Less COPY equals more EMOTION

Words create images in the mind that inspire rational processing.

Music creates emotions in the heart that inspire decisions.

By Rodrigo Della Fávera from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil - http://www.flickr.com/photos/9936928@N02/2571786805/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10380918

Antonio Damasio, professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California believes that emotions are required before a person can decide to take action.

“Damasio’s view is based on his studies of people whose connections between the “thinking” and “emotional” areas of the brain had been damaged. They were capable of rationally processing information about alternative choices; but were unable to make decisions because they lacked any sense of how they felt about the options.” - https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/inside-the-consumer-mind/201302/how-emotions-influence-what-we-buy

So if emotions are required to inspire action and the goal of an effective ad is to inspire action…

Why has music, the most powerful source of emotion, been reduced to a walk-on part in most radio ads?

I turned on my desk radio while writing this article.

My desk radio. A promo item from a case of beer purchased 11 years ago. I know I should listen online but I like antennas.

Here is how music was used in the first ad break I heard:

Spot 1: Music was too low in the mix to really hear.

Spot 2: Music was generic pop rock that really didn’t add anything.

Spot 3: Music didn’t match the product experience.

Spot 4: No music.

Spot 5: So much copy the music was never allowed to breathe.

People are emotionally motivated.

Music creates an instant emotional response AND we can actually control the response by selecting a certain style of music.

In radio advertising…MUSIC is our biggest sword.

So why do we keep it in the sheath?

Bugs Bunny in “Knighty Knight Bugs”

Draw the singing sword and use it!

Here are two simple tips:

TIP #1 - Write less:

We pack so many words into 30 seconds that it drowns out the music and makes an emotional performance impossible.

Imagine a TV ad where the screen is so packed with words that you can’t see any of the images.

Imagine seeing a stand up comic who rushes through 15 minutes of jokes in his 10-minute routine.

The TV ad would be ineffective and the comic would be horrible.

It is easy to see in other things what we are completely blind to in our radio ads.

When you overload the copy…you overload the target and they TUNE OUT.

So make it a habit to start writing no more than 26 seconds of copy for a 30 second ad. You’ll be absolutely amazed at how much 4 seconds can improve the performance of the voice talent and the impact of the music.

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester from Glee

Note: Time the 26 seconds of copy by performing the script. Don’t time it by reading it under your breath. I can read 34 seconds of copy under my breath in 26 seconds. So grab a stopwatch, step out of the copy room and perform it in the bathroom, the boardroom or the back lane. Yes…you’ll look crazy but you’re in creative…you’re supposed to be a bit of a nut.

TIP #2 - START with the music:

Decide on the core emotion of the ad and then find a piece of music that captures it. The production music library is no longer a wall of CDs with cumbersome catalogues to search through. It’s an online service with a search engine where you can select the mood, tempo, style, genre, etc… and 5 pages of matches are instantly provided. Many online music services even offer the assistance of a music director who knows every track intimately.

Once you find the perfect music…write to it.

Time your script with a read that matches the pace.

Use the builds, stabs and crescendos to accentuate the story.

With this approach…you aren’t writing a script…you’re orchestrating a performance.

Think of the voice as the lead instrument.

Conductor Anu Tali

If your passion is solely for creating the written word, get a job writing web copy or corporate pamphlets. No shame or blame. There are a bunch of businesses who could use your help and they’d probably give you more turnaround time.

If you want to create RADIO, you need to always remember that you are writing for sound.

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.

Things you should try INSTEAD of genetic mutations.

The most bizarre ad from the 2016 Super Bowl was the Puppy Monkey Baby. It featured a creature with the head of a puppy, the torso and tail of a monkey, and the diapered legs of a baby.

In case you’re thinking I had absinthe in my Lucky Charms this morning, here’s a link to the ad on YouTube to prove that it is real:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql7uY36-LwA

Now I understand that getting the consumer’s attention is required to deliver a sales message, but I personally think this ad is ineffective because…

The gag outshines the product: Five minutes later…I remember the genetic abomination but I can’t recall what he was selling.

The puppets don’t like it when you pull their strings: The audience may see this and resent that the advertiser is purposely being bizarre to get their attention.

They’re the third man in: Old spice and Skittles have been using this approach for a while now. It’s like when three friends send you the same meme. It goes from funny to lame pretty quickly.

It’s just desperate: This ad is like the guy in junior high school who always tried too hard to get your attention. Everyone ignored me…I mean him…yeah…him.

Looking like Anthony Michael Hall in the 80’s didn’t help either.

Moving on.

The challenge to get attention must be met with every ad. So here is a list of things you can try with your radio ad before your resort to splicing species together.

Don’t bury the lead: Joseph Sugarman, author of The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, calls the opening line of an ad “the commercial for the commercial.” Too often in radio the most interesting line, the one most likely to grab attention, is 16 seconds into the ad. Nobody hears it there because of the two boring lines that precede it. Make it a part of your final proof reading to check for this.

Focus on the listener, not the advertiser: Everyone has a friend, family member or co-worker who endlessly talks about themselves. Your brain automatically tunes them out 2 seconds after they start talking. On the other side of the coin there is that favorite aunt who always remembers what’s going on in YOUR life and wants to talk about YOU. You could talk to her forever. Write your ad as if you were that engaging aunt and focus on the listener and how the product relates to them.

Share the ugly truth: Most ads are designed to sugar coat the ugly truth or avoid the greatest weakness of a business. Want to get the listener’s attention? Let your weak flag fly. I heard a great radio campaign for a ski hill where the core message was “Our lift tickets are more expensive”. The ad went on to explain how they want skiers to enjoy the uncrowded slopes instead of waiting half the day in long chair lift lines. Exposing their weakness got my attention and by the end of the ad I wanted to pay more for lift tickets.

Keep a conversational pace: Most ads are 40 seconds of copy shoehorned into 30 seconds. Slow down and speak at a conversational pace. You know…the way friends talk to each other. You’ll be amazed how much this makes the ad stand out from the rest. 

Make it a song: Singing can make an ad stand out…unless you sing in every ad. So use it sparingly. I think this approach works best when you use it for things that people don’t usually sing about. Like Pitas and Vasectomies. Jim Vandusen has crafted many ads in the Winnipeg market that make use of his musical talents. My favorites being the Don Vito and Pita Pit campaigns.

Humour: “Funny” grabs attention but make sure the joke relates to the product so people remember both. Also…humour will make the ad burn out three times as fast so make sure you refresh the ad regularly.

Real voices and Children voices: In a sea of Rodney and Ronda Radio voices, someone speaking like a real person can be different enough to grab the ear. Look for opportunities to open your ad with real people saying real things. If you’re targeting parents, nothing will grab their attention faster than a child’s voice. Just make sure the child isn’t a 19-year-old woman from promotions pretending to be a 5-year-old boy. Parents can tell the difference.

Create Drama: It’s not just teenage girls that are addicted to drama. WE ALL ARE. So bring out the drama in everything you sell. Find it in the problem the product solves, the competition between similar businesses, or craft a hero and villain story.

Say Nothing: Let the music or sound effects convey the message OR have a strategically placed moment of silence right before the core message. People are weirded out by silence on the radio. They think the radio is broken or someone made a mistake and it draws them in. Radio legends like Howard Stern and Jim Rome have harnessed the power of pause in their delivery. Why not use it in your next ad?

Show the product from a new angle: Talk about a benefit that nobody has talked about before OR use personification to communicate how your socks feel about your foot odor.

Create curiosity: Open the ad with something that makes the listener NEED to understand what is going on.

A-HA…isn’t that what they’re doing with the puppy monkey baby?

Yes, but…THEY FAILED TO CONNECT IT BACK TO THE PRODUCT OR THE CORE MESSAGE.

This is why Snickers’ “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry” campaign WORKS.

When I recall Betty White getting tackled in game of football…I remember the Snickers bar that changes Betty back into a dude.

When I recall the Puppy Baby Monkey…I feel disturbed…like I need to wash its form from my eyes…and then I wonder what Apartment of Dr. Moreau this thing escaped from and what other monstrosities he’s keeping in there.

It doesn’t lead me back to the product. It leads me away.

No matter what technique you choose to draw attention…don’t forget what you’re supposed to be drawing it to.

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 an Audio Active Campaign. Go to audioactiveadvertising.com.

Why most ads FAIL to inspire ACTION.

Another year of Crystal awards for radio creative will be handed out May 4^th at Canadian Music Week. So it seems appropriate to take a closer look at the criteria the judges use to make their selections.

Your ads will be judged based on how well they achieved these two goals:

GOAL ONE:  Demonstrate the RESULTS of the product.

AND

GOAL TWO: Inspire the listener to ACT on the call to action.

These two things will make an effective radio ad.

The quickest way to undermine BOTH of these goals is to include MULTIPLE CALLS TO ACTION in your advertisement.

“So if you want to make your life better with Product X, all you have to do is come down to 157 North York Street just west of the Donner overpass, call 204-555-22-82, that’s 204-555-22-82 OR visit us online at productxisthebest.com.”

The first and easiest thing you can teach your clients to make their ads more effective is…

…you need to choose ONE CALL TO ACTION.

WHY?

Listing off a client’s location, phone number and website will take away from the time needed to achieve GOAL ONE: Demonstrate the RESULTS of the product.

You need time to grab the listener’s attention, draw them into the story of a common problem, and then show them how the product can solve that problem in an interesting and memorable way. It’s difficult to do in 25 seconds. It’s almost impossible to do in 15.

Listing off a client’s location, phone number and website will actually undermine your chances of achieving GOAL TWO: Inspire the listener to ACT on the call to action.

Imagine you are stranded in a desert. After walking aimlessly for two days your mouth becomes so dry that your tongue feels like sandpaper against your lips. Luckily, you come across a sign that says “WATER”.

Now…if that sign has one arrow pointing right…you’ll walk in that direction, find the water and live.

If that same sign has three arrows pointing in different directions…you will sit their and ponder which way to go.

“I wonder which direction is closest to water?”

“I wonder if one of these places also has food?”

“What if one is a trap?”

All while you sit there…you’re not moving any closer to the water.

CHOICES PARALYZE. CHOICES ARE OVERWHELMING.

So when you put three ways to act on your offer you will actually increase the chances that the listener won’t act at all.

Make it easy for people to buy your product by providing one clear path for them to do so.

How do I choose the right call to action?

Pick the one that directly relates to how you sell your product.

Telephone for Restaurants, Pizza Delivery, Tee Times, and Spa Appointments. Unless you have a novelty number, such as 222-2222, don’t waste time giving the number. Simply say, “Call us today”. Nobody ever pulls his or her car over to write down a phone number. The time is better spent selling the benefits of your product. Fortunately, everyone has this magical machine in their pocket where they can find your number. The machine will even dial for you when you select “call”.

Address for Showroom products like Automobiles, Furniture, Appliances and Electronics. Don’t use the actual address. People don’t give directions by saying “go to unit B 1459 Bixby Avenue”. Use easy to spot landmarks as references. “Just past the perimeter on Portage”, “The big yellow building on King Street”, or “Right next to the Wal-Mart on Regent”. Your directions should sound like a buddy telling them where to go in a way that’s easy to remember.

Website. Use your website if they can purchase your product from your online store. Websites are also a great default for when you can’t decide which call to action to focus on. Simply make sure the phone number and address are prominent on your landing page.  

Radio ads are supposed to maximize the listener response to the sales message. So talk to your clients today about using one “call to action” so that they can remove the most common hurdle.

Next week we’ll talk about “Getting the listener’s attention” and how using a “puppy baby monkey” is a bad idea.   

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 an Audio Active Campaign. Go to audioactiveadvertising.com.