Is your business ready for radio or television?

Perhaps you own a successful pet supply store in the Houston area and you’re ready to expand your business by building a chain of 10 new stores throughout the state. The good Houstonians know all about the wonderful pet toys sold at Chew-On-This Retail, Inc., but how are they going to find out about your stores deep in the heart of Texas?

Well, one possibility would be to take advantage of the radio and television airwaves and run some effective radio or TV commercials to get their attention.

But you don’t know the first thing about creating ads for radio or television! Sure, you were a big fan of Walter Cronkite and Murder She Wrote, but it takes more than the ability to recognize that the butler did it to create a good ad. Where do you start? What do you do?

Chew on these tips to help you get started:

Tip #1: Learn the lingo

If you’re going to write the ad yourself, you need to use the correct format. The script for a television commercial usually consists of two columns: the video column and the audio column. Not surprisingly, items in the video column describe what is being shown on screen, while the audio column outlines the sound effects and dialogue that take place at the same time. There are also a number of abbreviations: “TS” stands for “tight shot”, “CU” stands for “close up” and “VO” stands for “voice over”.

For radio, you only need the audio, but you also need more punch within the audio portion because the audience does not have the visual clues and reinforcement that accompany the TV ad.

Tip #2: Short is Sweet

Radio and television commercials typically come in 30- or 60-second packages. Today’s consumer has a very short attention span. Anything longer than 60 seconds and they’ll be reaching for that remote control or changing stations. Consumers wave their remote controls the way rulers of antiquity waved their scepters: waving it a certain way spells death for your commercial’s effectiveness. Try their patience and they’ll just change the channel.

Tip #3: Don’t Use Cue Cards!

This can’t be emphasized enough: have your actors or announcers learn their lines. Don’t let them read from cue cards. Or, better yet, for radio, just converse about the product or service and pull out those snippets that sound convincing.

Viewers can spot a cue card reader instantly on TV and on radio nothing is flatter than someone obviously reading a script.

Want to know some telltale signs for cue card readers? Their eyes aren’t looking directly at the camera – they’re always looking slightly away. It’s just enough to be jarring to the viewer. What are they looking at? They also don’t use proper emotion when they speak. Readers of script or cue cards place emphasis on the wrong words. They say things like: “I really THINK THAT you and your pet should visit OUR pet store TO take advantage of our special offers.”

Sometimes they don’t even pause when they finish a sentence they just keep running on and on without ever taking a breath it makes it difficult to understand what they are saying it’s like they don’t use periods or any other form of punctuation I think that’s very annoying don’t you?

So do listeners and viewers – and it might make them change the channel. Learn the lines – and throw those cue cards in the garbage can. Use talking points and learn the message until it is natural.

Tip #4: Emotion is Good!

Critical rule of good television: show, don’t just tell. Want to bore a viewer to tears? Throw an announcer up on the screen and have him spout off random facts about a new pet toy. Same goes for radio, only without the visuals. The ad must be interesting, and the listener/viewer must FEEL the intent of the ad so as to be moved to DO something, like make a call, visit the store, or go online and buy!

“The new Chew-On-This rubber fire hydrant was created three months ago by our CEO, Rolf Rover,” the suited announcer might say, holding one of the toys. “Its special synthetic rubber not only provides a great workout for your dog’s teeth, but it also tastes like chicken. Your dog will love the chicken-y taste.” Blah, blah, blah.

Now for TV try this: while the announcer is talking, show an excited puppy growling and barking at his feet, eager to play with the toy. When he talks about the chicken-y taste, cut to shots of the puppy ripping up his pants leg, trying to get his attention. Show the puppy madly jumping five feet into the air, blocking the announcer’s face as he tries to get at the toy. Then have the announcer toss the toy to the puppy at the end of the commercial.

The puppy adds humor, emotion and fun to the boring dialogue. Plus, it makes an imprint on the minds of the viewer: “That puppy really likes this toy. Maybe my puppy would like this toy. I’ve got to get this toy.”

Show, don’t tell. On radio, you can use sound effects and descriptions to make that same impact.

Tip #5: Don’t Leave Them Clueless

Above all, make sure the commercial has the basics. The listener and/or viewer has to know what your product or service is, what it can do for them, and where they need to go to get it. If you have a phone number, throw it up on the screen, or for radio, repeat it a couple of times. Got a Web site? Put it out there and on radio, mention it. You may think that’s a lot of info to give out in 30 seconds, but a good writer can make it happen.

Also, know your audience. If you’re targeting veterinarians, your commercial is going to be a lot different than when you’re targeting pet owners.

Tip #6: People like to laugh

Humor sells. It gets – and holds – the attention of the consumer. If they know there’s a punch line coming, they’ll be much more inclined to stick around. The same holds true for commercials. There’s a reason people remember the “Energizer bunny”. And who could forget the outraged old lady who used to scream, “Where’s the beef?”

Have fun with your commercials – and if appropriate, don’t be afraid to make ‘em laugh. If the listener/viewer doesn’t have a smile on his face at the end of the commercial, it’s time to rewrite the commercial.

We hope these tips have been of some assistance. Radio and television commercials can be a great way to reach prospective customers. If you’ve never taken advantage of these great mediums, now may be the time to explore. But don’t feel like you have to go it alone.

First you need to know the best audience for your product or service, and how best to reach them. Then you need to think of visuals to reinforce that message, and be assured that the message is correct for the targeted audience.

We at corecubed can partner with you as your company takes its first steps into stardom, if that is the right approach for your product or service. Visit us online at www.corecubed.com, contact us at 1-800-370-6580, x5 or email us at info@corecubed.com. We truly understand integrated marketing communications, and can help your company spend its marketing dollars wisely for the best results, whether that is radio, TV, Web, email, media relations or direct mail. The key is in our core belief – that if you have the right message, the right specifically targeted market, and you have married design and message, then you will reap exponential results.

corecubed.com
800-370-6580 ext.#1
info@corecubed.com

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