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January 06, 2012

Netflix Radio Advertisement Critique

As our first blog post of 2012, we've picked up our monthly series of radio advertisement reviews. This month, we've selected a recently aired radio advertisement from Netflix for review. Take a listen to the spot below and read on for our reactions and recommendations for improvement.

NETFLIX RADIO AD

SCRIPT

SFX: SUSPENSFUL MUSIC

CUT MUSIC

MALE ANNOUCER: And now for the final round. If absence makes the heart grow fonder, what does presence make?

FEMALE VO: I want to say....crab dip?

SFX: DING!

MALE ANNOUNCER: Correct. Finish this sequence, tree, sky...

FEMALE VO: Transubstantiationalism

MALE ANNOUNCER: Correct.

SFX: DING!

FEMALE VO (UNDER): Oooh, hooo.

MALE ANNOUNCER: What can you watch instantly with Netflix?

FEMALE VO (UNDER): Unlimited TV episodes and movies!

MALE ANNOUNCER: CORRECT!

SFX: CROWD CHEERING

MALE ANNOUNCER 2: Watch unlimited TV episodes and movies, for only eight bucks a month, from Netflix!

Disclaimer: See terms of use.

MALE ANNOUNCER: M-Ma'm...are you crying?

FEMALE VO (UNDER): CRYING - I always cry when I'm happy.

MALE ANNOUNCER: CRYING - That makes two of us.

REACTIONS

There are several aspects of this radio ad that we would modify. We would start by changing the entire opening set up. The opening "game show" set up in this radio advertisement feels off the mark, as far as grabbing attention and engaging listeners. The mock game show questions with off the wall or incongruous answers are an attempt to capture attention using offbeat humor. Humor is common in many non-direct response radio ads (which is to say, radio advertisements where response metrics aren't tracked on any granular level). In the extensive testing we've done over the last twelve years, we've found that humor is notoriously poor at delivering good response metrics. Our hypothesis is that there is no universal "funny" and therefore in mass communication media like radio, you are falling flat to a large portion of the listening audience even if you are in fact hitting the funny bone of some of them. In short, in radio advertisements humor is ineffective, even though you see it used all the time. You will notice that you don't see it in ad campaigns where response metrics are tracked.

As a result of the ineffective open, it takes quite some time to get to the key point or main benefit in this radio ad. In a radio advertisement, as well as any other advertising medium, the opening line(s) is an incredibly important part of the ad, because it's what grabs your audience's attention and compels them to continue listening to your advertisement, rather than follow their immediate inclination to change the channel. An open that is confusing or non-engaging can sabotage the entire radio ad, because there is a significant chance that the listener will switch stations or turn off the radio before your message has a chance to even be heard.

In a radio advertisement, the open has to be so interesting/shocking/surprising/engaging/etc, that listeners don't want to change the dial.

The opening line, along with the entire opening set up of this Netflix radio ad could be edited in a manner that uses a similar creative approach, but in a much more effective manner. For instance, we would replace the opening, arbitrary game show questions with questions that would trigger answers that explain benefits of using Netflix. Instead of asking a random question about nothing related to the product being advertised, we might open with the question of how one could watch their favorite TV shows, instantly, for $8.00 per month. The answer, (of course) would be Netflix - which would then lead into another question that would produce an answer that incorporates even more benefit and/or offer language. In a direct response radio ad, this game show set up could certainly still be incorporated, but in order for it to be effective at driving response, it could be executed in a manner that better promotes the benefits of the service, along with a clear and compelling call to action.

Another item that we could modify in this radio ad is the last fifteen seconds or so of the spot. We would reposition the statement of the deal to be read as a direct offer to radio listeners. Again, making sure the listeners are aware of the "what's in it for me" aspect of the offer. A direct response call to action may be re-written to state: "Visit Netflix.com right now to get instant access to unlimited episodes of your favorite TV shows and movies. That's right- You get INSTANT access to your favorite movies and TV shows through your game console or other devices! PLUS visit Netflix.com today and get all of the TV shows and movies you want, for just eight dollars a month! But hurry, because once this offer is gone, it's gone. The ONLY way to get INSTANT access to unlimited episodes of your favorite TV shows and movies for just EIGHT BUCKS is to visit Netflix.com. That's N-E-T-F-L-I-X dot com". Note that our suggested modified call to action in this radio advertisement does not include any language after the web URL. This is intentional, so as to not have any audio play after the final web URL is heard - therefore the final audio listeners are left with is the website we're asking them to visit.

Even better than the above would be for Netflix to offer a special act now/try now incentive for radio listeners - for example, "try it free for the first month."

Overall, the set up of this Netflix radio advertisement has potential to be compelling in that a "game show" environment could be engaging to radio listeners. However, in a direct response radio ad, it's important to remember that one must not only grab attention, but retain audience attention throughout the radio ad and most importantly, convince radio listeners to take immediate action as a result of your radio advertisement.

Posted by Katrina Crowel at 11:24 AM | Permalink