Quality of radio ads poor because ‘advertisers are greedy’
Radio may be a powerful medium with the ability to infiltrate consumers’ lives and change behaviour, but it’s being let down by poor-quality ads, according to a panel of experts and presenters.
Russel Howcroft – who will soon join Melbourne’s top-rating 3AW breakfast show – said there was a real opportunity for radio ads to be written better. Eardrum’s Ralph van Dijk agreed, but noted that those with the skills to craft powerful radio ads are too often let go by creative agencies.
In addition, he said, advertisers are greedy, and try to have too many messages in one piece of creative.
Radio has infiltrated consumers’ lives, the panel said
Couldn’t agree more. It’s hard to find a great radio ad these days. I can remember what I still consider one of the greatest radio ads of all time. It went something like this:
“This is the sound that smoke makes as it slowly climbs the stairs to smother your sleeping 3 year old daughter!
(5 seconds of silence following by the piercing scream of a smoke detector).
And this is the sound of a Kambrook smoke detector….”
You get the rest of it.
The first time I heard that ad, I nearly drove off the freaking road!!! Amazing cut-through, awesome engagement, memorable message. I can still remember it 20+ years later. Yes, please let’s have some more powerful radio ads like that, soon please!
Ralph forgot to mention the 10-15 seconds of legals/T&Cs that have to be tacked on to at least half the radio ads that are created; there are only so many ways to try and incorporate these mandatories into any idea, hence most ideas never get off the ground and you simply end up with 30 seconds of words.
Not to mention that creative budgets for radio are almost non-existent, and so there’s never time or respect given to developing ideas prior to writing and presenting scripts let alone once you’re in the studio, yet it’s still one of the cheapest creative formats to produce.
And it hasn’t been helped by a preponderance of art-director based CDs and ECDs who often don’t value non-visual mediums, copy, or copywriters who can actually write.
or not the decision maker?
or too many stakeholders?
or tasked with too many objectives?
or poorly educated?
or poorly managed by the agency?
or the agency couldn’t give 2 s**ts?
or no media strategy?
or no idea and less than a week timeline?
or forced into 15s pre-bought spots with 8s of mandatory disclaimers?
The craft hasn’t disappeared in radio.
The opportunity to do something creative has.