Staying in touch with the common man in a taxi to Cannes
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ralph van Dijk says we need to pay attention to what our intended audiences have to say, a lesson reinforced by a taxi driver in Cannes.
I always talk to taxi drivers. They’re economic barometers, radio experts and occasionally, voiceover stars.
They also possess a rare but valuable commodity – they don’t give a flying Falcon about advertising (although one I met recently received rapturous applause on stage at Cannes this year – but more on that later).
They represent the typical consumers who accept the ads-for-entertainment trade-off, but certainly won’t go out of their way to understand obscure creative and absolutely resent any Waterhousian examples of insidious brandwashing. They’ll skip, swipe, cross-out and fast forward whenever possible. But if they can’t avoid the ads, they’d prefer you just got to the point in an interesting way.
A seemingly “Real Life” situation which is actually a manipulation of events to create an atmosphere for your audience in Cannes.
A man who drives a taxi and listens to some radio ads, is certainly entitled to his opinion, but hardly qualifies as a spokes person for the total, or even the majority of radio listeners anywhere let alone everywhere as you stated; neither does he qualify as an expert radio juror.
It (and he) is wrong to compare TV and radio, as it is wrong to compare apples and oranges.
TV does not qualify as easy compared to radio by virtue of images and words, in fact, it is arguable that radio is easier because all you have to do is listen, not watch and listen.
At its best, radio production is an art and a science, it is second only to literature in stimulating imagination, creating mood and highlighting characterisation.
Poor or bad radio, is created by obtuse people who either know very little about it, or think they know better than the experts.
This sort of thing is fun to discuss or enjoy as anecdotal entertainment, but it is making a joke of professional radio production.