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The Secrets Of
Successful Radio Advertising
By Hal Eisenberg
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Ask some businesses about radio advertising and they’ll tell you
it’s the greatest investment they ever made while others will
tell you it was a complete waste of time and money. So why does
radio work for some and not for others? What’s the secret to
successful radio advertising?
Know this: Radio can be a major player in your advertising mix
if you know how to do it and I’m about to give you the secrets
to successful radio advertising so read on.
First, write down a detailed description of who your core
customers are. You can do this by looking at prior sales or just
by knowing your products and services. Are they women in their
30’s and 40’s who have a good disposable income? Are they men in
their early 20’s who are into sports and cars? Figure out who
your target customer base is and then you’ll be one step closer
to figuring out how to reach them.
Second, give a listen to the radio stations in your market
besides the ones you usually listen to. Remember, just because
you listen to a certain station every morning doesn’t mean your
potential customers do. Most stations have a pretty definitive
type of music or format they follow which gives them their
listening base. You don’t have to be a media buyer to know that
certain stations will be right for your targeted consumer while
others will be way off the chart. For example, if your customer
base is women in their 30’s and 40’s, then you can rule out
formats such as rap and sports, right? If you live in a major
market like Atlanta or Chicago there may be as many as 30 to 40
stations on the radio dial so you’ll have plenty to choose from.
If you live in a smaller market you’ll have less stations to
choose from but you’ll still have a good selection.
Third, figure out your budget. How can you do this if you know
nothing about radio costs? One way is to contact an advertising
agency who places radio on a regular basis. Most likely they’ll
have the pulse on the market you’re in and if not, can gather
enough information to help you decide how much you’ll need to
spend to make radio effective. If you’re hesitant to call an ad
agency right away, the next best thing to do is call two or
three of the stations you’ve chosen yourself. Ask to speak to
the sales manager and let them know you’re trying to gather
information for a radio buy. Most likely they will assign you an
account executive to work up a plan. Keep in mind that a good
advertising agency may be able to negotiate for better rates and
added incentives due to their relationship with the stations and
their experience but at the very least, this will give you a
good starting point . Don’t be overly concerned if you discover
that you cannot afford the top stations in the market. There are
usually several stations in each market that share listeners and
formats and their costs will vary greatly. The rates you receive
will be based on many factors including the time of day you want
to advertise, how soon you want to be on the air, and the
“avails” or inventory the stations have at the time you want to
advertise. “Drive time” is the term used by radio to mean just
that: the times listeners spend driving in their cars listening.
Typically this is 6am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm. These are the
coveted listener day parts for most stations and they can be
very expensive. But do you need to buy these times? Again, by
defining your target customer, you can determine the best times
to reach them. There are also spots known as “broad rotators”
that can be equally as effective and less expensive because you
allow the station to place them over a longer period of the day
for example, 6am to midnight.
Fourth, and I feel this is equally if not the most important
aspect of radio advertising: the message. While some stations
brag about playing thirty minutes to an hour of uninterrupted
music, this can be bad for you as an advertiser because it also
means that your radio commercial or spot will be slammed with
six or more other spots at one time in order to get all their
advertisers on the air. I don’t know about you, but if I endure
three or four spots in a row and the fifth one doesn’t catch my
ear, I’m punching the button. Therefore your spot has to be
clever. It has to make the listener want to hear your message.
Remember that the spot they hear may be the first time they
learn about your business so it needs to catch them right away.
I have found that humor, when done well, can be very effective.
It’s always amazed me how some companies will devote so much
time and money into making sure their radio buy is right but
devote so little time to the message itself. Sure, they’re on
the airwaves alot, but are the listeners paying attention?
Without an effective ear-grabbing ad, it’s money down the drain.
That’s why it would be wise to let a professional write and
produce your spot. The radio stations may even volunteer to do
this for you for free but remember, you get what you pay for.
The final piece of advice I will give you is this: repetition,
repetition, repetition. It doesn’t matter how clever your ad is
or how well you placed the buy if you do not have the budget to
stay on the air consistently so make sure when putting together
your budget you think long term.
Consumers are bombarded with so many messages every day
including television, the internet, billboards, mailers,
matchbook covers, even some grocery store floors and elevators
now carry advertising, unless you stay in their ears on a
regular basis, they will forget about you.
Utilize these basic rules and soon when someone asks you if your
radio is effective you can reply, “Yes it’s been wonderful!”
because you’ve learned the secret to making radio advertising
work.
Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice
over talent and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg
Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in
creative ads that get results.
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Crazy Ads?
Maybe You’re Just “Out Of The Demo”
By Hal Eisenberg
My father called me to complain, again. He’s 82 and
he’s angry. “Son, I know you’re in advertising and all that”, he
usually starts off, “but the ads I see today I wouldn’t give you
two cents for. They’re stupid and they don’t even tell you what
they’re selling!”
I explained it to him as best as I could. “Dad, it’s OK, you’re
just out of the demo.” “I’m out of the what?” “The demographics
Dad, The key target audience for who they’re trying to reach.”
“Well then who in the heck are they trying to reach?” He yells.
“Must be boneheads cause those ads make no sense to any sane
person.”
Whether it’s a beer commercial trying too hard to be funny, or
like a recent FedEX commercial where Burt Reynolds sparred with
a grizzly bear, I gotta admit that sometimes, Dad is right. I’ve
been in the ad business for quite awhile now and know that in
today’s world, it takes a lot to get a business noticed. However
I can’t help laughing to myself when watching these ads,
imagining the initial pitch to the client.
Secretary: Boss, those ad agency guys are here.
Boss: What? Are they on the calendar? (disgusted) Oh all
right, send them in.
Young ad guy #1: Hello sir, and how are you today? Wow!
That tie is whacked!
Boss: It’s what? Never mind. What have you got for our
new ad campaign?
Young ad guy #2: Oh this is so cool! Check out these
story boards.
Boss: (looks at the story boards puzzled, eyebrows
creased in confusion).
Young ad guy #1: OK there’s no voice over at all! You
just see a guy waking up in bed. Next, he rolls over and he
realizes that he’s in bed with the Burger King!
Boss: He’s what??
Young ad guy #2: Yeah! And then the Burger King, who’s
really this actor wearing the Burger King costume and a big
plastic face with a frozen smile, reaches around and produces a
Double Breakfast Crosandwich and hands it to the man who takes a
big bite of it.
Boss: (Now his eyebrows look like one unibrow as his
cheeks glow red.)
Young ad guy #1: Then they both share a laugh, pat each
other on the back, and we fade to logo! Is that wild or what?
It’s going to generate huge numbers man!
Boss: (Stunned then angry) I thought I told you guys to
quit putting crack in the water dispenser!
See the problem facing advertisers today is the pressure to
relate to the 18-34, 25-44 demos they so desperately need to
reach, so they try anything they think will accomplish this and
as a result, many people out of those key demos, don’t get it.
However, it dawned on me after my most recent birthday that
sadly, I too have joined those ranks. So now when I watch an ad
that even from my experienced perspective seems to make no sense
at all, I just remind myself it’s nothing personal. I’m just out
of the demo.
Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent
and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full
service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get
results.
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