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August 07, 2006

Top Ten Keys To Creating Great Radio Ads

Profitable direct response radio campaigns are a product of excellent strategy, media buying, and radio commercial development. Below we address the radio commercial development piece, presenting the top ten concepts that interact to produce successful radio advertisements. Note that we assume the creative process is infused with sound strategy, and that we define success in terms of profitability, not awards won or popularity or entertainment value. Does the ad drive profitable new customers? Here are the top ten keys to creating great radio ads:

10. Production value, voiceover talent. Contrary to popular belief, these are not the most important element in great ads. Yet they are what clients often use to determine whether they "like" an ad. From the data we've collected we've found that there is very often an inverse relationship between production value and ad performance. Nonetheless, production and voice are still important. Production must enhance believability, and must ensure the message can be ingested by the audience with minimal effort. It seems, however, that believability isn't consistently aided by slick advertisements. See number four.

9. Distinctiveness of the offering. The greater the "me too" factor, the lower the potential for the campaign.

8. Effective use of the interplay between emotion and logic. There are points in the ad where emotional appeals are appropriate, and there are other points in the ad where logical appeals are potent.

7. Articulation. There are a number of different ways to express your message. Any one can get the message across. But only one is the optimum formula that presents the combination to the lock on the door of your customers' minds.

6. Simplicity. You have sixty seconds. Packing too much into the ad overwhelms the listener, triggering cognitive processes that seek to minimize sensory overload. Leave the kitchen sink in the kitchen.

5. Use of appropriate sound effects and sound elements to enhance the message. Note that use of sound that is irrelevant or detracts from the believability of the spot is a detriment to ad performance.

4. Authenticity. See our post on this topic. Authenticity is influential, believable and enhances credibility. It is also a differentiator.

3. The offer. As with nearly any direct response advertisement, there must be a call to action that is relevant, compelling and simple enough to grasp quickly.

2. The opening attention grabber. The first impression of the ad must provoke a desire for further exploration. The ad must not be categorized by the brain as the same old noise it always hears, otherwise it will be blocked out - a victim of the cognitive processes that ensure we don't experience sensory overload.

1. Benefit orientation. One of the biggest mistakes made is assuming people care how something works before they care what it does for them. The ad must answer the question: what's in it for me? How will it impact my life in a way that I think it will make my life better, happier, or easier. This requires understanding and tapping into the fundamental human beliefs around these topics.

Posted by Jeff Small & Brett Astor at 10:52 AM | Permalink