I went to three different US Bank branches yesterday.
In the lobby of one of them was this.
Cold lemonade. Styrofoam cups. Napkins in a cute little holder. And the most inexpensive vase of flowers imaginable.
On a 100-degree day like yesterday, I really appreciated that tiny gesture of thoughtfulness to the bank’s customers.
What is your radio station’s (or other employer’s) “lemonade moment” — that little extra thing you do that makes a listener’s/advertiser’s/sponsor’s routine encounter with your company just a wee bit more pleasant?
That little thing you do that they’re not expecting, that surprises and delights them?
Forget about the lousy opening line. The biggest problem here is that this the story of a guy who “likes,” “loves” and “doesn’t like” things, and the conflict it engenders between him and the woman.
A radio commercial’s listeners remember (if they remember anything) what they picture during the advertisement. The only visual image this spot plants in the listeners’ minds is the guy reacting to the gal.
The product this commercial was supposed to sell was supported only by words, not by any action. Sorry, the words of a radio commercial don’t reverberate with listeners; it is the pictures that do (or that should).
This could have been for any product or service, in which the “I don’t like that” refers to the offer being limited. When you can replace the advertiser with virtually any other advertiser, you know you’ve got a worthless commercial.
What do they call it at your radio station? Non-traditional revenue (NTR)? Non-spot revenue? New revenue? Vendor revenue?
Regardless of the term you use, these days the most reliably profitable method of delivering revenue that doesn’t come from radio ad sales is Event Marketing.
Next week, I’ll be presenting a special, live teleseminar:
“Bigger & Better Radio Event Marketing” with the “king” of radio
promotions.
It’s the first manager & radio gig for my GM, so he has no radio past, nor any idea of “radio culture.” He’s taken away any production authority I’ve had and now prefers the CLIENT write their own copy (complete with all the classic cliches we’ve tried to avoid for years).
The GM told me I was “an obstacle” for salespeople to get the spot on the air…and I was, because I wouldn’t allow substandard copy to air! Now, those days are gone and your many great lessons have been rendered irrelevant.
My question: How do I get clients to use your Bad Commercial Generator? At least it’s a helluva lot better than the tripe I have to produce now….Really feeling helpless here, Dan.
Thank goodness, an easy question for a change.
Remember, Loyal Reader isn’t asking me to solve the problem of trying to do work you can be proud of when you’re saddled with a know-nothing/cares-less manager.
He’s just asking how he can get his clients to use my Bad Commercial Generator.
Better news: We’re feverishly working on a new-and-improved Bad Radio Commercial Generator app. Still free. With luck, it’ll be available by October 1.
“Hey, after your great diatribe, the Radio Hall of Fame acquiesced and I’m being inducted November 10th.”
I have no way of knowing if my impassioned rant had anything to do with the organization’s changes in the ways new inductees are selected. Certainly, they never replied to my original posting.
After a conversation with the newspaper reporter who first told Burbank about his status change, Gary was convinced my blog posting — plus the comments it generated both here and on Facebook — played a significant role.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I’m sure I’ll never know.
But the important thing is: The greatest American DJ of my lifetime will be inducted into the Hall of Fame while he’s still around to appreciate the accolades.
