A ''good'' radio commercial is one that motivates the targeted consumer to act on the sales message:
To test-drive the vehicle. - To pick up the phone and call to request the free information booklet.
- To go to the department store and smell the new perfume.
Contrary to popular belief, advertising is not simply “getting your name out there.”
But what about “branding”? You know, those clever, “creative” commercials that cost a fortune to produce, are wonderfully entertaining, and win lots of awards?
Branding is a valid goal for certain types of advertisers. For most advertisers it should be a long-term side effect of their campaign…because all advertising does affect the company’s brand image.
Unfortunately, usually the effect is either minimal or negative.
A campaign designed purely as a “branding” device and not intended to motivate the targeted consumer to act is a good idea for a very small percentage of advertisers. And those advertisers need to have the time and money to build the brand over the long term.
2. Trying to Be Creative and/or Funny...Instead of Trying to Sell
The worst thing that ever happened to the radio advertising industry occurred sometime in the last century when some well-meaning person foolishly labeled the department in charge of crafting radio commercials “Creative.”
Today, being “creative” is the goal of most people who produce radio advertising. They even give awards for the “most creative” commercials.
And this is the first thing you must understand:
Radio advertising is not a creative exercise; it’s mass salesmanship.
The goal of a commercial is not “to be creative;” it is “to sell.”
“Creativity” should never be your goal. Creativity is a means to an end.
People who make their livings by harnessing their creativity never wake up in the morning thinking, “I really want to be creative today!” Instead, they wake up with a problem they need to solve.
For the record: I am not saying radio commercials should never be funny. Humor can be used to sell effectively. But “being funny” never should be the goal of the campaign.
3. Trying to “Sell” the Product or Service
An advertisement never should try to sell the product or service.
If you’ve studied advertising, somewhere along the way you’ve been taught, “Don’t sell features; sell benefits.”
Wrong!
Don’t sell “features.”
Don’t sell “benefits.”
Sell results.
People don’t want the product. They don’t care about the product. They care only about what the product can do for them.
For example, last year more than 1 billion tubes of toothpaste were sold in the United States. Not one of those sales was the result of someone waking up in the morning and thinking, “You know what I’d really like to do today? I’d like to buy some toothpaste!”
In the history of the world, no one has ever had an overwhelming desire to buy toothpaste.
But more than 1 billion times last year, someone in the U.S. thought, “Uh-oh. I’m running out of toothpaste. I don’t want to have bad breath. I want my teeth to be clean. I want my smile to be white and inviting. I want my gums to be healthy. I want to avoid getting cavities. I want to keep my natural teeth for as long as I can.”
No one has ever had a “craving” to buy toothpaste. But over a billion times last year, someone bought the results that toothpaste offers...and never the toothpaste itself.
I don’t care if Ed’s Toothpaste has been judged the “world’s greatest toothpaste.” I want to know if it can keep my teeth cavity-free, my smile gleaming white, and my breath fresh and inviting.
4. Having More than One “Core” Message
By core message, I mean the one key point that you want the listener to hear, to understand, and to remember.
Too many commercials either don’t have a core message or have more than one. And more than one core message is at least one too many.
You might not actually state the core message in your commercial. You might say the core message right there in the spot, or you might imply it. But after listeners hear the commercial, they should be able to tell you what that core message is.
Radio advertising works when you deliver a single core message over and over again. “The best barbecue in town” is a good core message.
On the other hand, a number of years ago, I was at a speaking engagement in Kentucky when I heard a commercial for a local barbecue restaurant. They spent almost all of the commercial talking about their meaty, juicy ribs and rich, spicy barbecue sauce…and then at the very end they said, “And remember, it’s a great place for weddings too!”
And I couldn’t help but picture a white bridal gown with barbecue sauce all over it.
It can be a great place for greasy barbecue, or it can be a great place for weddings. But it can’t be both — at least, not in a radio commercial.
About the Author
Dan O'Day (http://www.danoday.com) is internationally known as radio's commercial-copywriting guru.
In fact, when the Radio Advertising Bureau decided to offer the industry's first certification course for copywriters — the Certified Professional Commercial Copywriter — Dan is the person they asked to create it. The CPCC remains the industry’s gold standard of training.
Dan has helped radio stations, advertisers, and ad agencies in 34 different countries create advertising that produces money-making results for the client...and re-orders for the station or agency.
His newsletter, The Dan O'Day Radio Advertising Letter, is subscribed to by more than 11,000 broadcast & advertising professionals worldwide.
