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April 26, 2007

Horrible Advice for Radio Advertisers

The Street.com and Entrepreneur Magazine have teamed up to prove once again that you should absolutely NOT believe everything you read in print. Many would say you shouldn't believe ANYTHING you read or hear in the media, but that's another post.

This article on TheStreet.com, courtesy of Entrepreneur.com, supposedly presents the "four keys to radio advertising". We have no doubt this article is a contributor to the phenomenon of people thinking "radio doesn't work" becauase if you follow the advice here, you're sure to lose your shirt.

The advice in the article ranges from harmless to horrible, but point number four is the least informed advice of all. "Entertain the audience" sounds like Clear Channel's CEO talking. Since when is the purpose of radio commercials to entertain rather than sell the advertiser's product or service?

"Great radio spots grab and hold attention, usually through humor."

WRONG. It's true that great spots grab and hold attention, but actual testing of radio ads (not just by us, but also by others) proves it's not through humor. Rather, it's through surprise... difference, uniqueness.

The footer of the article states

"This article was written by Kim T. Gordon, the "Marketing" coach at Entrepreneur.com and a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson."

The quotes around the word marketing are part of the footer, not our addition - how appropriate. Notice that nowhere is "expert in successful radio advertising" mentioned.

The moral of the story here is that you shouldn't consult TheStreet.com (that one is easy) or Entrepreneur.com for good advice on building successful radio advertising campaigns.

Posted by Jeff Small & Brett Astor at 10:14 AM | Permalink