Radio Advertising

Hi Carl,


I have had a little experience with radio advertising. (more from a production point of view rather than a marketing one)


The way I see it, there are 2 types of radio Ads; Branding Ads, and Sales/promotion ads.

The Branding Ads tend to be quite creative in nature, they also tend to feature a Catchy/memorable jungle to build brand association. These types of adds tend to run for longer on the stations so that people get time to recognise the brand.

The other type of ads tend to be very informational and promotional: They pack a lot of info into a short spot: these ads detail stuff like who the are, where they are, upcoming sales and discounts.

You need to decide what you want to do with the ads, do you want to use them to increase footfall on the shop floor, or do you want to use the ads to strengthen local brand recognition?

I have spent most of my life working in radio and TV. If your goal is lead generation, then make sure that your call to action is a strong one. You need to compel the listener to act right away. With a CTA spot, you have them for 30 seconds and 30 seconds only, so make sure that you give them a good reason to call.

I've worked in radio advertising copy writing for about 20 years, there is ONE key to effective copy.

Create a simple message with simple language.

You have about 70 words in your 30 second spot.

I am sure you have already planned on your spot to match the quality level of the furniture that you are offering. (you need a different feel for a bedding store than for Lazyboy home furnishing.

With a furniture store be mindful that many companies offer co-op money if their items are featured in the ad (this is true in the US I have no idea about the UK).

It may be to your advantage to find all the co-op money and run those spots after these are finished.

The main reason so many local ads have jingles is because the owners want them, there is very little difference in response generally not worth the money invested in the jingle.

Instead create a well crafted tag line and close for your spot and always use the tag and close no matter what product you are promoting.

The UK market makes it a little different, what is acceptable here in the states is over the top in the UK.

A good voice artist and make a weak ad work, a bad voice artists and make a Killer ad a flop.

Mark

Carl:

My entire professional life has been in radio advertising (since 1973). I have written thousands of commercials for hundreds of advertisers. Some of my clients have been with me for over 20 years. Since 1992, I have also been producing syndicated features for radio stations across North America via my company Grace Broadcast Sales, in addition to providing creative services for my radio advertsing clients. A quick Google search will help establish my credentials.

That said, I would hesitate to dispense any advice to you without knowing more about your furniture client, his market, reputation, competition, customers, and advertising history. (One has to be able to see the target before one knows where to aim.) But I'd be more than happy to visit with you by phone, email, or whatever to help both of us determine whether my assistance would be useful to you both. Please feel free to contact me, if you're so inclined.

BTW, I'm working with an aggressive furniture client at present here in the Pacific Northwest. He occupies a distinctive niche (one that he personally developed), and has been outperforming the industry by leaps and bounds.

Cordially,

Rod