This Is News???

The Radio Ad Lab did a study on what makes a radio spot effective.

Any guesses as to what they “discovered”?

Successful radio ads use words that touch the senses and emotions.

Well, DUH.

I hate to spoil the party, but we’ve known that for 50 years. That’s why radio is called “theater of the mind”.

The study goes on to say, “strong beginnings make a difference”.

That does not mean that your spot should start off with sirens and the phrase “IF YOU’RE IN THE MARKET FOR A USED CAR, LISTEN TO THIS!!!” That's not a strong beginning; it's a loud one.

Anyone who has worked with me in the past, or read any of these blog posts knows I’ve been preaching the principles of effective advertising for years.

It is not easy to write a 30 second commercial that is compelling and direct.
Maybe that’s why you don’t hear too many of them. Account Execs and overworked production directors don’t, can’t or won’t take the time to give the client value for their advertising investment.

I’ve met with countless clients who have told me - I Don’t Want To Sound Like Every Other Ad On The Radio.

What they mean is - I Want Something That WORKS.

Of course. That’s the goal of any advertising. But you can’t write a spot from a Yellow Pages ad. That’s like mixing apples and kumquats. Emotional impact will not come from a laundry list of goods or services you have to sell. It comes from telling the customer how they’re going to feel when they buy and use them.

Ask any car salesman. They can talk all they want about mileage, features, colors, payments…but they know they have the sale when the customer is sitting behind the wheel in the showroom and IMAGINES himself driving down the freeway.

This is not news. Some of us have made a career out of producing effective radio like this.

The Radio Ad Bureau funded the study. Their CEO Jeff Haley said, "We will continue finding and sharing ways this medium is used best.”

You do that, Jeff. You do that.

–Thanks for reading

Working With Copywriters

People are getting good at putting their thoughts into 140 characters on Twitter. But I still believe that the hardest thing in the world to write is a 30 second spot. 

I wrote one recently for a first time radio advertiser.

"I'd like to also talk about (she inserted two more of her business concepts here)"

Me: "Well, this is written to convey the thoughts that we originally discussed. It's only 30 seconds, so there's really no room."

"Can you talk faster?"

"Sure. How much LESS do you want your message to be heard?"

"Huh?"

"Radio listeners are doing other things while listening: driving, working, and a good spot needs to cut thru all that clutter."

"Well, maybe they'll hear it."

"Really? You're going to make this sized investment on a maybe??"

Remember that whatever it is that you sell, people don't want the THING. They want the EXPERIENCE. In other words, people don't want to buy a big, honking backyard grill. What they want is the experience of family and friends together sharing a delicious meal. 

Humans buy either to seek pleasure, or avoid pain. Your sales messages need to reflect that.

It pays to work with a good copywriter.  If you like what that persn has written in the past, or if he comes highly recommended, he'll be on your side. Work with him as you would a team member.

--Thanks for reading.