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RADIO ADVERTISING: How To Do A “Serious” Commercial Believably

I don’t want to say much about this radio commercial until after you’ve listened to it.

I’m sharing it with you as a contrast to this radio commercial I critiqued last week.

Here’s the spot.


That’s an example of radio ad that delivers a somber message…believably.

Unlike this radio commercial that I critiqued last week:

  • The message is clear.
  • The message is compelling.
  • The message doesn’t require interpretation or decoding by the the listener.
  • The situations depicted are realistic.
  • The spot doesn’t try to be “serious.” The story it tells is serious, which frees up the announcer to…just talk to the listener.

The announcer on the other commercial didn’t overdue it, either. But the woman’s delivery strained to declare, “What I’m saying is TRAGIC. Just listen to all this tragedy!”

You’ll find a more detailed analysis of exactly how & why this radio commercial works in Hypnotic Advertising by Dan O’Day.

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  • Mike Broderick January 12, 2015, 8:33 am

    The VO does a great job of keeping it light until things turn serious. The contrast help drive home the message,

  • Mike Broderick January 12, 2015, 10:50 am

    The VO does a great job of keeping it light until things turn serious. The contrast help drive home the message,