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Advertising Creative Most Important Factor to Drive Sales
RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, October 24, 2019 |
Advertising creative is the most important factor in driving sales according to a Nielsen Catalina Solutions study reports the RAB. And the trade group says multiple studies have revealed that when radio creative is engaging it is eight times more effective than when it's not engaging. Recently, RAB conducted an Audio Pulse poll among marketers at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference and learned that 57% of marketers surveyed do not think the quality of radio ad creative is as good as ad creative for other media.
"In today's audio-centric, voice activated world, it is more important than ever to breakthrough with powerful and engaging radio creative," said RAB in the latest issue of Foward. "Advertising creative is the most important factor for influencing behavior and driving sales.
"Research shows that engaging commercials are eight times more effective than non-engaging commercials. And yet, despite numerous studies proving that radio produces significant results for advertisers across categories, the majority of radio-advertising creative is less engaging than it could be," RAB noted.
RAB tapped America's best creative directors to identify best practices for the "art" of advertising. The top tips from the creative community include:
Don't run ads
Tell stories. A story includes character, plot, and theme; the same holds true for a radio ad. In the ad, the main character is the brand and must always "stay in character."
Embrace conflict
Think about what the consumer currently believes and what the brand wants them to believe; that's the conflict that should be creatively leveraged to get the brand message across.
Use the strengths of the medium to the brand's advantage
Words, music, sound effects, and even silence. Use sound strategically. Don't overdo it and let the sound effects deliver the big idea.
Engage
To ensure consumers don't flip the dial, brands first need to engage them and then tell them about the brand, products, and/or services.
Focus
Pick one single, shining thought per spot. Think of a 30-second spot as a billboard. To wit, write the core point of the brief and stick to one message, per script. The script is not a bible; it's a map.
Read the copy out loud
Always read the ad copy out loud, for timing and relevance. From a timing perspective, silently reading the script or murmuring it under one's breath could result in an actual read that exceeds one-and-a-half minutes because people naturally murmur twice as fast as when they read it out loud. From a relevance perspective, the copy will sound different when read to another person or out loud versus the way it sounds in the writer's head.
Be the consumer
Marketers need to divorce themselves from their day job and evaluate an ad as a casual listener might when he hears the spot for the first time.
Be original
Avoid cliches at all costs and be specific about the language used for the ad copy. Avoid "stale" language and focus on language that is more interesting to hear; for example "mashed potatoes" is better than "dinner."
Have a conversation, don't shout
Use the intimacy of the medium as a way to have a conversation with consumers. Don't yell, shout, or sound too scripted.
Don't underestimate production values
Leave room in the "script" to get creative and experiment in the production. When it eventually airs, a radio ad is almost never how it appeared on paper. That's because much of the creative magic happens during the radio production process through incorporating stellar sound effects, proper casting, strong writing, and, sometimes, compelling music.
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