And the best radio ads still shine. Motel 6's "We'll Leave the
Light On For You" and Budweiser's "Real American Heroes" were among
the best campaigns cited by experts at this week's event. What
usually doesn't work is when marketers simply recycle TV ads for
radio.
"It's a terrifying medium. I think a lot of people run from it,"
said Susan Credle, Leo Burnett's chief creative officer. "It's the
catch-all for things. It's kind of the workhorse medium. I think
creatives get frustrated when it's asked to do that vs. if we all
started respecting the medium a little bit more."
Allstate is finding new ways to spread its message on radio. In
a program with CBS Radio and Metro Traffic, the insurer not only
sponsors traffic updates, but gets helicopter reporters to pick a
smooth-riding "good hands route of the day," playing off the
insurer's tagline "You're in good hands." In some cases, reporters
will cite a stalled car, saying the driver could use the insurer's
"roadside assistance program."
Radio "is something that's really working for us," Ms. Cochrane
said. "Radio is very local. Radio can be very intimate and it can
allow you to target ."
Drive time remains radio's sweet spot. On weekdays, of listeners
age 18 and older, 59% listen in their car, and the percentage jumps
to nearly 70% for those making $75,000 or more, according to the
RAB.
Allstate is the second-largest auto insurer with 9.96% share,
according to the Insurance Information Institute. The company spent
$25.9 million on radio advertising for all its business lines in
the first 11 months of 2010, up from $16 million for all of 2010,
according to Kantar Media. That compares with $264 million on TV
advertising for the first 11 months of 2010, up from $202 million
in all of 2010.
When making radio ads, details matter. Ad Age was at the event
and scribbled down some production tips, mostly offered by
RadioFace in New York, which writes and produces radio ads. Here
are a few:
Think in sound. "We're very sophisticated
listeners. We've been alive for awhile listening to things," said
Tony Mennuto, RadoFace's creative director. "We know authenticity
from not." For instance: If the ad is set in the suburbs, "you
should be able to hear the little sound of lawnmower going by."
Use improv actors. They will go off-script to
create funnier ads. "When you're using improv people and you're not
reading a script, you come up with all those little nuances and
sounds and great comedy," Mr. Mennuto said.
Record on location. RadioFace cited a spot
plugging a Nike-sponsored running race that was recorded in Central
Park. Multiple microphones captured the sound of the actors breath
and feet, plus picked up natural background sounds.
Warning: Things sound differently on the radio.
For instance, if you slap someone, it sounds like a "click," while
running water sounds like white noise, Mr. Mennuto said.
Write shorter copy. This will give you extra
time to play, adding sound effects or ad libs, for instance.