“Now, you want to try that on television?”
The radio commercial sound effects and an announcer’s
voice take you to the scene of bulldozers pushing a giant
mountain of whipped cream into Lake Michigan, which has been
drained of water and filled with steaming hot chocolate. “Cue
the airplane.!” Sound effects of a large plane. “Cue
the 10 ton maraschino cherry.” Cherry whistles down through
the air. “Now,” says the announcer...”ten thousand
cheering extras!” Cheering sound effects. “Now,
you want to try that on television?”
If you had been hearing this famous Stan Freeberg radio spot
from the early 70’s, you would have “seen”
the action. In fact, you “saw” the action just by
reading the script. Radio is still “theater of the mind.”
It can make even the most unbelievable scenes real because
it enlists the imagination of the listener. Today’s computer
animation techniques could very well produce a TV commercial
with Freeburg’s script, but the cost would still be very
high. Radio’s imagination building capability, coupled
with its creative cost effectiveness, makes for a powerful
advertising tool, that when used well, can make a big difference
in the success of a business. Summer is radio’s prime
time, with more out of home listening than any other time
of the year building bigger audiences. It’s a good time
to think about adding radio to your media marketing mix.
Radio can help you target your particular market better than
just about any other medium. Rather than “broadcasting”,
radio is “narrow casting” more than ever before.
It’s possible to reach very targetable audiences with
different stations. You can easily target men, women, teens,
older adults, upscale households, business decision makers
by using the right radio stations at the right times. Obviously
sports programming attracts more men than women, and on today’s
radio dial in nearly every market, there’s at least one
radio station that is dedicated to sports. Another high male
audience is found on news/talk formats. Women can be easily
targeted on radio as well, on soft rock and easy listening
stations as well as certain country stations. There’s
really something for everyone on radio. That’s why the
Radio Advertising Bureau estimates that the medium reaches
75% of all consumers and nearly 80% of men every day. And
they’re tuning in for significant amounts of time. Adults
is $50K+ households spend nearly equal time each day with
radio and television, a little over three hours. Much of that
listening is to a particular radio station in most cases.
Radio listeners are almost fanatically loyal to their favorite
radio stations and personalities. Find out who your customers
are listening to and reach them on the radio.
Another of radio’s biggest advantages is that it’s
portable, especially this time of year, when people are more
mobile. You can take your favorite radio programs with you
wherever you go...in the car, the boat, on the patio, at the
beach, in the garden, on a walk. As they are listening to
their favorite music or personalities, they’ll also be
hearing your messages. However, with the unintrusive, background
nature of radio, it’s possible your commercial could
get lost, so be sure your message stands out.
Be creative!
Some studies also show that radio may be superior to other
advertising media because the ear is preferable to the eye
when in comes to message retention...people remember more
if they hear words rather than if they see them. The mind
understands a spoken word in 140 milliseconds, while it takes
180 milliseconds to understand the printed word. Psychologists
believe this 40-millisecond delay occurs when the brain attempts
to translate visual data into aural sounds it can understand.
In addition, what you hear is retained longer in your memory
than what you see. A visual image fades in about one second,
while an image received by ear last four or five times as
long. This also points to the fact that radio can help enhance
the delivery of the messages in your other advertising. Radio
can increase the effectiveness of print, outdoor, mail and
even television. By using the same sounds in radio and TV
advertising you can dramatically improve the awareness of
your message.
Another way that radio really goes to work for advertisers
is in pro-active, promotional opportunities that are simply
not available from other media. The right promotional tie
in or cross promotion can enhance the impact of your advertising
in a big way. Remote broadcasts, on-air contests, DJ appearances,
concerts/ticket giveaways, register to win promotions, multi-sponsor
tie-ins, cause related events and event marketing can increase
the effectiveness of your radio advertising. Radio stations
are very open to creating promotions that will help their
advertisers succeed. All you have to do is ask.
Unfortunately, all too often, radio is not being used to
its full potential. Prices and items. Dates and times. Locations
and hours. And likely a phone number or web address you’ll
never remember, but repeated several times just in case you
might.
Roy Williams, The Wizard of Ads, says that most advertisers
sound like a mob of two year olds in a day care center, each
one jumping and crying, “Me! Me! Me! Watch me! Look at
me!” Williams points out that “bad advertising is
about the advertiser and good advertising is about the customer.”
Here are three ideas for better radio advertising.
- To reach millions, reach one. Radio is a personal medium
so talk one-to-one to your audience.
- Use radio’s “theater of the mind” to your
advantage. Tell a story rather than relating facts about
your business. Give the listeners an opportunity to use
their imagination. Use
music to build memorability.
- Focus on one idea. Radio listeners can be distracted so
be direct, clear and creative.
Remember Lake Michigan and use radio to its fullest potential.
Focus your advertising on the customer, not on your business.
Reach your customers effectively with radio. They will hear
your message loud and clear, and they will buy from you.
5/31/00
|
