This is not my style of delivery.
As a program director, I would wince whenever it would play on my radio station.
It won’t ever win an award.
It’s not “creative.”
You will hate it.
None of which matters to the advertiser.
Why This Radio Commercial Is Good
It immediately identifies the targeted listener.
It gives real-life examples of the kinds of pain their target audience suffers.
It communicates clearly.
It gives a single Call To Action.
It doesn’t talk about the advertiser. It talks about the consumer’s problem. (The advertiser isn’t even identified until 60% of the spot has passed.)
How This Radio Commercial Could Be Better
It should give people a specific reason to call:
“Call now for a free assessment of your financial situation….”
“Call now for a free consultation with a Tax Relief Helpline specialist.”
“Time is not on your side” should be stronger. Do they mean, “The longer you delay taking action, the more desperate your financial situation becomes”?
If so, which of those two sounds stronger to you?
“This the perfect time to build a plan that could get your life back on track.” — Another lazy sentence. Now is the perfect time? Better than yesterday or last week? If they were to use some version of the line I suggested above, that weak sentence could be eliminated entirely.
“Call now…from anywhere in the U.S.”
Big mistake. For professional services, consumers prefer to deal with local or regional businesses.
That line tells the listener, “The Tax Relief Hotline isn’t local. We’re not in any way part of your community.”
Odds are that when you call their toll free number, you’re routed to a local associate or franchisee. But there’s no way for the listener to know that, and saying “from anywhere in the U.S.” destroys any chance of a “local” feeling.
Still, overall that’s a good commercial and I’m quite willing to predict it’s generating a positive R.O.I. for the advertiser.
Even though everyone who comments on this blog probably will focus on how much they hate it.
Comments on this entry are closed.
You’re right. I hate it. But I agree with your critique.
True that!
Would’nt be that some people actualy would be impress by the fact that the company seems so big in the country?
Some people may actually PREFER to deal with a “big national” company when fighting the IRS, instead of a little local who may not have the same perceived level of experience to draw from.
I don’t hate this ad. This ad is a perfect example of focus and delivering a clear message to drive a listener to do what the client wants. Nope, it won’t win fans or awards, but I’m sure it will be effective. And let’s face it, as much as we LOVE being creative, isn’t it better to create EFFECTIVE radio ads? I know my clients sure think so.
I’ve had lots of clients say how they loved their creative, and people mentioned it to them, and product sat on the shelf. I’ve had others never mention the ad itself, but called to cancel a campaign early because they were hammered with sales and ran out of product to sell. You tell me which is better – if you’re the client paying for the ads.