I’ve created this post for any Radio Advertising Letter subscribers who would like to comment on the radio station sales imaging I critiqued in the newest issue.
CRITIQUE MY CRITIQUE re: SELLING VIBRANT PICTURES
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Hi Dan,
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have made this mistake as well in the past. The result of reading too many books by a certain “magician” of radio (I’m omitting his name but I think we all know who he is). While some of his ideas on descriptive writing are great there is a tendency to go overboard to the point where there is so much description and hardly any room for a message at all.
The amazing thing to me is how many people still don’t get it and can’t understand why the incredible advertising creative didn’t generate any results.
Sometimes the answer is too simple to understand.
When I worked in Tauranga (Bay of Plenty, New Zealand) the opposition station ran an advt saying they had the only qualified creaqtive writer in the Bay. I ran a counter advt that basically said “Do you remember that tv advt where the keas (a native bird) rip the rubber out of a car’s windows at Arthur’s Pass? Great ad but let me ask you a question… Who was it for? Ah, you say, I think it was an insurance company. Yes, but which one? You see, it’s one thing to be creative but if it doesn’t sell the product then it’s just a story. If you want creative feel free to call the other guys but for advertising that works call us.”
I love creative writing but as Swami Dan says, it’s got to work.
rob@rhema
Aotearoa/New Zealand
Right off the top, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to educate clients about what makes Radio work. I’m not convinced it’s the Copywriter’s job to spearhead that education process. An ad like this one (and I’ve written a lot of them as well) usually comes across as a fishing expedition — trying to hook clients.
I don’t think ads like these are even necessary if Radio people are taking on the role of Marketing Consultants instead of Advertising Salespeople.
When it suits, “creative writing” can and should be used in an ad — but not as a means to make up for a weak message or offer. And in defense of the “magician” of Radio, noted above — he ALWAYS emphasizes the value of the core message over creativity. If you’re giving away a free car with every car you sell, you don’t need a ad telling people about “good things coming in pairs” — just tell them they’re getting a free car (and, of course, should anyone actually do this, you’d have to spend the rest of your ad time convincing people the offer was legit!).
Imagine an ad like “Joe’s Laser Surgery and Grill averaged about 10 customers a day for two years in a row. Two months after starting to advertise on radio, he was up to 15 customers a day. Six months later, he doubled that to 30 customers a day. Radio works. We prove it everyday.”
Happy New year all!
Dan, the real issue seems to be content. This ad has been filed away in my mind as ‘that cave ad’, rather than ‘that pro-radio ad’. The producer effectively puts the listener in the cave and all, but when the ad is over, nothing but the sell line connects with radio. To effectively connect with business owners about the power of radio as it relates to their marketing, the message needs to say something important and profitable to business owners. So the million dollar question is… “How do you create vivid imagery of radio advertising increasing profits?” Maybe you should compile the good, bad and ugly of pro-radio ads.
–Mike
Dan,
You are right on this one.
I agree with much of what Dan said – particularly about the story starting to drag after it’s halfway through. The one thing I would add is this: the whole time I was listening to this spot, the copywriter in me was expecting an ironic twist – that is, rather than a cave, I thought it was going to turn out to be the person’s home. Properly tweaked, this could be an AWESOME spot for a plumbing/furnace business!