The opening line of a radio commercial is the commercial for the commercial. It’s the one opportunity to attract the attention of the targeted listener.
Does the opening line of this spot grab your attention?
The people who created this radio advertisement brainstormed, and the best way they could come up with to begin the spot was to declare that the advertiser “is sporting a $50 million redesign that you have to see to believe”?
And the rest of it….
“Splash with your family on exhilarating water slides”??
Let me guess: The original radio copywriting was done in some other language, and then they used Google Translate for the English version.
“Say, honey! Let’s take the family to La Costa Resort & Spa, where we can splash on their exhilarating water slides!”
And the voice over performance. Do you hear even a hint of “exhilaration”? Or a hint of “relaxation” when she mentions the pool?
And the copywriter invites the listener to “discover the nation’s #1 wellness spa and so much more.”
At least La Costa doesn’t need to worry about listeners becoming bored or confused by that commercial. That 15-second spot will sail past them like so much white noise.
Most radio stations foolishly try to use billboards or busboards to directly influence people’s behavior:
– Try our Best Music Mix!
– Listen to our talk show hosts. They’re less boring than the competition’s!
– Go to our website, join our Loyal Listener Club, tune in Thursday morning at 7:20 and if we announce your name, text six of your friends and tell them to answer their phones with “Radio X plays the best music and has the best contests” and if we call one of them and….
This ad for 93.1 JACK FM doesn’t attempt to get new listeners to sample the station.
Instead, the busboard is a shout out to the station’s fans. It reinforces the community feeling shared by its loyal listeners: irreverent, smart, mildly sarcastic.
93.1 JACK FM listeners see the busboard and think, “Yeah, that’s just like them. That ad on that bus has the same attitude as the radio station itself.”
And it reminds them why they like that radio station…which just happens to be a button push away on their automobile console.
Here’s the copy. What do you think? Doesn’t really tell you anything, and I can’t find a website for “The Event.”
Hey Mom and Dad! Do your kids love the Disney Channel? How about movies like “The Last Song” staring Miley Cyrus or the Twilight saga’s “Breaking Dawn?” Well how would your kids like to BE in a smash hit movie like “The Last Song”or “Breaking Dawn”or how would your kids like to BE on the Disney channel!!!? If its your kids dream to be in a movie or on the Disney channel then listen up!! This weekend a world famous agent will be in your area looking for kids just like yours ages 6-17 for TV commercials, TV shows and even Movies. Can you imagine your kids being on TV?!!! How amazing would that be?! If your kids love the Disney channel or movies like “Breaking Dawn” then this could be their shot!! Check it out if your kids want to be on the Disney Channel, or in a blockbuster like “The Last Song” or “Breaking Dawn” be one of the first 200 callers right now. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and Space is limited so call right now(emphasis) !! Call 888-999-XXXX, That’s 888-999-XXXX, 888-999-XXX once more guys 888-999-XXX good luck. Brought to you by the New Event Inc
Dan Replies:
As always, I am not offering legal advice.
But my nonprofessional, layman’s understanding is that:
1. If there’s no such company as “New Event Inc.,” then you’ll violate FCC regulations by airing the commercial.
2. Every entity named in that commercial could and should sue for trademark infringement.
It would be interesting for you to ask the agency that made the buy:
* To provide you with information confirming the existence and full identity of the advertiser
* To indemnify your radio station against any trademark infringement claims.
The inane litany of life’s disappointments to which 50% of this advertisement is devoted has absolutely nothing to do with actual sales message.
In fact, the geniuses who created this spot don’t even attempt to connect the two.
Apparently the listener is expected to think, “Okay, let’s see….All those disappointments. So the message is this Southern California Lexus Dealers’ ‘sales event’ won’t be disappointing? Is that it??”
Strange — With all this talk of the “bad economy,” you’d think businesses wouldn’t want to throw their money away on money-losing advertising.
