Radio campaigns are standard fare for many entrepreneurs
nationwide. But do you know what turns a ho-hum radio concept into
a terrific ad and what makes for the most effective on-air copy and
execution? It takes more than amusing your audience-though that
helps.
"People don't mind being sold to, if you're going
to entertain them along the way," says copywriter
extraordinaire Adam Chasnow of Goodby Silverstein & Partners in
San Francisco, whose work for Hollywood Video and Saturn, among
others, has earned four coveted Radio-Mercury awards, including the
$100,000 grand prize. Chasnow believes there's "a wall of
terrible radio advertising out there that's annoying to
listeners," and entrepreneurs often end up spending thousands
of dollars on ineffective campaigns. So to get the best results
from your radio efforts, follow these three guidelines for
commercials that make listeners sit up and take notice:
1.Grab attention. Right from
the start, a great spot should grab and hold the listener's
attention. Comedy is a common technique. Says Chasnow,
"It's easy to get people to stay tuned if you're going
to make them laugh." Though not all subject matter can be
treated with knee-slapping comedy, your spot can include some
degree of humor, be uplifting or at least include a positive spin
on your subject. With clever writing, the product itself can be the
antidote to a comedic situation, for example.
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Many successful spots use sounds such as an unusual voice or
compelling music to get people's attention. But don't use
music that blends in too thoroughly with the station's
programming. You want your spots to stand out, though not in a
jarring way. The key is to understand your target audience and fit
your musical choices to their preferences.
2.Keep them listening. The
best radio spots make you want to listen all the way through. For
that, an audience must be able to relate to the story. In other
words, it has to ring true. "There has to be a truth that
relates the listener to the product or brand," says
Chasnow.
If you really want listeners to hang in there with your radio
commercial, focus on a single message, and resist the temptation to
include a laundry list of features. Listeners will also pay more
attention to your spot if it's part of a campaign. They'll
associate each new ad with the previous ones and listen for the
latest twist, helping to extend your brand message more
successfully than if you were to run unrelated spots.
The quality of your on-air talent is critical, too, although you
don't have to use a large cast. In fact, the 2003 Radio-Mercury
grand-prize-winning commercial, created by New York City
advertising agency DeVito/Verdi for the National Thoroughbred
Racing Association, used just one voice for the body of the spot.
It's entitled "Dinner Date," and the adept actor
portrays a racetrack announcer who "calls" the low points
of a bad date-from no reservations to a peck on the cheek-as if it
were a horse race. (Hear the spot at radiomercuryawards.com.)
3.Reward the audience. Radio
isn't a direct-response medium, although some advertisers
mistakenly use it that way. While most listeners probably won't
recall a telephone number at the end of a spot or a complicated
call to action, what they will remember is how what's being
advertised is going to make their lives better. Just as the punch
line at the end of a joke rewards the listener, your spot should
close with a solid payoff-the resolution of a humorous situation or
some final bit of information that helps listeners take advantage
of what you offer.
Contact marketing expert Kim T. Gordon, author of
Bringing Home the Business, at www.smallbusinessnow.com.