ABSTRACT
Like television, radio is an important medium for the entrepreneur, particularly if it is utilized in an intelligent manner. I have created a number of inexpensive, but highly profitable, radio campaigns. In this chapter, I will try to impart some of the wisdom I have derived from these experiences. Here are a few things to consider when you plan to use radio in your media mix:
As with television, the first five seconds of your radio spot arc vital. Again, you must grab your listeners' undivided attention at this point or you will lose them. Young people in particular tend to have frenetic fingers when driving in their cars and listening to the radio, so you have got to do something spectacular right away in most instances in order to entice them to attend to your message.
Remember that a large percentage of your audience will probably be listening while they are driving in their cars or while they are engaged in another activity. When I evaluate a radio spot before running it on the air, I often play a cassette tape of the spot in the car to see if it works in this environment. You may also want to play your spot while engaged in another task to see how effectively it will stand out on the air. In addition, I often play the spot in the context of the programming format it is likely to run in. A spot I create for a country and western format will be very different from one airing on an all-news or all-talk station.
As you may recall, when creating television commercials, you want to think about the key visual for your message. When you are working on a radio spot, you need to create a key sound that is memorable, likeable, and effectively linked with whatever it is you are selling.
Advertising people think of radio as the “theater of the mind,” and it is useful for entrepreneurs to view this medium in the same way. Try to expand the listener's imagination through the dialogues, tempo, sound effects, and music you incorporate into your spots. Tell a story. Create a drama or mini-sitcom. Stop your listeners in their tracks. Redirect their thoughts and take them on a mind trip to a place where they would rather be. You can activate your audience's imagination with radio copy that puts them into the kind of light hypnotic trance I mentioned in an earlier chapter.
Capitalize on the personality of well-known radio disc jockeys and personalities by using them in your radio spots. In many markets, disc jockeys have tremendous selling power. In New York, for instance, Howard Stern's somewhat risqué format is incredibly popular, as are some of the other drive-time radio-talk-show hosts. When driving into Manhattan, I am amazed at how many people are laughing hysterically while they are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Many of these listeners are loyal followers of various radio personalities.
Use live reads to promote your company or product. Live reads delivered by popular radio hosts usually contain a fair amount of ad-libbing and spontaneous humor. Consequently, these spots have proven to be highly effective for many different businesses. When you want a radio personality to do a live read, you usually supply the station with an outline of the copy points you want them to cover. When they read the spot, they will frequently integrate your theme into the show's context. One of my clients was thrilled when a New York radio host spent two-and-a-half minutes delivering what was supposed to be a sixty-second spot. In addition, the announcer referred to my client by name several times during his three-hour show. The disadvantage of a live read is that the announcer may say something that is not as flattering as you would like. The wrong joke about your business may not be the best kind of publicity. However, in my experience, the value and benefit of a live read usually far outweighs the down side.
Many businesses rely primarily on radio to generate customers and sales. Radio has been used effectively by automobile dealers, jewelry stores, professionals, electronics stores, municipal bond dealers, hotel chains, airlines, and resorts, to name just a few. Radio is also often used as a support medium for messages that are running in the remainder of the media mix. Think about using radio in conjunction with outdoor advertising, direct mail, print advertisements, and television. Sometimes, you can lift a soundtrack directly from a television commercial and use it in your radio campaign. In other situations, you can use radio to reinforce a jingle, slogan, or campaign theme. Some advertisers even refer to their other messages in their radio spots (“Be sure to keep an eye out for our ad in your local paper”; “Be on the lookout for your free gift in the mail”; or “We're in the Yellow Pages under…”).
As I have noted elsewhere in this book, it is very important to consider the audience's state of mind when you think about using any advertising medium. This principle also holds true for radio. Realize, for example, that radio may be the first medium people are exposed to at the start of their day. Consequently, radio may be suitable for products that pertain to the morning, such as exercise equipment, coffee, and vitamins. In the same way you consider the format of the station you select, you should also consider using the kind of copy and the type of production that fit in with the time of day your spot will air. For example, a commercial airing in the morning might begin with the line “It's the start of another week, and you're anxious to get into your office as quickly as possible.” A morning spot may also include some upbeat music. On the other hand, a commercial you plan to run in the evening or over the weekend may be most effective if you utilize a different kind of copy and different content. That is, you may want to use a more relaxing or laid-back message at these times in order to fit in with your audience's mood during leisure time.
Have your spot run adjacent to something that is relevant to your product. For example, if you are selling subscriptions to a sports magazine, air your spot close to the daily sports report or during a sports-talk call-in show. If you're selling automobile insurance or cars, run your spot close to the traffic report.
Take advantage of the wide range of deals radio stations frequently offer to their advertisers. Local radio stations are open to all kinds of interesting promotional activities that can be very useful for entrepreneurs. For instance, radio stations often sponsor contests, charitable events, call-in shows, and trade shows you may want to take advantage of. Entrepreneurs can usually participate in these activities by agreeing to run a certain number of spots per month. Some time ago, I did some work for a client in the real estate business. We rotated three sixty-second spots on a local real estate talk show. When the station ran a one-day real estate seminar, they put my client on a panel and gave him a booth at the exhibit hall. He handed out lots of cards and got an abundance of new business. All we had to do was commit to running our current commercials for another six weeks. Ask the radio account executives about these kinds of promotional opportunities.
Consider sponsoring a particular show, an event sponsored by the station, or a particular part of the programming. For instance, one of my clients wanted to reach male viewers. I suggested we run his spots close to the sports report. In addition, we had the announcer mention that the sports update was sponsored by my client's business. This proved to be a very effective use of this medium. Similarly, if a local radio station is sponsoring a bike-a-thon or a marathon, find out what kind of deal you can make to get your company's sign or banner at the event. Moreover, if you have an idea for a seminar or special event of some kind, discuss it with the managers of the local radio station. You will find that they are often quite receptive to putting this kind of program together.
As a rule, radio is perhaps the most negotiable of all the advertising media. I have never paid what a radio rate card listed as the going price, and neither should you.
One of the big misconceptions about radio is that you always need to run a lot of spots for a long period of time in order to be effective. Many radio account executives encourage first-time advertisers to sign up for thirteen-week contracts with lots of spots running each week. While you may need this kind of frequency in certain situations, I have run some direct response commercials which have generated more calls than businesses could handle in the first two weeks of the campaign. Remember, the amount of frequency you need is a function of your advertising objectives, the number of listeners your commercial reaches, the number of radio stations in your market area, the creativity of your spot, and the strength of your offer.
