Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
New Music Showreel !
We've just given our music showreel a quick freshen up.
Listen to a selection of jingles and music soundtracks produced for local, regional and national radio advertisers.
It ALL sounds national !
Click here to hear it.
Let's set you to music. Click here to get our contact details on the Airforce website.
John Calvert
Listen to a selection of jingles and music soundtracks produced for local, regional and national radio advertisers.
It ALL sounds national !
Click here to hear it.
Let's set you to music. Click here to get our contact details on the Airforce website.
John Calvert
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
London 2012. Don't get sued !
With the Olympic Games coming to London this year, many radio advertisers may be tempted to take advantage of this event.
However, the rules surrounding the Games are tighter than ever.
Even just using the word 'Olympic' could land you into trouble ! Get full details on what you can and can't do here.
Our recommendation ? The media will be saturated with all things Olympic. Therefore the stand-out factor for your Radio Advert won't be as good. Focus instead on what makes your product, service or brand a winner by adopting non-sport related parallels, metaphors and scenarios.
That way, you can still inspire minds AND save a fortune on legal fees !
...But if you're still tempted to have a radio commercial that has a 'games feel', seek quality legal advice.
John Calvert.
Even just using the word 'Olympic' could land you into trouble ! Get full details on what you can and can't do here.
Our recommendation ? The media will be saturated with all things Olympic. Therefore the stand-out factor for your Radio Advert won't be as good. Focus instead on what makes your product, service or brand a winner by adopting non-sport related parallels, metaphors and scenarios.
That way, you can still inspire minds AND save a fortune on legal fees !
...But if you're still tempted to have a radio commercial that has a 'games feel', seek quality legal advice.
John Calvert.
Saturday, 13 August 2011
The Radio Listener is Unforgiving
About 6 weeks ago, I got a call from someone I hadn't seen for at least 8 years.
The last time we spoke was when we were both working for a commercial radio station. He was a Sales Manager, I was the Commercial Producer. His relationship with Airforce stretches back many many years and he is a huge fan of our work.
To cut a long story short, I got the call because this chap had been called in to turn an ailing radio station around and he wanted us to improve the station's commercial output.
This is a small station with a poor track record. So the challenge of clearing up the mess from the past is going to be hard one. But this guy WANTS to make it work, the station's owners want to make it work and so do all the staff. In a few weeks, the station has re-branded and reformatted. To attract more 'national' revenue it will be going into RAJAR soon. Already the signs are good. Staff Morale is good, average order values are up and the audience is responding favourably to the new sound. Having said that, the station is very aware it has a long way to go. But no problem, they are on the case.
My job is to focus on improving the sound of the commercials. I am in regular contact with the sales team and doing everything I can to assist them. Such as accompanying them on sales calls. Even on projects that just require 'everyday' commercial production, I am trying to make a point of being there. If other businesses hear half-decent ads on the station, chances are they will want a slice of the action.
We're calling the initiative 'A New Creative Attitude'. My deal with the station is that we will provide free creative training, instigate at our own cost an on air creative strategy to attract new advertisers and embed a better creative mind-set in the sales team. In return Airforce will get new business leads. We win, the station wins, the advertisers win and the audience wins.
And while all that is happening, I get emails from 2 community radio stations asking how much Airforce charge to make radio ads. I gave them an indication and BOTH responded by saying words to the effect of: 'Those costs are too high, we're only a community station'.
Look: Just because you're a Community radio station, it doesn't mean the audience is going to be happy with your naff commercial output. Remember what Advertising Guru David Ogilvy once said ? 'The consumer is not a Moron, she is your wife'. Imagine you are the marketing manager of Ford cars. You are instigating a poster campaign. One poster site is in a small village with a population of 500 people. Just because it's 'only' 500 people, does that mean Ford would be happy to put up a sub standard poster up in that village ? Of course not. They will do the job properly and ensure that the product is ALWAYS presented in the best possible light regardless of the size of audience. Whether you're a national radio station, a regional station, a local station or a community station: The audience is unforgiving. They will ALWAYS opt for someone that comes across better than someone who sounds tatty and amateurish.
If a radio station believes businesses will only pay tuppence for radio advert production, tuppence is all you will get. But if you're a station that believes that it's worth forking out a few more quid to get things right, then your clients will believe that too. Last week another Community station called and asked Airforce to help out. So far we've worked on 2 projects (One directly, one indirectly)and on both occasions, clients have invested significantly more money in their sound because we helped them understood the value of doing so.
And all that links back to the station we're helping to turn round. OK, the station we're helping is just a wee bit larger than the community stations, but the principal is the same....
It's all about mindset. We have 2 stations that don't believe and we have 2 stations that do.
...Which of these stations do you think will ultimately be most successful ?
John Calvert.
Whether you're a radio station or a radio advertiser, let us help to turn things round. Contact us here.
The last time we spoke was when we were both working for a commercial radio station. He was a Sales Manager, I was the Commercial Producer. His relationship with Airforce stretches back many many years and he is a huge fan of our work.
To cut a long story short, I got the call because this chap had been called in to turn an ailing radio station around and he wanted us to improve the station's commercial output.
This is a small station with a poor track record. So the challenge of clearing up the mess from the past is going to be hard one. But this guy WANTS to make it work, the station's owners want to make it work and so do all the staff. In a few weeks, the station has re-branded and reformatted. To attract more 'national' revenue it will be going into RAJAR soon. Already the signs are good. Staff Morale is good, average order values are up and the audience is responding favourably to the new sound. Having said that, the station is very aware it has a long way to go. But no problem, they are on the case.
My job is to focus on improving the sound of the commercials. I am in regular contact with the sales team and doing everything I can to assist them. Such as accompanying them on sales calls. Even on projects that just require 'everyday' commercial production, I am trying to make a point of being there. If other businesses hear half-decent ads on the station, chances are they will want a slice of the action.
We're calling the initiative 'A New Creative Attitude'. My deal with the station is that we will provide free creative training, instigate at our own cost an on air creative strategy to attract new advertisers and embed a better creative mind-set in the sales team. In return Airforce will get new business leads. We win, the station wins, the advertisers win and the audience wins.
And while all that is happening, I get emails from 2 community radio stations asking how much Airforce charge to make radio ads. I gave them an indication and BOTH responded by saying words to the effect of: 'Those costs are too high, we're only a community station'.
Look: Just because you're a Community radio station, it doesn't mean the audience is going to be happy with your naff commercial output. Remember what Advertising Guru David Ogilvy once said ? 'The consumer is not a Moron, she is your wife'. Imagine you are the marketing manager of Ford cars. You are instigating a poster campaign. One poster site is in a small village with a population of 500 people. Just because it's 'only' 500 people, does that mean Ford would be happy to put up a sub standard poster up in that village ? Of course not. They will do the job properly and ensure that the product is ALWAYS presented in the best possible light regardless of the size of audience. Whether you're a national radio station, a regional station, a local station or a community station: The audience is unforgiving. They will ALWAYS opt for someone that comes across better than someone who sounds tatty and amateurish.
If a radio station believes businesses will only pay tuppence for radio advert production, tuppence is all you will get. But if you're a station that believes that it's worth forking out a few more quid to get things right, then your clients will believe that too. Last week another Community station called and asked Airforce to help out. So far we've worked on 2 projects (One directly, one indirectly)and on both occasions, clients have invested significantly more money in their sound because we helped them understood the value of doing so.
And all that links back to the station we're helping to turn round. OK, the station we're helping is just a wee bit larger than the community stations, but the principal is the same....
It's all about mindset. We have 2 stations that don't believe and we have 2 stations that do.
...Which of these stations do you think will ultimately be most successful ?
John Calvert.
Whether you're a radio station or a radio advertiser, let us help to turn things round. Contact us here.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
What's wrong with radio advertising ?
A few weeks ago, I received a call asking if I would like to be nominated as a judge for the radio advertising panel at the Cannes Lions Awards held in Cannes.
I was flattered, but due to various commitments I was unable to take the project further.
Fast forward a few weeks and i read this article.
It is true, in recent years respect for radio advertising has gone through a rather iffy stage. There are a lot of reasons. Firstly, the recession hasn't helped. Thousands of advertisers are playing safe with their creative. A few days ago, I presented a new creative concept to a major client of mine. "We love it !" They said. "But it's just too much of a risk to change". And there lies the danger. By not moving with the times, your marketing blends in with everything else.
Another reason is...And for goodness sakes, I don't know how many times I've said this ! But on a local level, nmany radio stations are selling their medium wrongly. Far too much emphasis is being put on selling airtime rather than proper advertising. Airtime is a commodity. It is purely the portal for the message. Because of this, a creative strategy doesn't get a look in. If stations sold Advertising, then everything would be taken into consideration in equal measure.
Thirdly, the value of radio is being undermined. There are radio stations selling some airtime packages that are shockingly cheap. At face value, they appear to look fantastic. But dig deeper and you'll discover these packages will only work for a small amount of advertisers. I've had numerous station Sales Execs tell me they have to sell these packages and they hate doing it. They tell me they are time-consuming, high maintenance and because little-to-no money is allocated for creative, the majority of the ads sound crap. A few years ago, I published my views on some of these packages in an article for an industry magazine. A few days after publication, I was at a radio event and a station boss came over and gave me a complete bollocking. "You don't realise how much revenue these packages bring in for us !" he blurted. His rant lasted ten minutes, but during that time there was no mention of any benefit of these packages to the advertiser.
The fact is, many of these cheap airtime packages don't work sufficiently well for the advertiser to re-sign. The result ? Another business disillusioned with radio advertising. If they DO work, then the station faces another problem. You have a happy client, so you present to them an advertising package that's bigger and more expensive. The client responds by saying: "I'm not interested in that. I'll stick to the original cheap package I booked thank you."
And of course, there's another reason why radio advertising may not be as attractive as it used to be. Could it be because of the quality of output of some of the commercial radio stations ? Don't get me wrong, there are lots of stations that have some great output. But there are LOTS of radio stations who constantly pump out bland and unimaginative output. (Notice I don't say 'programming' ?) The presenters talk, but they have nothing to say. The music is repetitive, unbelievably safe and predictable. The 'localness' is pseudo-local. And where is the engagement ? How often does something amazing being broadcast on a commercial radio station put your life on hold until the item has finished ? When Chris Evans was doing the breakfast show on Virgin, there were countless times when I was late for work because I was still in the car listening his breakfast show.
Sure, many of these stations have good audiences, but the public deserve a lot better. I cannot accept that the only way to attract audiences is to just keep pumping out music with the presenter saying "That was...This is...Katie Price...Coming up next...Brought to you in association with...Lady Gaga's dress...More ways to win"
I am hoping with the embarrassing news that there were no UK finalists in this year's Radio Lions will be a wake up call. Not just for agencies, but the entire commercial radio industry.
John Calvert. Airforce.
I was flattered, but due to various commitments I was unable to take the project further.
Fast forward a few weeks and i read this article.
It is true, in recent years respect for radio advertising has gone through a rather iffy stage. There are a lot of reasons. Firstly, the recession hasn't helped. Thousands of advertisers are playing safe with their creative. A few days ago, I presented a new creative concept to a major client of mine. "We love it !" They said. "But it's just too much of a risk to change". And there lies the danger. By not moving with the times, your marketing blends in with everything else.
Another reason is...And for goodness sakes, I don't know how many times I've said this ! But on a local level, nmany radio stations are selling their medium wrongly. Far too much emphasis is being put on selling airtime rather than proper advertising. Airtime is a commodity. It is purely the portal for the message. Because of this, a creative strategy doesn't get a look in. If stations sold Advertising, then everything would be taken into consideration in equal measure.
Thirdly, the value of radio is being undermined. There are radio stations selling some airtime packages that are shockingly cheap. At face value, they appear to look fantastic. But dig deeper and you'll discover these packages will only work for a small amount of advertisers. I've had numerous station Sales Execs tell me they have to sell these packages and they hate doing it. They tell me they are time-consuming, high maintenance and because little-to-no money is allocated for creative, the majority of the ads sound crap. A few years ago, I published my views on some of these packages in an article for an industry magazine. A few days after publication, I was at a radio event and a station boss came over and gave me a complete bollocking. "You don't realise how much revenue these packages bring in for us !" he blurted. His rant lasted ten minutes, but during that time there was no mention of any benefit of these packages to the advertiser.
The fact is, many of these cheap airtime packages don't work sufficiently well for the advertiser to re-sign. The result ? Another business disillusioned with radio advertising. If they DO work, then the station faces another problem. You have a happy client, so you present to them an advertising package that's bigger and more expensive. The client responds by saying: "I'm not interested in that. I'll stick to the original cheap package I booked thank you."
And of course, there's another reason why radio advertising may not be as attractive as it used to be. Could it be because of the quality of output of some of the commercial radio stations ? Don't get me wrong, there are lots of stations that have some great output. But there are LOTS of radio stations who constantly pump out bland and unimaginative output. (Notice I don't say 'programming' ?) The presenters talk, but they have nothing to say. The music is repetitive, unbelievably safe and predictable. The 'localness' is pseudo-local. And where is the engagement ? How often does something amazing being broadcast on a commercial radio station put your life on hold until the item has finished ? When Chris Evans was doing the breakfast show on Virgin, there were countless times when I was late for work because I was still in the car listening his breakfast show.
Sure, many of these stations have good audiences, but the public deserve a lot better. I cannot accept that the only way to attract audiences is to just keep pumping out music with the presenter saying "That was...This is...Katie Price...Coming up next...Brought to you in association with...Lady Gaga's dress...More ways to win"
I am hoping with the embarrassing news that there were no UK finalists in this year's Radio Lions will be a wake up call. Not just for agencies, but the entire commercial radio industry.
John Calvert. Airforce.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Les Paul Guitars and Google
It won't be on for long, but Google have done a great thing with their logo to pay tribute to Les Paul guitars.
Check it out here.
Check it out here.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Success for Airforce radio commercials at Vox 2011
For Vox 2011, productions created by Airforce were nominated in no less than 4 categories.
We're pleased to say 2 were won !
In 'Best Male Voiceover Performance', Guy Harris picked up the award for his performance in our radio commercial 'Mr Intoxico' produced for Dorset Police.
Guy was thrilled and we are thrilled for him too. Not only is he an all-round good egg, but he is hugely talented too.
And if that wasn't enough: In the 'Best Female Voiceover Performance', Laura Shavin picked up an award for her performance in our commercial 'The Message', produced for Lincoln Furniture Warehouse
Recognise Laura's name ? Listen to 'The Now Show' on BBC Radio 4 and you'll hear her regular contributions. A highly in-demand voice, Laura's tones regularly appear on our productions and it's terrific her talent has been recognised by industry professionals.
We are particularly pleased because this year, commercials by Airforce picked up more awards than anyone other entrant. In addition, Airforce commercials received more nominations than anyone else too !
You can hear Laura's ad here.
You can hear Guy's ad here.
If you're unfamiliar with 'Vox'...
It is a yearly gathering of voiceover professionals and producers from production companies and radio stations. Due to the 'down the line' technology that exists, many of us don't actually work with voices face to face in the studio. So Vox gives us the chance to put a face to the voice.
One of our favourite voices is Gina Mellotte. Gina's voice also featured in the 'Mr Intoxico' commercial. We've worked with her for ages, but Vox 2011 was the first time I actually met her in the flesh !
You will hear Gina's voice on many high-profile TV productions. ITV, BAFTA, Radio 2 and many more.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with some people we haven't seen for an age. Many were discussing how the recession had effected their business. Many are doing well, some had seen revenues go down rapidly. Scary stuff. But it does teach me that marketing marketing marketing is the way to get new business. This year we're spending more on it than ever before.
A huge gathering of people who use their voices to earn a living is a deafening experience. But I am thankful to be working in an industry where everyone is an absolute delight.
There are some amazingly professional people out there, all willing to give their all to even the lower-budget work. All these people look like ordinary members of the public, but every day their voices and their productions guide us, inspire us and inform us in great creative ways. Amateurs are never cost-effective substitutes, they simply make your business sound...Amateurish ! Always employ professionals with a proven track record in their field. In the long run, it will be the best investment you'll ever make in your marketing.
Congratulations to everyone who won at Vox 2011. We're happy, but not contented. Next year, we'll enter more work and push you harder to vote for it all to win !
For award-winning radio commercials and radio advert production featuring award winning voices, call us now ! Click here to contact Airforce.
We're pleased to say 2 were won !
In 'Best Male Voiceover Performance', Guy Harris picked up the award for his performance in our radio commercial 'Mr Intoxico' produced for Dorset Police.
Guy was thrilled and we are thrilled for him too. Not only is he an all-round good egg, but he is hugely talented too.
And if that wasn't enough: In the 'Best Female Voiceover Performance', Laura Shavin picked up an award for her performance in our commercial 'The Message', produced for Lincoln Furniture Warehouse
Recognise Laura's name ? Listen to 'The Now Show' on BBC Radio 4 and you'll hear her regular contributions. A highly in-demand voice, Laura's tones regularly appear on our productions and it's terrific her talent has been recognised by industry professionals.
We are particularly pleased because this year, commercials by Airforce picked up more awards than anyone other entrant. In addition, Airforce commercials received more nominations than anyone else too !
You can hear Laura's ad here.
You can hear Guy's ad here.
If you're unfamiliar with 'Vox'...
It is a yearly gathering of voiceover professionals and producers from production companies and radio stations. Due to the 'down the line' technology that exists, many of us don't actually work with voices face to face in the studio. So Vox gives us the chance to put a face to the voice.
One of our favourite voices is Gina Mellotte. Gina's voice also featured in the 'Mr Intoxico' commercial. We've worked with her for ages, but Vox 2011 was the first time I actually met her in the flesh !
You will hear Gina's voice on many high-profile TV productions. ITV, BAFTA, Radio 2 and many more.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up with some people we haven't seen for an age. Many were discussing how the recession had effected their business. Many are doing well, some had seen revenues go down rapidly. Scary stuff. But it does teach me that marketing marketing marketing is the way to get new business. This year we're spending more on it than ever before.
A huge gathering of people who use their voices to earn a living is a deafening experience. But I am thankful to be working in an industry where everyone is an absolute delight.
There are some amazingly professional people out there, all willing to give their all to even the lower-budget work. All these people look like ordinary members of the public, but every day their voices and their productions guide us, inspire us and inform us in great creative ways. Amateurs are never cost-effective substitutes, they simply make your business sound...Amateurish ! Always employ professionals with a proven track record in their field. In the long run, it will be the best investment you'll ever make in your marketing.
Congratulations to everyone who won at Vox 2011. We're happy, but not contented. Next year, we'll enter more work and push you harder to vote for it all to win !
For award-winning radio commercials and radio advert production featuring award winning voices, call us now ! Click here to contact Airforce.
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