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.
