This applies also to agencies. Their feeling that radio isn’t “sexy” is certainly a creative issue!

The best bits from. . .

In this age of visual communication there are simply not enough senior creative people– either in agencies or at radio stations - to teach young copywriters how to write good radio ads. In radio stations, the problem is even more difficult because “creative ” is a function of sales..

I cannot stress enough how important I believe it is to take advantage of radio’s immense emotional power. Whether you find emotions in the product or brand itself, the consumers’ feelings connected with it, expressing them - no matter how subtle they are, - will add richness and value to your commercial.

This is a key point, there is so much emphasis on ROI that media agencies look for accountability at all costs.

All the Secrets are valuable, this one is MAGIC!. I honestly believe that if you incorporate visual images into your radio creative process your spots will improve. It is by far the best way for copywriters to get out of their Comfort Zone!

This spot is so much more than a sale ad. Yes, it’s about cheap jeans (one price only!) but just as important it demonstrates an under-standing of how families work.. Whether you’re interested in the jeans or not you get that Hallensteins cares about people and maybe you’ll like them for it. That’s what Brands are about!

Every one of these, images, visual styles or forms –plus others— can have a sound equivalent

A portrait is a portrait - whether it is a photo-graph, sculpture, or - as in this simple, elegant commercial– a radio commercial.

This Austrian campaign for Radio is very special because it dem-onstrates confidence on the part of the writer! He knew that the surreal images he saw in his mind could be described imaginatively, and make each listener see her/his personal elephant, or frog or cruise ship! Wonderful stuff.

It’s often hard to tell a client that his commercials would be more effective if he didn’t insist on talking about his business so much! But the truth is, the more your ads speak to the consumer’s needs rather than the client’s,, the more likely they are to be effective.

If only this local commercial were an isolated example! It’s so typical of the me!-me!-me! client shop-ping- list spots we hear on every radio station in the world. It has nothing to do with the person that it is targeting.

This is for sure not one of the most “creative” spots in the presentation, but I am proud of it It is simple, direct, warm,, and above all its starting point was how someone feels when her PC has a problem. Thus, 2 secrets: Find a Feeling! Think about the Person!

This is a Grand Opening Ad, but where are the shouted, prices? And does it talk down to the audience? No,, they gently make fun of themselves and plant the idea in customers minds that Bike USA is a cool place! This is what local radio advertising should be about

Chiltern Railways: Instead of trying to put multiple claims into 1 ad, we did a campaign of 10 second spots. It was not only aimed at drivers stuck in traffic but also conceived, written and produced with their feelings in mind. The 10 sec length was a creative decision, not a media imposition!

I believe this is an important point. What counts is not how beautiful the voice is but whether it belongs to a believable person. Even if your budgets won’t allow for professional “actors” it’s worthwhile taking the time to think seriously about who you want to deliver your client’s message

This local car dealer’s vanity was at the heart of this campaign. We wrote hugely exaggerated claims with 2 lines of dia-logue at the end which made him seem very human. We hired a Speaker with a very recognised voice, but he is actually mocking his usual delivery and there-fore becomes a character. The short scene between Mr Johnston and his ad man (me!) was a big contrast—2 more characters!

This is a “Secret” which could be applied to any form of communication. Looking at your clients products from a different point of view can help you arrive at surprising solutions

Imagine how ordinary - even awful - this spot from Argentina for a discount clothing outlet could have been without the different point-of view, visual image and - important - without the warmth and humanity of the delivery! I wish I’d done it!

No matter how good the idea or the writing, if it’s not well-produced it won’t achieve its objective. Remember, commercials are part of the station’s sound and bad production is bad sound. The usual excuse is lack of budget, the real reason is often lack of thinking.

Production Passion isn’t always big budget. We persuaded the Birming-ham Symphony Chorus to sing Brand Names to the tune of Rule Brittania - for next to no money. We recorded them on location after a re-hearsal . . .terrific fun. As I’ve said throughout the presentation, crea-tivity is more about thinking than budget.

I hope you found the I hope you found the presentation and the presentation and the summary useful.summary useful. There’s one more There’s one more page!page!

And to finish,, my all-time favourite radio commercial which reminds me how lucky I am to be able to have such fun doing good work that I love.

Some thoughts on going forward. Going from that feeling of inspiration at a conference to changing behaviour back in the real world is usually a big challenge, particularly when there are long-established habits and patterns. If you think you could use some help to improve the standard of radio advertising at your station and/or in your market, here are some ways I can help: