Voiceover Blog

Say you’re watching your favorite show, and it’s time for a commercial. But before the commercial is played, you see, “We Will Return To Our Show In 30 Seconds.” What would you do?
Would you sit thru the commercial? Would you fast forward if the show had been recorded? Would you see if you could find a snack in half a minute?

TV execs are hoping you’ll just sit and watch.

This season, there will be some new techniques for commercial breaks, all of them designed to get you to watch, or engage you. Some shows will only show one 30 second spot at a time. Some shows will be using the actors in character, so that maybe you won’t notice they’ve gone to a commercial.

Well, of course, none of this is new.

Forty years ago and more, actors from TV shows were making pitches in character for hundreds of products…everyone from Dick Van Dyke to the Flintstones.

Actually, network execs have been saying for sometime that they’re worried about folks flashing forward on their DVRs. Hmmm. Let’s think about that for a minute. Which TV spots would you NOT want to fast forward thru? Isn’t there one particular time of year when TV commercials actually make headlines?

That January Football Game.

Why?

Why are THOSE spots watched, and talked about, and remembered, and discussed, and replayed?
Could be that they’re just a tad bit more creative than the norm? Could it be that here are a group of advertisers who understand that the way to engage the audience is to also entertain them?
Why does that happen just in January?

Ok, there are actually some pretty good spots the rest of the year.. I like PC vs Mac, the E*Trade baby, and IKEA. But just like radio, TV spots don’t have to be funny. They just have to be memorable. They just have to show their benefit to the consumer.

Make it relevent, and they will watch.

Folks will watch “TV’s Funniest Commercials Part 8″ and I don’t think it’s Ed McMahon the’re tuning in to see. They’ll remember Mean Joe Green and the kid with the Coke bottle because it touched them. And that’s going to sell a whole lot more prduct than Smiling Bob could ever dream of.

–Thanks for reading.

Have you heard any good radio spots lately?

Neither has the Radio Mercury Awards. Actually, for their 2009 awards held this week, they were so UN impressed with the quality of locally produced radio spots that they refused to give an award in that category.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Radio Mercury awards, It’s not only a nice piece of hardware for your mantle; they give cash - $50,000 and up.

Not one radio station-produced spot was worth it. Not one.

I’m not surprised. Buy a local radio spot, and your copywriter could very well be the receptionist, the overnight DJ, or even the guy who sold you the spot. Nothing against those particular jobs, but it just means that the crafting of your message is left to someone who needs something else to fill their already busy day. How much of their time do you think your business will get? Are they vesting enough of their skills and experience to make sure you’re reaching the audience you need with the message that will tempt them to buy? Or will they use the same trite, unemotional babble on your spot as they used on the last 12 spots they wrote that day?

Hey, if you’re having an all out SALEABRATION, and prices will never be lower at all of our 16 convienent locations, so hurry in today because these prices can’t last, then maybe you’re getting exactly what you want.

But if you realize that your customers talk to each other, compare notes, and are actual living, breathing humans with a brain, and a life, then you might want to communicate with them rather than talking at them.

If you think that actual conversations go something like:

Hi Bill
Hi Ted
Say, Bill, where did you get that dandy garden weeder?
Ted, I shopped the grand opening of Middleburg’s newest garden superstore..

No, you don’t really believe that, do you?
Next time you’re planning that radio campaign, DEMAND a copywriter who has actually seen your business, maybe has even shopped there, knows who your customers are, and what’s important to them. DEMAND one who knows creativity doesn’t mean just throwing a few adjectives at the problem.

“But OUR production services are FREE” the radio ad exec says.

And it’s still true: You Get What You Pay For.

–Thanks for reading

The latest from Clear Channel: 690 more folks are out of the business.
Here’s part of the memo from The CCO (Chief Clueless Officer) John Hogan:

This is the time for creative thinking about better ways to engage our audiences. This is the time to find new ways to bring more value to our marketing partners and advertisers. This is the time to make smart decisions about resources, costs and investments.

Wrong.

That time was three years ago

Google is out of the business of selling radio spots.

Whoo- hoo

They couldn’t make it work.  Go figure. Google selling radio was
like Coke going into the car wash business.
It’s not another blow to radio, it’s a blow to the medium’s credibility.
Google pretty much acted as an order taker, with no consultive selling
or having their client’s best interests at heart.  Now the low-hanging fruit is gone.  I’m not down on Google, they just looked at the big picture and thought there was a niche.

After centralizing everything else from talent to content to management,
someone had the bright idea to duplicate that effort for selling and account management of the radio business.  What did Google miss?

They missed the fact that radio is a personal, one-to-one medium.

Loyalty factors for many listener demographics are still high.  And when
that connection is made, radio doesn’t fizzle… it sizzles.  Same goes for relationships between ad buyers and sellers.  Radio never was a “fill in the blanks” medium. There had to be some interaction.  It’s what’s lacking even now as CC and Cumulus, CBS, and Citadel cut staffs and pull back into their shell.

How did Google know that radio was the best advertising medium for some of
their clients?  They didn’t.  They just took the orders, farmed out production to the lowest bidder and waited for the checks to roll in.  I think they’ve stopped waiting now.

Selling radio is saying to a client, ”We have spent a lot of time, money and
effort to establish our brand in the minds of our listeners.  We can deliver those hearts and minds, if you let us craft the message that our listeners will
hear and respond to, Mr. Advertiser.”

Crafting that message is saying to your audience:”We live like you do, we
like the same things, and we know you’ll like this.”

I’ve seen men and women who were great salesmen every where else get completely
buffaloed trying to sell radio.  Google is just one more in that long line.

Radio is probably the toughest of all media to sell. It’s also one of the toughest media to create.

–Thanks for reading

How do you communicate with your employees?

I’ve known managers with the agenda: ’What does my team need so they can
do their jobs better?’  And I’ve known others whose only agenda is ‘How can I
get them to make MY job easier?’

Which do you think is the formula for success?

Want to communicate with your employees better and more effectively?
Looking for results?
Send me a note and let’s talk.

–Thanks for reading.

Still, one of the most often hit pages on my site is the one about satisfied customers tell 3 friends, angry customers tell –insert number here — it could be 300 or 3000, but in today’s social networking world, I’d opt for the latter.

“Satisfied Customers Tell 3 Friends” is also the name of a new book about the rise of consumer feedback to drive a brand.

Businesses need to be open, responsive and transparent for the You Tube and Facebook fans.  The author says, “Why not have a video on your website showing how to use the product. ”  That’s almost a no-brainer.  Video and audio, when used correctly can do wonders for enhancing your position.

Take a look at your site, your branding, and your image with customers.
When you’re ready to kick it up a notch, let’s talk.

– Thanks for reading

You can’t fake credibility.  Don’t even try.  Never assume anything.  Always do your research.  Failure to do so will result in embarrassment.

I received a pitch for a book when I lived in New Orleans.  The PR person was trying to relate by finding unique New Orleans experiences.  They wrote:  “..like having dinner at Cafe Du Monde, strolling down Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras Day, and listening to the music of Keith Fountain.”

The closest they ever got to The Big Easy was putting their finger on a map.

Cafe Du Monde sells only two items: coffee and beignets .  You want dinner?  Go stand in line at K-Pauls.

On Mardi Gras day, Bourbon Street, as well as Royal, Dauphine, St. Ann, and all the other streets in the French Quarter are jammed with Fat Tuesday celebrations.  You don’t stroll; you don’t walk.  You are swept along with or against your will.

Finally, as Don Ho was to Hawaii, as Wayne Newton is to Vegas, New Orleans would not swing without the jazz clarinet of PETE Fountain.   And if that’s the only things you can find, then you’ve missed

Gumbo… The Neville Brothers … Bunny Matthews … Blaine Kern … Where y’at … Soft Shell Crab Po Boys … The Napoleon House … Neutral Ground … the Harvey Tunnel … Fat City. And more.  Lots LOTS more.

Thanks for reading –

There’s a lot to be said about customer service goodwill.  The help and service you give today comes back over and over.  The branding folks call it loyalty.

Over the last week, I’ve had a number of good/bad customer service experiences.

In searching for a brand name skin care product, I called the brand’s call center and was put off by the near hostility of the CSR when asked where I could find the product.

I usually have found it at CVS.  The CVS call center was almost Disney-like in their commitment to help me find the product.  Thank you, Amanda.

A few days later, my wife was having a bit of a time attaching a new bike rack to her car.  A couple of local bike places did not want to help.  But on a slow Sunday afternoon, I urged her to stop at a TREK store in a large shopping center nearby.

It only took ten minutes for the  guy to come out and
show her how the straps attached. He was very matter-of-fact about it, but he earned a ton of goodwill from both of us.

I still vividly recall the employee of an office supply store who
shut me out 30 seconds beyond closing time after my printer
ran of ink.  I’ve never been back.

One of the most viewed pages on this blog is the one about
satisfied and unsatisfied customers.

How do your customers feel about you?

Is there anything you can do about it?

–Thanks for reading… and sorry for the ”Wimpy” title ;-)

The Radio Ad Lab did a study on what makes a radio spot effective.

Any guesses as to what they “discovered”?

Successful radio ads use words that touch the senses and emotions.

Well, DUH.

I hate to spoil the party, but we’ve known that for 50 years.  That’s why radio is called “theatre of the mind”.

The study goes on to say, “strong beginnings make a difference”.

That does not mean that your spot should start off with sirens and the phrase “IF YOU’RE IN THE MARKET FOR A USED CAR, LISTEN TO THIS!!!”

Anyone who has worked with me in the past, or read any of these blog posts knows I’ve been preaching that for years.
At least RAB CEO Jeff Haley was correct when he said, “Audio creative is a tough assignment and often does not garner the attention it deserves”

Yes.  It is not easy to write a 30 second commercial that is compelling, direct, AND emotional.

Maybe that’s why you don’t hear too many of them. Account Execs and overworked production directors don’t, can’t or won’t take the time to give the client value for their advertising investment.

But the best quote of all comes from The Starcom Mediavest Group Research Director who wrote: “This approach to measuring emotional engagement gives us new insights on the creative-Radio paradigm”

Spoken like a true research geek.

I’ve met with countless clients who have told me - I Don’t Want To Sound Like Every Other Ad On The Radio.

What they mean is - I Want Something That WORKS.

Of course.  That’s the goal of any advertising. But you can’t write a spot from a Yellow Pages ad.  That’s like mixing apples and kumquats.  Emotional impact will not come from a laundry list of goods or services you have to sell. It comes from telling the customer how they’re going to feel when they buy and use them.

Ask any car salesman. They can talk all they want about mileage, features, colors, payments…but they know they have the sale when the customer is sitting behind the wheel in the showroom and IMAGINES himself driving down the freeway.

This is not news.  Some of us have made a career out of producing effective radio like this.

RAB head Jeff Haley goes on to say, “We will continue finding and sharing ways this medium is used best.”

You do that, Jeff. You do that.

–Thanks for reading

I saw my friend Tom last night.

I value his friendship. Tom asked if I would ever consider working in radio again.

Let’s see, Tom..
Cox Radio is off in the 2nd Quarter
Beasley is down 11%
CBS decides today to sell 50 stations
Lincoln National’s 2nd Quarter profits have fallen
And now Bain Capital and Thomas Lee (who also own a large stake in Cumulus) are in control of Clear Channel

It’s almost enough to cause someone to break out in song.
Sing along, won’t you:

So bye bye Miss Radio Dial
Drove my Chevy to the Levee for an XM free trial
Them San Antonio boys really raked in a pile
Singing Less Is More while Programming cried
This is when The Radio Died.

–Thanks for reading.