One of my favorite radio personalities, whose daily program helped show me you could be a “DJ” and still be “real,” was Geoff Edwards.
Geoff Edwards told me not to get into radio. Or something equally flippant; my memory of my on-air conversation with Radio’s Answer Lady is foggy.
What I do recall, however, is something I haven’t seen mentioned in any of the media coverage attendant to Geoff’s death last month at the age of 83.
Almost everyone mentioned his popular feature, “Radio’s Answer Lady,” which was simply Geoff answering questions from listeners over the phone during his show on KMPC/Los Angeles.
I myself had called in to ask — although even then I knew what a silly question it was — “How can I get into radio?”
Geoff answered flippantly. Something like “Don’t” or “Why would you?” or “Beats me.” But even then I knew it was a silly question and one that he no doubt often heard.
But none of the media coverage I saw explained why Geoff, speaking in his own, obviously male voice, referred to himself as the Answer Lady.
Probably none of them knew.
But I know. Because I remember the day he introduced the character.
Geoff had been doing his Q&A shtick as “Radio’s Answer Man.”
One day, however, he received a Cease & Desist order from Shell Oil, accusing him of infringing on their trademarked “Shell Answer Man,” which was featured in their television ads for nearly 30 years.
Geoff read the C&D on his show and promptly changed the name to “Radio’s Answer Lady.”
So long Geoff. Thanks for giving me a glimpse of what was possible beyond “disc jockey, good pipes, tight board.”
Here are 6 more common reasons consumers might have for not responding to your advertising as you’d like them to…and how to overcome each objection in your spots.
If the objection is Fear of Non-Use Due to Complexity, stress Easy Learning Curve or Available Support.
Easy Learning Curve
At first I was reluctant to order the new Abdomizer, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to put it together. But it was so easy that even my brother-in-law was able to do it — and he’s a complete moron!
Available Support
Even though the new Abdomizer is so easy to use, you’ll be assigned your own Telephone Coach who will answer any questions you might have about set-up, exercises, training regimen…even the proper diet you should follow to develop rock-hard abs in just five days.
If the objection is Fear It Won’t Perform As Promised, stress the guarantee:
We’re so confident that you will Learn Calculus While You Sleep that if for any reason you’re not absolutely thrilled with your results, we’ll return every penny you paid — including your shipping costs. So you have nothing to lose….
If the objection is the Assumption That “They’re All Alike,”dramatically explain the differences between your product and your competitors’:
“Speedy, radio-dispatched service to your door. Call our toll-free number.” Ever notice how all plumber ads are alike? But try asking one of those services what happens if it takes too long for the plumber to show up at your house, and you’ll get a bunch of doubletalking excuses. We know that when you need a plumber, you need a plumber NOW.
That’s why we’ll have a trained technician with all the tools he could possibly need at your door within 90 minutes of your call…Or you won’t pay for the service call.
Plumbing Emergency? Call Speedy Bob’s Speedy Plumbing at 800-345-7638. Speedy Bob’s Speedy Plumbing; 800-345-7638. Because when you’ve got a plumbing emergency, you DON’T want to wait.
If the objection is Distrust, use testimonials. The real words of real people, in their own real voices.
And no, not recorded over the telephone.
Yes, recording over the telephone saves you a lot of time.
But it sounds cheesy.
More importantly, it distances the listener from the personal experience you should be trying to deliver.
If the objection is Procrastination, offer incentives to force the targeted consumer to act on the sales message now:
* Genuine, substantial, limited discounts
* Limited inventory
* Special bonus incentives
* An “event” so attractive to your target audience that they’ll leave the comfort of their homes and come to your show room/dealership/store.
If the objection is Confusion, educate the consumer. Selling is not “convincing.” Selling is not “entertaining.” Selling is educating.
Don’t allow your clients to be among the radio advertisers who mistakenly assume your listeners willingly believe whatever they hear in a commercial.
Next: An ingenious way to overcome an objection to the product’s Aesthetics.
Radio copywriters can learn a lot about creating effective advertising not only from resources such as this but also from paying attention to masterful persuaders who are outside the world of marketing.
Example:
Bobby DeLaughter, who in 1994 successfully prosecuted white supremacist Byron de la Beckwith for the 1963 murder of NAACP leader Medgar Evers, said that at the time he constantly received advice from community members:
“Let sleeping dogs lie.”
“How can you convict somebody when so many of the witnesses have died, when so much of the physical evidence is inconclusive? What good can come of prosecuting an elderly, infirm defendant?”
According to USA TODAY, DeLaughter “collected the comments in a journal and cited them at trial, figuring that jurors had had similar thoughts.”
Although DeLaughter probably didn’t know much about advertising, he was applying two key principles that I teach.
Rather than let the defense raise (and claim as their own) any objections the jurors might have, DeLaughter pre-empted them by voicing the most likely objections and sweeping them aside.
In advertising, if the objection is Price — if the biggest thing that prevents the target audience from acting on your sales message — then you should stress Value or Return on Investment.
Value: “Unlike the cheap dog collars you find in discount stores, Royalty Dog Collars are made of solid gold. So you can relax, knowing that Prince’s collar will never rust and that it will enhance his reputation of being a cut above other curs….”
Return on Investment: “Unlike the cheap dog collars you find in discount stores, Royalty Dog Collars are made of solid gold. So when Prince finally goes to Doggy Heaven, you’ll be able to sell his collar for more than you paid for it.”
PRINCIPLE #2: Enter The Consumer’s Conversation
I’m fond of quoting legendary copywriter Robert Collier, who defined successful advertising as “entering a conversation the targeted consumer already is having.”
That’s exactly what DeLaughter did — using the actual words that members of his community used to express their feelings.
When they’re really not sure what their Unique Selling Proposition is — the reason that people patronize their business rather than a competitor’s — I routinely advise my clients:
“Get a marketing student from the local university to spend a week at your store. As each customer leaves, have the student ask, ‘Excuse me. What made you decide to shop here today?’ “
I assure the client that they’ll discover their U.S.P. — in their customers’ own words — long before the week is up.
Probably by the second day it will be obvious what overriding influence is generating the most business.
At that point, they can take the words their customers are using and build a commercial around it.
(Unfortunately, most advertisers — like most radio stations—use the words they wish their customers are saying about them.)
Next Installment: Creative examples to overcome specific consumer objections.
I just saw this national commercial today and wanted to get your take on it.
I laughed. It’s funny. But I wonder if showing people botching home improvement projects is the best way to advertise a business that sells.. well.. the stuff for home improvement projects?
Whether in a radio commercial or a television ad, that’s exactly the wrong advertising message to be giving.
The guy in the story obviously bought the “home improvement” materials somewhere, and the result is a disaster.
At the end of the spot they say, “Need Help?” And then they flash the Lowe’s logo.
In the description beneath the YouTube video they say, “Installation can be tricky. Come to Lowe’s. We’ve got all the tips and tools you need to get the job done right.”
So it turns out they’re trying to get people to come to Lowe’s for “tips.”
But they haven’t done anything to move consumers from equating Lowe’s with “do-it-yourself tools” to equating Lowe’s with “informed advice about how to do your own home repairs.”
Instead, they’ve equated “doing your own home repairs” with “disaster.”
A member of our Radio Pro Facebook group asked a question about the creation and introduction of a new character for his show.
“I have a character I have been playing with adding to the on-air line up — sort of the flip side of my own personality. I have tested the character on a few friends and everyone loves the idea. Planning on recording a couple dozen bits before adding it to the on-air side of things. Just not sure how to introduce the new person to the audience. Advice?”
One of our group members responded, “The best character is you.”
While I agree that to sustain an entire and recurring radio show “the best character is you,” for a peripheral character I would change that to “the best character means something to you.”
That might clearly be a facet of your true personality.
Or it might be your personal reaction to a type of person very unlike you — even a type of person you dislike.
When presenting a character who is fundamentally different from you, the key is to play it as honestly (even if exaggeratedly) as possible.
Rather than “Here’s me, mocking this kind of character,” it should be “Here’s me, doing my best to present this character just as he would present himself in real life.”
I have strong negative opinions about people who con other people by claiming to have “psychic powers.” But my “psychic” persona is one of my more popular “characters.” The voice is pretty much just my regular ol’ voice.
Having a fair knowledge of the mechanics of how they con people I simply create a fun situation, put the character in it, and let him react to it as he naturally would.
I don’t really have strong feelings about “self-help gurus” (some are good, some are terrible) but usually I find them funny-to-ludicrous. I also have a strong background in psychology. So I find it easy to adapt that persona when that character can serve a scene.
I suspect that character doesn’t resonate with my audience as much as my “psychic,” simply because I have stronger feelings about the “psychic.” But it’s still entertaining, probably because I’m able to bring in my psychology background to help inform the bit.
Your Character
What is the character like? What will he be bringing to your show? (Injection of outrageous point of view? Unique perspective based upon his profession, geographic or family background, etc.?)
There’s no “right” way to introduce a character.
He responded:
The character is “Edward,” who is more or less the flip side of me. The stuff I would not say, Edward would be able to voice a little better.
I don’t hunt or fish; he could talk about those, for example, but with a humorous caricature type voice. I’d let Edward have the punchline while I play dumb.
Examples: Edward giving a review of “What The Fox Say” and explaining that they actually make a bark or yip like a dog
Me asking if that means my neighbors might be housing one and calling it a chihuahua
Edward explaining that the better question in our area is “What The Deer Say”
– Me asking what that might be – Edward saying “damn a bumper!”
(We have a lot of deer/vehicle accidents in our rural area)
For some reason trying to explain it doesn’t seem as funny as it actually plays out when joking around…
Well, going from “seems like a funny idea” to “here’s the fully realized funny piece” is where the work lies.
But the structure you’re suggesting has a lot of promise. It’s a way for you to bring in a broad topic in which much of your audience is interested but about which you know nothing.
Rather than faking a personal interest or pretending to know about the topic, you’re acknowledging and using that local topic to add relevant entertainment value to your radio show.
Being willing to give “Edward” the punchline is smart. Too many radio DJs think they themselves need to “get the laughs.” But it’s their show. If the audience laughs at their show, the host gets the credit.
You also have a good ear for material: What The Deer Say: “Damn, a bumper” — that’s a solid joke that fits the character and the topic.
How To Introduce A New Character
You don’t need to make a big deal about the introduction of a new character to your radio show. And you don’t need to indicate it’s the introduction of a new “running” character or cast member. Instead, just do the bit.
Example
You might casually remark about “What Does The Fox Say?”:
“Actually, around here it might be more appropriate to ask what does the deer say.” Just drop it in there as an amusing little aside, and move on.
Then you take a phone call.
YOU: Hi, (Radio X).
EDWARD: Yeah, this is Edward (Surname). I’m a ( ) here in ( ). I’m what you’d call an outdoorsman.
YOU: Ah, yessir…?
EDWARD: I can tell you exactly “what the deer” say.
YOU: What would that be?
EDWARD: Damn, a bumper!
If the audience responds — or if in your gut you feel it worked — do two or three more similar calls. If the character clicks with the audience, then you can simply continue to feature him as a regular.
If it flops…Don’t worry. People don’t remember your failures.
Here’s the first on-air appearance of one of the best radio characters ever — Howard Hoffman’s “Mr. Stress” on Z-100/New York.
Mr. Stress
Note how the jock (Ross Brittain) simply takes a phone call from a listener. There’s no signaling to the audience, “Hey, here’s a new character!”
Inside Story
Ross was in charge of the Z Morning Zoo’s comedy. But Scott Shannon (his on-air partner and Z-100 program director) didn’t like the bit.
So Ross did what any self-respecting morning jock would do: He waited for the PD (Scott) to go on vacation, and then he played the bit. (You’ll hear Mr. Stress refer to Shannon’s absence from the show.)
By the time Scott returned, Mr. Stress was a hit.
Questions to Jump Start a New Character
What does he care about?
What is he passionate about?
What gets him angry?
What makes him deliriously happy?
Whom does he view as the world’s “villain”?
Who is his all-time hero?
What secret is he trying to hide? (Mr. Stress, for example, might be hiding the fact that deep down he’s insecure, and he tries to cover that up with his bluster.)
The Character’s Catch Phrase
Most attempts at manufacturing “catch phrases” fail. Usually you discover the catch phrase only after the character has been introduced.
The ones that “go viral” somehow represent the core of the character.
For example, “Answer me!” immediately became Mr. Stress’s catch phrase. But why? “Answer me!” isn’t funny…at least, not without the right context.
But this character is a guy who is so stressed out that he doesn’t have the patience to wait for an answer a question that he just asked. That’s why “Answer me!” caught on; it expressed his core character.
By the way, “What Does The Fox Say?” is the creation of a couple of friends of ours, the Ylvis Brothers. If you haven’t already heard it, check out this wonderfully good radio bit of theirs from several years ago.
One of my favorite radio personalities, whose daily program helped show me you could be a “DJ” and still be “real,” was Geoff Edwards.
