconds.

2) Break the ad into a two or three ad campaign and rotate them.

I’ve had more success with number two. Most radio clients are not even aware that they can have more than one ad. They will fully agree to the campaign approach because they perceive it as an added value.

Tip #3: Keep Challenging Yourself:

Keep learning new styles and play with them. Ad writers are always proud to share their exceptional work so there is an endless sea of examples online. Keep a list or folder of your favorites and look for an opportunity to use or tweak the idea for one of your clients when it fits. If you want to stir your creative soul, then you also need to look for opportunities to invent ad executions that have never been done before. Time won’t allow you to do this with every client but find a way to do something original on a regular basis if you want to stay excited about ad writing for the long haul.

Advertising is not an ART…it’s a craft. Bring your creativity to the party but always remember that the fun must fulfill a purpose. As always…these are just three tips that I have found helpful over the years. If you have tips of your own that you would like to share…please click CONTACT in the site menu in the top right corner and send them along. Have a great week!

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business. Want a more efficient and creative Client Services Department? Email Ryan@AudioActiveAdvertising.com today to find out more about the benefits of bringing in a Creative Consultant.

A radio ad writer's real challenge is the internal communication.

If you want to be a lynchpin writer, one that your radio station can’t live without, then you must learn how to WORK, CREATE, and COMMUNICATE.

Last week we talked about how a strong work ethic combined with workload management skills are required to thrive in the fast-paced environment of radio.

This week we’ll go over some tips on HOW TO COMMUNICATE that will improve your relationships with coworkers and clients. You’ll find that these communication tips are very much like the aspects that make a radio ad more effective.

TIP #1: Be Direct, Specific and Non-punishing:

This should be your overriding goals for all your communication. If you are preparing yourself for a crucial conversation, make sure you keep these goals in mind.

BE DIRECT: Get right to the point. Avoid circling around the issue. Open your conversation with a strong headline that captures the core message you want to communicate:

                “The delay in script approval means production must do a rush-job on the ad.”

                “I need more information to write an effective ad.”

Opening “on point” will ensure that the rest of the conversation is a focused discussion of the details and resolution. You may think you are being tactful by warming up with “how’s it going” chit chat, but you are more likely to confuse the other person and/or cloud the real issue.

BE SPECIFIC: Use specific examples so the other person knows exactly what you are talking about. Generalities like “you always seem to do this” can lead to an unresolvable “your opinion VS their opinion” situation. Specific details of three similar occurrences in a relatively short period will lead to them realizing your point OR you realizing unknown contributing circumstances. Either way…you can now move on to a “how do we deal with this going forward” conversation.

BE NON-PUNISHING: Everyone makes mistakes so treat people how you want to be treated when you screw up. Avoid shaking the blame stick or saying things for the sole purpose of rubbing someone’s nose in it. The priorities should be:

a)       What do we do to fix this?

b)      How can we prevent this from happening again?

A punishing approach will only result in creating a defensive response that will escalate the conflict. The goal is to always have adult to adult relationships so you help create a healthy culture where people don’t feel like they need to hide their mistakes. 

  

TIP #2: Taylor the communication to your target:

Ask yourself these questions:

a)      How does this effect the person I’m communicating to?

b)      Is this message going up or down the flagpole?

c)      What pleasure or pain will motivate the target to act?

Why?

Question A: You will communicate more effectively if you can demonstrate that you understand your target’s perspective. This question will help you focus on things that will be more meaningful to them. Talking about “how something effects you” will be as ineffective as an ad where the business owner only talks about their problems. “I need to sell 100 cars in 100 days”. Nobody cares.

Question B: If you are communicating “up the flagpole” to your team leader and to clients, you need to be more concise and focus on how this will affect the overall business. If you are communicating “down the flagpole” to your coworkers and reports, you need to provide all the details they need to understand and complete the task. Be sure to clearly communicate the expected outcome.

Question C: Ignoring motivation while communicating is like writing an ad that has absolutely no reason to buy the product from Client X. Your message will be white noise. Think about what pleasure will come to the person if they take your recommended action. Also, consider what pain will befall them if they don’t. I always preferred motivating with pleasure over pain because, going back to TIP #1, it is non-punishing and generally feels less evil. You need to also realize that motivating with pain by communicating the negative consequences is sometimes necessary when there have been previous failed attempts.

TIP #3: Choose a delivery form that fits your message

You need to consider HOW you deliver your message because each form has its strengths and weaknesses.

Written Forms: Emails, text messages and chatroom exchanges:

Strengths: You can review your communication before you hit “send”. You have a written record of the exchange if you need to refer to it.

Weaknesses: So much of your message is communicated through tone and body language and the written form has neither. It’s very easy for the recipient to read the message the wrong way.

Recommended Use: Quick delivery of simple information. Confirmations, quick questions, notifications, updates, reference documents, or follow up of actionable items from a meeting are examples. Never use email to attempt to resolve conflict. It will almost always escalate the conflict.

Spoken Forms: Voicemails and phone calls:

Strengths: Your message will be stronger with the tone of your voice and the spoken form is the fastest way to deliver your message. You can communicate the equivalent of six emails in a 60 second phone call.

Weaknesses: No body language, no record of exchange (who keeps all their voicemails), and you may end up discussing things you weren’t prepared for.

Recommended Use: Asking complex questions that require explanation OR could lead to additional questions. Phone calls and voicemail messages are great for client contact when you want to discuss a new direction for their campaign.  

Personal Presented Forms: One-on-one discussion and group presentations:

Strengths: You have words, tone and body language. You can quickly address things that require additional info.

Weaknesses: No record of exchange, takes the most amount of time, and you may have to address things you did not prepare for.

Recommended Use: Conflict resolution, brainstorming, coaching, and teaching. When something matters, the important stuff, you should always lean towards a personal presented form of communication.

These tips are the ones that I found most useful over the years as a member of a radio creative team. I encourage you to explore more information online and make time to discuss communication with the members of your team.

Next week we’ll look at “HOW TO CREATE”. Writers sometimes forget that we are not creating artwork that people are paying to see. We are creating sales messages that interrupt the music and content the listeners tune in for.

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business. Want a more efficient and creative Client Services Department? Email Ryan@AudioActiveAdvertising.com today to find out more about the benefits of bringing in a Creative Consultant.

It takes more than “being creative” to keep your job as a radio writer.

Image from http://blog.capterra.com/observations-from-the-bus-stop-on-the-1st-day-of-school/

Creative departments are being asked to do more with less time and less people.

Standalone departments are being consolidated into multi market HUBs.

The workload between Sales, Creative and Traffic is shifting.

You CAN’T control the changes that are happening in the industry.

You CAN control the development of your own skill set so that you still have a “seat on the bus” when change comes to town.

The very best writers in radio today, the ones who will always have work, have one thing in common…they’ve all realized that it takes more than “being creative” to thrive at this job.

I call them “Triple Threats” because, on top of knowing how to create great ads, they also know how to work and communicate.

WORK, CREATE, and COMMUNICATE. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll take a closer look at what you need to bring to the table in these three key areas. Let’s begin with…

HOW TO WORK

Image from http://blog.capterra.com/observations-from-the-bus-stop-on-the-1st-day-of-school/

It all starts with a strong work ethic. The Houston Chronicle outlined the “5 Factors That Demonstrate a Strong Work Ethic” here:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-factors-demonstrate-strong-work-ethic-15976.html

Here is how they apply to writing in radio:

Integrity: You build trust with people by consistently fulfilling your responsibilities and by meeting and exceeding expectations. A big part of this in radio is making good on all promises regarding deadlines and communication. Get it done by when you said you would. If you say you’re going to follow up with someone, then do it.

Sense of Responsibility: Show up on time and ready to work. Time is a commodity in a creative department. You are responsible for spending work time maximizing the projects assigned to you or helping your coworkers. Don’t bring your personal baggage to work and burn half your day making the rounds telling stories. “Story telling” is part of the job but there is a big difference between using a personal experience to make an ad more realistic, and performing the dramas of your life to anyone within ear shot. Share your life on lunch, on break, or after hours on Facebook where people can choose whether or not to ingest it.

Emphasis on Quality: Define your personal bar that you will never fall below and then always try to surpass it with every project. There are thousands of things you can blame a sub-par ad on:

The client insisted on voicing. 

The sales rep gave no info. 

The producer messed it up. 

Triple Threat writers ALWAYS DELIVER regardless of the external factors. In fact, their best work usually comes when they have to overcome adversity or deal with less than ideal circumstances.

Discipline: Stay focused on the writing, instructing and communication tasks you need to complete and their timelines. Be committed to clearing your plate before the end of the day to work ahead and buy time for the unforeseen.

Sense of Teamwork: Measure yourself by the amount of times you help a fellow writer, a sales rep or a producer elevate their game. If you work in an open area, be mindful of how your attitude and behaviour affects everyone in your shared space. Most importantly…actively consider the perspective of the departments you work closest with. The next time the workload permits it, try shadowing your favorite sales rep or producer for a day. Get an inside look at what challenges they have to work with before you start developing unhealthy assumptions about their contribution to the team.

Once you have a strong work ethic as your foundation, you need to build a structure of workload management. 

Image from https://www.linkedin.com/topic/workload-management

Here are some tips:

Leverage Technology: Don’t just learn enough of the required software to “get by”. Learn everything it can do and dig for anything you can leverage to make your job more efficient. Become an “early adapter” of improvements in any tech that could benefit the creative department.

Learn how and when to shift gears: There are right brain tasks and left brain tasks in radio writing. Every time you shift from right to left and left to right, it will slow you down. Realizing this leads us to the next tip…

Structure your plate: Organize your day into extended blocks of either right or left brain tasks. When you get tired of one, take a break by switching to the other. Constantly update your “time spent per project” based on the number of projects on your plate.

Track all projects: It doesn’t matter if you use a paper list or your favorite software, you need to be on top of all your projects, what stage they are at, and when they need to be completed. You also have to identify any steps in the process where the possibility for human error is high and come up with a system of double checks to minimize mistakes. This occurs anytime you have to transfer data from one process to another. Examples: Transferring client info from info sheet to script or transferring instructing data to production order.

Want to be a “Triple Threat”? Start by becoming a writer that knows how to work. It’s the first step to taking your career into your own hands during a tumultuous time in radio. Next week we’ll look at “HOW TO COMMUNICATE”. This becomes very easy when you realize that all the guidelines for writing an effective ad also apply to one-on-one communication and group presentations.

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business. Want a more efficient and creative Client Services Department? Email Ryan@AudioActiveAdvertising.com today to find out more about the benefits of bringing in a Creative Consultant.

Visit us at AudioActiveAdvertising.com.

Transform your AD into a TEST-DRIVE

Image from http://ford-life.com/2012/09/12/driving-with-the-top-down/

“The sound of the engine was intoxicating. As I shifted through the gears, I envisioned myself driving the car down the road on a warm summer day with the top down. I was convinced even before returning to the dealership that this was the car I wanted to own. I sat down, worked out a deal that I was happy with and took delivery three days later.” – excerpt from “The Power of a Test Drive” on dealerrefresh.com.

There is a reason why dealerships offer test drives.

Once a person can picture how much better their lives will be with your product…the purchase is imminent.

So today I want to share three tips that will transform your radio ad into a virtual test-drive of your product.

Tip #1: Tell a story.

Image from https://ludensfaber.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/visualization-storytelling-a-pig-does-the-trick/

A good story is like a test-drive. At the dawn of time…early homo sapiens told stories so that others could learn possible solutions before they experienced problems first hand. Many moons later the story telling process was refined by the columnists of Writer’s Digest.

Steven James, guest columnist for Writer’s Digest, recommends that before you write your story, jot down some notes under the following five ingredients:

Orientation: Set the stage: My wife and I just moved into our first home.

Crisis: Define the problem: Every time we get heavy rain, the basement leaks.

Escalation: Make the problem worse by pumping some life drama into it: Our first child is due in a month. Her folks are coming in for the birth. They plan to stay in the basement. How’s it going to look to her dad if I can’t handle a house problem. The first 3 places I called we’re booked solid for two months.  

Discovery: Ta da…a solution: Company X can come right away because they have multiple crews.

Change: Explain how life has become better: The problem is fixed and my confidence has grown. If I can handle a house crisis…maybe I AM ready to be a dad.

Now these are just rough notes but you can already see how this story ad is going to be more powerful than an announcer talking about Company X and their multiple crews for 30 seconds.

If you like organizing the story information by using the five ingredients, get more details from “The 5 Essential Story Ingredients” by Steven James located here:

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-5-essential-story-ingredients

TIP #2: Don’t just state it…demonstrate it.

Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/72620612719213684/

The best ads are a combo of both narrative and dialogue so that you have the combined power of both showing and telling.

TELL

Announcer: You’ll know it’s the right ring from Smith’s Jewellers when you see the look on her face when you propose.

SHOW

Male (nervous): Jen…will you marry me?

Female (very emotional): Oh my god…it’s gorgeous.

TELL

Announcer: Plus…when you get the ring RIGHT...she’ll forget about all the other things you get WRONG.

SHOW

Male: Thanks for coming to the wedding. I’ve always wanted to meet Jen’s favorite uncle.

Female (gruff): Um…I’m Jen’s Aunt.

Male: Oh…..(Awkward silence)

Use the narrative to set the stage and accelerate the timeline. Use the dialogue to really hit home with something real. The change of switching between showing and telling will also help maintain listener attention. You can thank Sesame Street for our need for constant change.

Tip 3: Use the power of sound:

Image from http://randomwallpapers.net/power-of-sound-speaker-chair-lamp-artistic_w290431

Direct the voice talent to create authentic performances. Use voices that know how to act. The ad will fail to draw the listener’s ear if the characters sound like they are reading lines. Be open to improvisation. If the voice talent is unable to make the copy sound believable, ask them to say it in their own words.

Only use instantly identifiable sound effects. If the sound effect doesn’t instantly create a picture in the mind of the listener, then leave it out. Ambiguous sound effects only add clutter and confusion to the production. We want sounds that transport the listener into the experience.

Draw the listener into the test-drive experience with emotionally charged music. Spend the time to find a piece of music that matches the feel of the scene and then edit the music to accentuate the developments. Don’t grab the 30 second version. Grab the 2min and 40 sec full mix and then cut it up to fit perfectly with the story.

If these three elements are powerful enough you can even leave the main character out of the dialogue and make the listener the main character. Have the other characters address the listener directly. This will create a true first hand test-drive and a very powerful ad.

Image from http://comefare.donnamoderna.com/come-recuperare-i-punti-della-patente-17534.html

People are much more likely to buy something when they’ve already imagined owning it. Thirty seconds of “straight-sell” information from an announcer does not engage the imagination of the listener.

So stop talking about the product and start providing a test-drive of the results.

Want to unleash the power of a “test-drive” ad for your business? Contact Audio Active Advertising today.

http://www.audioactiveadvertising.com

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business.

CHECK OUT “Audio Active Advertising” every week on Puget Sound Radio.

THE ONLINE AGENCY IS OPEN: Get “Audio Active” ads for your clients with Audio Active Advertising’s online agency. Check out over 100 Effective Ad Examples and then become the next one by ordering a Radio Single OR a Radio Campaign. Go to audioactiveadvertising.com.

This is why your RADIO AD isn't working

People ask me all the time why their radio ad isn’t working.

The answer is simple.

Because the ad is bullshit!

Are you claiming that your fabulous, contemporary, deep seated, comfortable sofa will drastically improve the life of anyone who is lucky enough to buy it at the sale that can’t be missed?

Do your ads feature two recognisable radio announcers pretending to be normal people who just happen to love your product?

Fake Person 1: Hi Harold. I heard your roof was leaking.

Fake Person 2: It was leaking…until I got the impeccable services of Mr. Roof.

Fake Person 1: Mr. Roof? Tell me all about them and repeat their phone number three times because I’m slow.

Fake Person 1 and 2: Burst into laughter.

Guess what?

Nobody is going to accept the fake testimonial, the clichéd description of the item, or the inaccurate reflection of how it will improve their lives because today’s ad savvy consumer has a better bullshit detector than ever before.

Nobody is buying because nobody is “buying it”.

Roy Williams, author of “The Wizard of Ads”, proclaimed:

“Today's consumers are rejecting pretense. Born into a world of hype, their internal BS-meters are highly sensitive and blisteringly accurate. Words like ‘amazing,’ ‘astounding,’ and ‘spectacular’ are translated as ‘blah,’ ‘blah,’ and ‘blah.’ Consequently, tried and true selling methods that worked as recently as a year ago are working far less well today.”

Not only are they going to be annoyed by your ad, but they will also avoid your store in fear of encountering more BULLSHIT from your staff. I can think of five places my wife and I won’t shop at because she hates their radio ad. That’s right…women, who make the majority of the purchase decisions, detest bullshit. Who would have guessed?

Then why do so many radio advertisements take a bullshit approach?

Harry G Frankfurt, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton and author of “On Bullshit” (Yes, this is an actual book) writes:

“Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he or she is talking about. Thus the production of bullshit is stimulated whenever a person’s obligations or opportunities to speak about some topic exceed their knowledge of the facts that are relevant to that topic.”

So, simply put…bullshit ads are created when the writer is required to write an ad but does not have enough relevant information about the product.

I believe that bullshit RADIO ads are on the rise as the industry continues to focus on short-term efficiency instead of long-term customer service.

Radio writers are being asked to do more with less time.

Some radio writers have been let go and the TV creative department, who specialize in writing with the support of images, now looks after your radio ad.

Maybe your ad is being outsourced to a hub in another city. Now a writer, with a full local client list, also has to write your ad with no first-hand knowledge of your market.

These situations are becoming more and more common and all of them result in less time being spent on each ad.

LESS time = MORE bullshit

A SIDE NOTE: Thanks to online freelance services like Fiver and Upwork, soon your radio ad from an efficiency driven station may even be written and produced by someone in another country who doesn’t understand the culture or the purpose of your product. They will rely solely on bullshit to create your ad. I love online creative services. You can get a company logo for $5 but it looks like the Starbucks logo with a lion on it and the same logo was sold to 1500 other companies in the last month.

The radio industry needs to improve the writer to client ratio.

Until they do…here is a SOLUTION:

Got a good radio writer? The radio industry still has a bunch of them.

Hire them directly.

Pay them a fair price to work on your ad after hours, away from the sausage factory.

This will give the writer time to get to know the product, how it is used and how it affects the lives of the people who use it. Let them talk to the people who sell it and, if they don’t happen to use the product, give them time to talk to somebody who does. It will take more time on the front end but you will end up with an ad that is accurate, speaks the conversational language of the people who use the product, and actually works.

It may cost you $300 to $3000 every three to six months, depending on how many ads you need, but it will be a small price to pay to ensure that you aren’t flushing your $30,000 airtime buy down the toilet because your ad was created during a busy week in the creative department.

Don’t have a good writer? Shoot me an email at Ryan@AudioActiveAdvertising.com and we can instantly schedule a free chat to discuss your needs.

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business.

CHECK OUT “Audio Active Advertising” every week on Puget Sound Radio.

THE ONLINE AGENCY IS OPEN: Get “Audio Active” ads for your clients with Audio Active Advertising’s online agency. Check out over 100 Effective Ad Examples and then become the next one by ordering a Radio Single OR a Radio Campaign. Go to audioactiveadvertising.com.

The Benefits of CONSISTENCY in Radio Advertising

Image from http://www.alll.com/alll-regulations/expectations/consistency/

There are a bunch of radio campaigns currently on the air that frankly don’t SOUND much like campaigns at all. Each new ad jumps to a different announcer and has completely different information.

These businesses are really losing out.

Their advertising could have MUCH MORE impact if someone would take the time to come up with a campaign that is consistent.

This includes consistent tone, voice, piece of music or jingle, sound effects, characters, and most importantly…a consistent core message.

Businesses that bounce around and switch these elements up will get information across but they will never develop an identity in the mind of the consumer.

Let’s take a closer look at the main benefits of consistency:

The Identity Building Effect:

I still can’t look at Quaker Oatmeal in the store and not hear Wilford Brimley’s voice tell me that “It’s the right thing to do and a tasty way to do it”.

Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/63120832248971203/

Quaker Oats are no longer a product in my mind. They are a warm old grandfather figure that cares about my well being.

Every time I see the letters “N…B…C”, I hear a happy little three note tune that makes me feel, well, happy. 

Image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvEwOfL21Uo

This is the identity building benefit of consistency. It goes beyond what people think about your business and into the realm of how people feel about your business. Familiarity makes you a friend and people want to do business with their friends.

The Subliminal Effect:

Let’s face it…people no longer gather around the radio and stare at it while they are listening.

Radio has become a companion to the activities in their lives and sometimes they are only “half-listening” to the commercials while the rest of their brain is being used to drive their car.

If you have gained their full attention by being relevant in the past and you are applying the concept of consistency, the listener will be cued by the tone, voice, music, etc and will listen more intently when they hear your ad.

Sometimes just hearing a piece of music or voice that is associated with your business is enough to trigger top of mind awareness even if they never fall out of “half-listening” mode.

The Separation Effect:

If you take the time to come up with a consistent sound for your advertising it will separate you from all the other ads that will run before and after it. You will no longer be another ad on “Radio Station X”; you will be a familiar message that directly represents your business.

Image from http://www.evotivemarketing.com/stand-out-from-the-crowd/

Take full advantage of your investment in radio and take the time to come up with a consistent sound to represent you. You will never build a relationship without consistency and you will most likely become part of the noise that great ads stand out from.

Want to unlock the benefits of consistency for your radio campaign? Contact Audio Active Advertising today.

http://www.audioactiveadvertising.com

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business.

CHECK OUT “Audio Active Advertising” every week on Puget Sound Radio.

THE ONLINE AGENCY IS OPEN: Get “Audio Active” ads for your clients with Audio Active Advertising’s online agency. Check out over 100 Effective Ad Examples and then become the next one by ordering a Radio Single OR a Radio Campaign. Go to audioactiveadvertising.com.

These radio ad formats need to die!

We are all guilty of using them.

Either we don’t have time for a good idea OR the client is insisting we use them.

They will undermine the chance of the ad finding an audience.

They will only contribute to the clutter that everyone wants to cut through.

They are…

HORRIBLE TIRED RADIO AD FORMATS THAT I WISH I COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND DESTROY!!!

This is by no means a complete list.

In this first AD SLAP, I intend to examine the three formats I despise the most and detail the following:

Why people want to use it?

Why is it likely to fail?

When is it at its worst?

AND…What could possibly make it work?

 

So let us begin:

The classic “Stupid and Smart”: This is where a dumb person who has a problem runs into a smart person who just happens to be an expert on the product that will solve the dumb guy’s problem.

Image from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/stupid-people-make-the-best-friends

Why people want to use it? Because it’s easy. You barely have to think. You just copy the info from the client’s email and paste it right into the dialogue. It’s also easier to copy an old format instead of thinking of something original…and this one is the oldest. I’m pretty sure that the very first radio ad was a “stupid and smart”.

Why is it likely to fail? Because the ad is going to sound…well…like an ad. It’s going to sound fake.

When is it at its worst? When the smart guy says the client’s name seven times and mentions things about the product that no real person would ever know, say or remember. “And the best thing about Smith and Hagelstein Insurance is that they can show you how to incorporate a business continuity plan into your emergency preparedness. They’ll prepare you for tomorrow…today…at Smith and Hagelstein Insurance.” Dialogue needs to sound like a genuine conversation. Keep the sell lines to the announcer tag. 

What could possibly make it work? If you could keep the dialogue as realistic as possible and you had voices who could actually perform the roles in a convincing manner…then you might be able to pull off a “stupid and smart” without it feeling like a tired old nag stumbling out of the gate.

The Hard Sell Puker: These are loud and fast with one or two announcers barfing information into your ear.

Image from http://kindakind.com/10-ways-to-not-be-a-dick-on-public-transportation/

Why people want to use it? Because they believe, like a three-year-old, the only way to get attention is to be the loudest most obnoxious person in the room AND it allows them to cram 45 seconds of info into a 30 second ad. What a deal!

Why is it likely to fail? Think of your ad as a sales person representing your business. How well would a sales person do if they shouted at all their prospects? People have trained themselves their whole life to block out and avoid obnoxious people. Plus, if you talk faster than conversational pace...people can’t keep up.

When is it at its worst? When the shouting, fast talking announcer repeats things. “And if you act now you’ll get forty percent off! FORTY PERCENT OFF!!!!!” How ‘bout you don’t repeat things and maybe you could slow down and say things once…in a way I can comprehend.

What could possibly make it work? Use it for a product where you wouldn’t expect it. A dentist, a day care, or a church. I once used it for a fundraiser for my son’s preschool. The mismatch can be enough to grab the listener’s attention.

The Shopping List Ad: The ad is simply an eight to ten item list of information the business wants to communicate.

Image from http://www.getbetterhq.com/the-human-obsession-with-the-list/

 Why people want to use it? This is how they build their print ads. Print ad readers can selectively choose what to focus on. Unfortunately, radio ad listeners are along for the whole ride. Clients also like this format because they feel like they’ve accomplished all eight of their advertising goals with one ad.

Why is it likely to fail? By the time you get to item number five, you’ve forgotten one through four. People can’t ingest all that info in 30 seconds. Say one thing well and use the 30 seconds to give it meaning, demonstrate the results, and make it memorable.

When is it at its worst? When the list is mostly numbers. Car ads with price points, finance terms and lease rates for three or more vehicles. Your ads need to inspire images in the listener’s mind and price points simply don’t create images of the product.

What could possibly make it work? Rhythm and repetition. It made people remember this list…two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. If you can turn your list into an ear worm…you have more than a chance of being memorable. BUT stay consistent and hammer the same rhythmic list for the long haul. The reason you can’t remember all the lucky charms is because they kept adding ones like purple horseshoes, rainbows, balloons and hourglasses. Who wants glass in their cereal?

If you want to call yourself a CREATIVE writer…avoid the old tired ad formats and CREATE something new…even if it’s a twist on the old. Your clients will get a more effective ad and you will actually find your job a lot more rewarding.

The next time I do an AD SLAP, I want to lay an open hand on quiz show ads and ads that try to ride an expired fad after everyone is sick of it. I really enjoy these types of ads…. NOT! Until next time…Party on Wayne…Party on Garth.

Want an original approach to delivering your message? Contact Audio Active Advertising today.

http://www.audioactiveadvertising.com

Ryan Ghidoni is an 18-year veteran of radio advertising and has worked with some of the most creative sales reps, writers, producers and voice talent in the business.

CHECK OUT “Audio Active Advertising” every week on Puget Sound Radio.

THE ONLINE AGENCY IS OPEN: Get “Audio Active” ads for your clients with Audio Active Advertising’s online agency. Check out over 100 Effective Ad Examples and then become the next one by ordering a Radio Single OR a Radio Campaign. Go to audioactiveadvertising.com.