DAN O’DAY TALKS ABOUT RADIO

The radio commercial:

Probably someone at the radio station is being rewarded for selling 15-second spots…or, at least, for “bonusing” the :15s and convincing the client that these commercials have value.

Probably someone at the ad agency is being rewarded by the client for “getting the radio station to throw in a lot of additional advertisements for you” at no extra charge.

*43% of the commercial goes by before the listener has any idea what it’s about.

“Total enjoyment”? No.

“Your neighborhood Toyota dealership”? Nope.

It’s about “free tickets to the L.A. County Fair.”

Yes, the entire commercial is badly written. But even a bad copywriter should be able to begin a spot in a way that’s at least a little bit likely to attract the attention of the targeted listener.

*The 43% figure is based on the actual running time of this radio spot: 14 seconds.

I’ve repeatedly attempted to listen to this radio advertisement, but it’s difficult to stay awake beyond the first sentence.

“Time is ticking away on…”

The first sounds of your radio commercial are the “commercial for the commercial.” They represent your only chance to capture the attention of the targeted listener.

Is there anything about “time is ticking away” that alerts people who need dining furniture that this message is for them?

Quick Exercise:

Pretend you have a friend who recently said to you, “What a hassle. I have to buy an entire dining room set. Do you know a good place? Especially with lower prices than I’ve seen at the department stores I’ve checked out?”

Now pretend you just heard about this sale, and you’re calling your friend to tip her off.

How will you begin the conversation?

YOU:  Hey, Sally! Time is ticking away!

Here are the three most likely ways your friend will respond.

FRIEND:  Huh?

FRIEND:  WTF?

FRIEND:  Have you gone off your meds again?

Inching closer to reality, you might open the conversation with something like:

YOU:  Hey, Sally! You still looking for dining room furniture? There’s a big sale at Cost Plus World Market this week. Dining tables, chairs, benches…all kinds of stuff, as much as half off….

Additional Note:

“Amazing” means “causing great surprise or wonder.”

Will people really react with slack-jawed amazement when they see the prices? Doubtful.

Unless it’s advertising “Johnathan” or “Grace,” the word “amazing” should not appear in a radio commercial script.

 One surviving team of writers from last year’s Sitcom Room. (Note the remnants of the bad Chinese food we always provide to the writers.)

If you’ve ever yelled at the TV, “I could write funnier stuff than that!”….

If you’ve ever imagined yourself as part of a world-class TV sitcom writing team….

If you’ve ever wondered, “What if…?” or “I wonder if I really could do it?”….

Treat yourself to one of the most exhilarating, exhausting and rewarding weekends of your life:

2012’s The Sitcom Room.

I produce this event each year along with Ken Levine, a former radio guy (his air name was “Beaver Cleaver”) who went on to a stellar, Emmy award winning career as a TV sitcom writer/producer/director (M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, Simpsons, etc.).

We accept only 20 participants. We officially opened registration yesterday, and we’re more than half sold out.

So if this sounds intriguing to you, check it out here.

When at the end of the transaction the customer says, “Thank you,” “No problem” is not an appropriate response.

Of course it was no problem.

“No problem” implies you did the customer a favor.

You’re not being thanked for doing the customer a favor.

The customer is thanking you for the service you just provided them.

Your words probably are the last the customer will hear before leaving the store. As such, they play a significant role in defining their shopping experience.

I’m just sayin’….