We Won !

Last Saturday, we heard news that productions by Airforce have won, for the third year in a row, another Vox award.

'Hornby', produced for our client Spirit FM won the 'Best Retail Radio Commercial' category in the 2013 Vox Awards.

Other Airforce productions Celebrate Without Drama's 'Dizzy Lizzy' produced for our client Wessex FM was also nominated in the 'Best Public Service' category, Travel Dorset's 'Sharing to Work' produced again for Wessex FM was a finalist in the 'Best Music' category and Tanya Rich for her performance in 'Dizzy Lizzy' was  nominated in the 'Best Female Voiceover' category. In all, we received more finalist nominations than any other entrant.

We broke the news to our client today, and everyone is delighted.

'Hornby' was one in a series of 3 commercials created for The Engine Shed, a massive store in Sussex specialising in Model Railways, Scalextric, Airfix models and much more besides.

Airforce was called in by Spririt FM to bring a new dynamic to the Engine Shed's radio advertising. Their previous commercials were 'what you would expect from a model shop'. Our task was to 'bring alive' the store in a more contemporary manner and introduce it to those outside the model-making and train set community.

We devised the theme 'lose yourself in the Engine Shed'. This line not only gives an indication of the scale of the store, but tells the audience that the goods they sell are so lifelike, you'll actually feel you're there on the rail rack, in an aeroplane or in a racing car. Each of the 3 radio commercials we produced featured a child 'losing themselves' when playing with model railways, cars or planes.

You can hear all 3 radio adverts, including the award-winning 'Hornby' here.

John Calvert

We're onto a winner ?

The Vox Awards are back.

And we're proud to say, 4 productions by Airforce are nominated for prizes. In fact, we have more nominations than any other entrant.

The Engine Shed's 'Hornby' produced for our client Spirit FM features in the 'Best Retail' category, Celebrate Without Drama's 'Dizzy Lizzy' produced for out client Wessex FM features in the 'Best Public Service' category, Travel Dorset's 'Sharing to Work' produced again for Wessex FM features in the 'Best Music' category and Tanya Rich for her performance in 'Dizzy Lizzy' has been nominated in the 'Best Female Voiceover' category.

Last year, Airforce won the the 'Best Retail' category. The year before, our productions won the 'Best Male Voiceover' and 'Best Female Voiceover' categories, so in 2013, we'd really like to win the hat trick.

To win a Vox Award, our entries need votes. And lots of them !  The voting process is mildly convoluted, but if you have a spare five minutes, visit this website. And follow the process. They will ask you for your phone number, but it is not used for any dubious purposes.

Voting closes on the 18th, so we would really appreciate your help !

Many thanks.

John
Airforce

Why Radio Stations Can Learn From the Horsemeat Scandal

There are a lot of folks blaming each other for the mess recently created by the horsemeat scandal.

In my view, a large percentage of the accusative finger should be pointed at some of the supermarkets. In their never-ending quest to buy their stock at the cheapest possible prices, it's not surprising some suppliers have resorted to below-the-belt tactics to make ends meet (Or should it be 'make ends meat' ?) by replacing beef with the cheaper horsemeat.

I am in no way condoning the suppliers behaviour, but when a supermarket is asking you to reduce your prices, it's obvious that the product quality won't be as good. Corners will always be cut.

A few weeks ago, I read a blog from a radio commercial production company who decided to part company with a group of radio stations because they couldn't agree on a fair price to produce radio ads. In a nutshell, the radio stations wanted their commercials produced for '£X' and the production company said their price will be a higher '£Y'. The production company concerned felt that they simply couldn't make radio commercials for the '£X' price and so they pulled out of the deal. Those who read the blog (Including myself) were in full support of the production company's withdrawal. Sure, we all want our prices to be accessible, but when if a product is going to be seriously compromised, for the sake of your own company's reputation, it is best to walk away.

In the current economic climate, there's a huge amount of undercutting going on. I have seen online production companies offering their services for just £45 !

So what will you get for your £45 ? Well, you'll get a radio ad, but what has gone into it - or most worryingly,  not ?

I wouldn't be surprised if the 'writer' is an ex-DJ, a swing jock or someone 'in-between jobs'. Note: Just because the person creating your radio ad 'works in radio'; that does not mean he or she is an expert in creating radio advertising.

The same warning goes to people who own a recording studio. There is no connection between 'owning a recording studio' and being a fully-fledged Radio Commercial Producer. Choose your studio wisely.

And so to the production. What kind of music will they be using for £45 ? It's unlikely to be MCPS production music. The cost for just one 30 second cut is about £80, so some folks will say that's too expensive. The radio station commissioning the production may have an MCPS blanket licence - which helps, but many stations don't have one. About a year ago, a group of radio stations invited Airforce to tender for a production contract. We declined because they wouldn't invest in the Blanket Licence. A lot of MCPS production music is of extremely high quality and can actually make some low-cost productions sound quite decent. But if you resort to the Royalty Free stuff, the musical integrity is often quite limited, American-sounding, iffy or all three.

If it's a jingle you're after, then lots of companies will punch a catchy tune out for less than £250. But the people performing on your track are unlikely to be 'proper' session musicians or singers. When you add things up; A couple of great session singers, a half decent studio, a composer with a successful track record in producing advertising music, some proper session musicians etc etc; £250 will barely scratch the surface. Again, it wouldn't surprise me if the 'singer' is the producer's girlfriend and/or sister who sometimes performs down the pub on Karaoke night. Or it will be the producer himself.

I could dismantle the prices even more, but the fact is: Cheap is not good.

Cheap gives you poorly-written scripts. Cheap gives you poor production values. Cheap gives you badly-cast voices. Cheap gives you naff music. Cheap gives you jingles that annoy the hell out of the listener. Cheap employs part-time singers and musicians.  Cheap will never present your brand in the right light. Cheap lowers the quality of radio station output. Cheap makes everything sound the same. Cheap doesn't give radio advertisers the choice, service and attention they deserve. Cheap is putting a square peg into a round hole. Cheap isn't proper radio advertising.

This is why some radio stations should learn from  the Horsemeat Scandal. Instead of looking for a producer who will do things for less, use someone who will bring to the table tasty things that contain great ingredients and will have advertisers wanting second, third and fourth helpings.

We have radio station clients who understand this. But alas, they are not the norm.

JOHN CALVERT

You don't have to get your radio station to make your radio commercials, radio adverts and jingles. For free initial script ideas, get in touch here.

A great time to advertise on the radio !

Audiences are loving commercial radio. Healthy audience figures and despite hard economic times, radio is doing very well. Read this article.

From writing the script, all the way to recording and to dispatching your ad(s) to the station, Airforce can help. Contact us here. 

You do not have to have your commercials made by a radio station. Because Airforce is not owned or influenced by any media or radio company we will give you a different and unbiased perspective. Airforce has worked in and served the commercial radio sector for over 30 years. This makes us a valuable ally for radio advertisers wanting to get it right.

Initial script ideas are free, so there's nothing to lose. 01249 821679

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.

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.

Airforce is in the finals of the Vox Awards

The finalists have been announced for the 2011 Vox Awards and we're delighted to see that productions by Airforce feature in 4 of the 7 main categories.

'Cabinet' in the 'Best Retail' category, produced for Lincoln Furniture Warehouse.
'The Dream' in the 'Best Services' category, produced for Tanbridge House School.
'Mr Intoxixo' featuring Guy Harris in the 'Best Male Voiceover performance' category, produced for Dorset Police.
'The Message' featuring Laura Shavin in the 'Best Female Voiceover performance' category, produced for Lincoln Furniture Warehouse.

We're naturally delighted to have so many commercials featured in the finals. The winners will be decided by votes so we need
your help !

To hear all the finalist commercials and cast your vote, visit the Vox Awards website here and follow the instructions.

You have until May 19th to vote, so vote NOW !

Many thanks.

JOHN CALVERT
www.airforce.co.uk

How Powerful are Your Words ?

I am grateful to my Facebook friend Clive Dickens for posting this wonderful short film.

Whatever kind of advertising medium you favour, this film reminds us that that it is always possible to add powerful meaning to even the most ordinary of propositions.

That doesn't mean you need to spend squillions on your advertising campaign. For local and regional radio advertisers, all it takes is a little bit of extra thought.

...Which for some reason, only a small amount of local and regional radio advertisers tend to do !

Let it be known that constantly spending your advertising money on telling listeners you've cut your prices is flawed strategy. In this day an age, it is essential that radio advertisers invest in attracting new believers. And to do that, you have to 'frame' your proposition in a completely different way to your competitors. The film Clive posted is a perfect example of that.

Come on. Challenge Airforce to take your proposition and present it from a completely different angle.

You can listen to examples of our radio commercials, radio adverts & jingles here.

John Calvert

New Showreel

New Showreels online now ! Click here.

Airforce makes sure world-famous town is full of Christmas Spirit!

Christmas can never come too early for some companies and Calne-based radio commercial and jingle production company, Airforce, is delighted to announce today that they are the official 2010 sponsors of the Wotton Bassett Christmas Trees.

The trees that are erected in the town each year have been hand-picked and felled by Longleat’s Head Forester, Rodney Garton from the 4,500 acres of forest on the stunning Longleat Estate. It is because of this carefully selected procedure that Wotton Bassett receive an abundance of compliments for their Christmas trees and Airforce are privileged to become the sponsor of the two main trees.

Managing Director of Airforce, John Calvert, commented: “Wootton Bassett has the respect of millions of British people and I am thrilled that Airforce has been given the opportunity to sponsor the two mighty Christmas trees that will be positioned in the centre of the town. Our business is only a short distance to Wootton Bassett and I can’t wait to see the trees helping to light up the town during the festive season.”

Sue Doyle, Chair of the Amenities Committee for Wootton Bassett Town Council, commented: “The Christmas trees in the High Street, in place from the beginning of December, are a really important feature of the festive season in Wootton Bassett. We are very pleased to have this new sponsorship of the trees to enable us to continue to decorate the High Street. It all adds to the atmosphere as we all prepare for Christmas.


www.airforce.co.uk

How much IS an idea worth ?

When you're creating radio adverts, how much is a good idea actually worth ?

If you’re a Commercial Producer, chances are this has happened to you...

Mr Client is a regular advertiser on the radio. For the last year or so, he’s been on the radio with a bog-standard ad which by now really is wearing thin. The station Sales Exec quite rightly says to Mr Client that he really should start investing in more in creative in order to have a stronger brand on air.

Mr Client agrees to a briefing session. It’s highly productive. Mr Client opens up his heart and you discover some Golden Nuggets that you and the Sales Exec never knew.

The meeting ends with everyone feeling positive and incredibly optimistic.

10 days later, you present your Killer Creative Strategy to Mr Client. Mr Client is thrilled. “How Much to get this all made ?” he asks.

You tell him and then...

“£xxxx for THAT ?!” He chokes. “I mean it’s just a few words, a bit of music and a couple of voices, no way. You’ll need to seriously sharpen your pencil.”

Then there’s this scenario....

Ms Client is interested in adopting a completely brand new sound. The briefing session is highly productive and when the idea is presented a week or so later, Ms Client is delighted. You quote the price and she says it needs to be signed off by the MD. The meeting ends and you expect to hear from the client in a day or so.

It all then goes a bit quiet. You call Ms Client and she tells you she still wants to advertise on the radio, but she’s found someone who will do the creative for a lot less.

You put the phone down and the swearing begins.

As Radio Commercial Producers, we’ve all encountered enormously frustrating scenarios when clients love the idea, but don’t appreciate the investment that needs to be made to make everything sound fabulous. So what’s going wrong ?

First, we have to accept there are lots of clients who are just simply timewasters. They love the attention they are getting, but will simply not put their money where their mouths are.

Those people aside, I believe a distinction needs to be made between the value of an idea and the value of executing it. In my belief, the value of the execution will be justified in the value of the idea is clearly justified.

We all have ideas. You don’t need to be a creative person to have ideas. Right now, billions of people are having an idea. And with so many rattling around the place, it could be said they are worth zilch UNLESS the client feels there is some value in it. That means before presenting the idea to the client, there needs to some well crafted preamble. Imagine the moment when top agency man Trevor Beattie presented the fashion Chain French Connection the now notorious ‘FCUK’ idea ? None of us were there, so my assumption of what happened is speculative. But I reckon he didn’t sit there and just hand over a logo and say “Clever eh ? See what we’ve done ? Nudge nudge ?” There would have been a meticulously crafted process in order to 100% justify the concept to French Connection’s chairman Stephen Marks.
In an interview on guardian.co.uk, Beattie is reported to have said "People too often misunderstand branding. This campaign has no logo but it is still branded: branding is in the DNA of what we have done."

I completely get what he means. The whole concept isn’t just about cheekily-constructed 4 letters and that is why it is worth so much.

Who knows what effect the government cuts are going to have on the economy. But no matter how tough it gets, the public will still need to buy beds, cars, TV’s, food, services or whatever. Advertisers will therefore have to understand that in order to touch the hearts of those who do have the money to spend, they’ll have to dig deeper in their pockets. For those of us who are tasked to devise the Big Idea, by golly we’ll need to come up with the perfect justification for the investment.
As I heard one radio sales person say once: “It’s a catchy tune isn’t it ? Yours for £2000”.

Come on, you'll have to try harder than that.

John Calvert. www.airforce.co.uk

How long will you decide to stay in the industry ?

Firstly, many thanks to Paul Easton’s Facebook update for directing me to a small article on Media UK. It caught my eye because it was about why certain people in the radio industry choose to leave it to work in a completely different industry.

In the Commercial Production arm of radio, the exodus has been massive. Scriptwriters and producers have left in their droves to join radio stations in America, South Africa and Australia. Many have joined advertising agencies, have set up their own production companies, become voice artists or sadly decided to leave the industry altogether to become amongst other things Postmen, Landlords, TV Directors, Aeroplane Managers, Web Site Designers and even Vicars.

I had worked in Commercial Radio for about 13 years when I decided to leave to work for an independent production company. In the latter years of my time in radio, I had the feeling that I couldn’t actually go any further in Commercial Production. This was at the beginning of the period of the big station mergers. With the implementation of a new MD at my station, the attitude towards Com Prod changed. Like many stations, finance managers started wondering whether they actually needed a Commercial Production department. This was when I decided it was time to look elsewhere. Alan Bell (another highly-talented radio sales professional and creative person who left radio to set up Airforce and other companies) invited me to leave radio and work for Airforce.

A few years later, I acquired the company and luckily, monotony hasn’t loomed it’s ugly head and I still feel as excited as I was on my first day of joining Airforce.

In commercial radio however, I still hear stories from a few highly-talented individuals that they are not happy bunnies. Many join stations as Commercial Producers, but as time evolves and the stations go from owner to owner they are given tasks that have nothing to do with making great radio ads.

I am not saying we should mollycoddle Commercial Producers or indeed anyone else in the radio industry and give them the freedom to do anything they want. There has to be structure. But I wonder what radio would be like today if all those talented people who left to pursue other careers hadn’t left.

Would the girl who became a vicar be a major source of inspiration to a station’s
advertisers ?

Would the guy who became a TV Director be one of the most in-demand producers in the country ?

Would the man who became the Landlord be a great manager ?

Would the person who became the Aeroplane Manager be able to take his clients to new heights ?

Forgive me for the naff pun on the last one there. But I hope you get the point. The Commercial Production industry is losing too many great people to other professions.
I would love to talk to all those who have left and find out what it was that made them decide to leave. What was it that made them think “I want out” ?

Hunch tells me it would be one word: ‘Frustration.’ Commercial Producers are slightly different. Making radio ads isn’t enough. To keep a Commercial Producer happy, motivated and inspired it means feeding them with great briefs. And let’s face it, with the regular selling of radio advertising packages that provide clients with a bog-standard commercial as part of the deal, that is not going to encourage a Proddie to stick around for the long term.

Are your radio adverts sending out the right image ?

I love General Elections. It’s a one-month advertising campaign where beliefs and visions are marketed as brands. Claims, counter-claims, criticisms, slagging-offs, endorsements: it’s all there and the poor electorate has to make sense of it all.

Sorry, going slightly off track now: Why is it the political parties never seem to fall foul of advertising rules ? Some of the claims you encounter in political advertising often has little-to-no foundation. Yet they apparently seem to get away with it. In some cases, libellous comments are made, yet we never hear about any action being taken by the ASA. I have no idea why. If you have the answer, I would love to know.

Election time is when parties and their candidates spend an absolute fortune presenting themselves in the best possible light. And it reminds me that regardless of whether there’s an election or not, many radio advertisers should be getting their houses in order.

Following on from my last article about the power of the brand, image is absolutely everything. Regardless of whether we own a business or not, this belief is instilled in all of us. Yet on the radio, we still encounter radio adverts for businesses that say all the wrong things...

We’re noisy.
We’re patronising.
We’re arrogant.
We’re unprofessional.
We’re insignificant.
We’re thick.
We’re childish.
We’re rude.
We’re lairs.
We’re unhelpful.
We’re smarmy.
We’re slimy.
We’re confusing.
We’re idiots.
We’re not good for you.

How many radio commercials have you heard this week that creates the feeling they are one or more of the above ?

We all know radio ads have the power to say a lot more than what the voiceover is actually saying. Yet despite some great heroic attempts from Commercial Producers, some advertisers still think they know better.
In most cases, we can just advise. And providing it’s not to the detriment of the radio station’s quality of output, there’s very little we can actually do other than cringe every time the ad is broadcast.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older and my tolerance levels are getting weaker, but when it comes to image of radio advertisers I am noticing I am speaking my mind a lot more nowadays. In a conversation with a client the other day, I found myself saying “Fine, if you want to throw all what’s good about you down the toilet, so be it”. The client took the point and thankfully I still have the account !

Regardless of what we think of elections and the like, I think the current political campaigning and advertising is a great opportunity for us to observe how much effect image has on the masses. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. And in radio advertising, there’s never been more true line.

Want your radio commercials to sound great. Visit our website here.

John Calvert

Radio Adverts that will do you wrong.

It feels like the last two weeks has taken me squillions of miles around the country. And whilst driving from one destination to another, it gave me the chance to listen to a number of commercial radio stations along the way. In particular, their radio commercials !

There is no doubt that radio adverts are beginning to sound interesting again. Throughout last year, there was a definite leaning towards simple-sounding commercials. But now it’s good to hear some more interesting stuff returning to the airwaves.

Having said that, I am still hearing things that really don’t help the advertiser’s cause. One thing in particular: Asking questions in radio ads has loomed it’s ugly head again – big time.

“What’s stopping you from coming to our sale ?”

“Why not treat yourself ?”

“Thinking of buying XXXXXXX ?”

I know I’ve covered this area a number of times, but the sheer amount of ads I have heard over the last couple of weeks has prompted me - once again to bring this subject up again.

The reality is, phrases like "Why go anywhere else ?" and "What's stopping you ?" etc, simply bring to mind all the things that remind folks why they shouldn't be buying a particular product or service. The result ? Businesses spending a ton of money inadvertently inviting listeners to think of a reason for why they shouldn't buy their products or services.

Of course, it’s sometimes difficult to avoid asking questions in radio ads, but it’s worth pointing out to advertisers that questions should be put in commercials only if
the answer the audience gives is the right answer.

The other area that pricked my ears up were sponsorship messages. In many many cases, they sounded incredibly drab and predictable. I am sure it’s not the case everywhere, but I believe many sponsor credits are not doing the paying client many favours. I have said it before, TV really leads the way on sponsor credits. They look good, they have an idea behind them, they keep in line with the TV station’s branding, they are sympathetic to the sponsor’s branding and most of all; appear to have a justifiable presence.

I am aware of what you can or can’t do on radio sponsorship credits, but I really do think it’s time they went beyond the rather predictable “Brought to you in association with Xxxxx. Great service, whatever the weather” kind of credit.

Worse still, some of the sponsor credits I heard actually gave no clue to what the sponsor’s line of business was ! I know this isn’t the norm, but come on, everyone has a duty to ensure that advertisers get something in return for their investment.

Finally, in a conversation with an agency chum I met up with on my travels, I was asked the question: “Whatever happened to the Sonic Logo ?” Interesting point ! A few years ago, a number of radio experts predicted that short sharp pieces of music and/or sounds would be the way forward for radio advertisers to brand themselves on air and so create recognisability. Of course there are a few radio advertisers who do use Sonic Logos well, but in the great scale of things (and taking out of the equation those hoppity-skip kind of jingles you hear) there aren’t as many around as everyone thought there would be. Perhaps in the real world, it shows us there is still a big gap between a Commercial Producer’s and advertiser’s expectations of what good radio advertising should be.

John Calvert. www.airforce.co.uk

Are your Radio Adverts 'of the moment' ?

I can’t believe how over the top the media coverage has been with the snow. The way the subject has been treated, it gives the impression that snow is a new phenomenon to the human race and that none of us know how to handle it. I have a number of international clients and they tell me that they are finding the whole British/Snow thing very amusing. “Get over it !” one client in the Netherlands told me. I agree with her.

So, with snow being the talk of the UK, have we encouraged our advertisers to use it to their advantage ? We are all aware that retail sales have slipped because of the weather, so can we use it to create radio advertising that encourages people to believe that venturing out in the white stuff is good for them ?

I recall hearing an age-old radio advert produced by Chris Lytle for an electrical shop. The store had been flooded and the ad went on to explain that if you didn’t mind visiting an electrical shop with no electricity, the customer would be rewarded with incredible reductions. Apparently the response was phenomenal.

The British love topicality. The TV show ‘Have I Got News For You’, ‘Question Time’, ‘Harry Hill’s TV Burp’ and many others prove that people, places and events ‘of the moment’ go down very well.

Radio is blessed with the fact that the production process is relatively straight forward. So it makes sense to exploit these qualities and produce radio commercials that really do reflect the here and now. All we need are advertisers who are prepared to go with the flow and put 100% faith into the fact that world events have the potential to shift big amounts of stock.

They the unexpected also happens, so be prepared for it. I recall working on a campaign in which every commercial was produced incredibly close to the broadcast time. But just in case an event happened that significantly changed the mood of the TSA , we had a contingency commercial ready to use: An ad that felt of-the-moment but wasn’t particularly specific. I was glad we had one. Two thirds of the way through the campaign, the Princess of Wales left our mortal coil, plunging pretty much the entire nation into an abyss of sorrow.

Of course, we could be even more up to date by broadcasting live radio ads ! The idea of creating a message based upon events that happened less than an hour ago to me seems incredibly appealing. Live ads were the norm for many many years on American radio. I wrote a handful of live ads in the 80’s too, so it’s sad to think that the way radio works today (transmitter splitting, national local and regional playouts etc) actually makes the implementation of live ads pretty much an impossibility. (Or is it just because the radio stations think the whole idea is just too scary ?) A shame, because the public loves a live event ! Years ago, all soap operas were broadcast live by default. But in recent times, the trend has been returning. Coronation Street and The Bill have done live shows. In February, East Enders will be joining the throng by doing a show in which Archie’s murderer will be revealed – live. If a hugely complex TV show can be broadcast live, surely a 30 second radio ad would be an absolute doddle to pull off ?

Best of all, make the public know it’s live. Create a buzz round it though the PR machine and let them understand something could go wrong.
Just like we wonder whether a magician will escape from a air-tight box before it explodes or whether Barbara Windsor will remember all her lines, the public will stop doing what they are doing to see the event through.

...And for advertisers, that’s priceless !

Want to create a 'Radio Event' with your radio adverts ? Visit the Airforce website here.

John Calvert

Who's the voice of choice ?

Client-read radio commercials are like buses. You don’t have them for what feels like an age and then suddenly you get two through at the same time !

I get worried when a client wishes to ‘participate’ in the making of his or her own radio advert. Radio Commercial Production is one of those areas where some clients believe they are somehow better qualified to voice a radio ad than a professional voice. After producing thousands of radio ads over a 26 year period, I have only found that belief to be true on only one occasion.

Last week I had two clients who insisted they made an appearance in their radio ads. And have you noticed it’s always the clients who have a voice that is dull or (forgive the slight political incorrectness here) has a voice that has some kind of irritating trait to it ?

But how to persuade an advertiser not to have his or her voice in their radio ad ? If you work for a radio station and you have a client who’s making the suggestion, it’s quite simple: Have a ‘no client voices their own advertisement’ policy.

Oh, and have a policy ready for when the client says he or she knows someone famous to voice their commercials. I recall two events when I was a station Commercial Producer. The first awkward moment was when the client was best mates with a very famous British comedian. Trouble was, unbeknown to the client, the comedian was dyslexic. We ended up re-recording everything with a professional voice.

The other occasion was when the client knew a (then) very well-known sports commentator. The client got this commentator for free on the understanding the commentator could plug his own insurance company at the end of the ad. “And by the way, if you’re looking for good car insurance, call Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Insurance on....” went the ad. It was all very cringe-worthy stuff.

Pick your famous voices carefully as well. Just because a voice is a well known actor/actress or TV presenter, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are good at voiceovers. I was once asked to direct a very famous British actress. Although the timbre of her voice was amazing, I quickly discovered she couldn’t read scripts for toffee. I recall we did about 50 edits in a 20 second commercial to make the end- result sound reasonably decent.

In order to avoid incidences like that again, I often listen to ‘personalities’ voice demos very carefully, particularly when I hear them read commercials. A good clue to knowing if they are ‘proper’ voiceovers is to time the commercials they are reading on their showreel. If you hear a full-length commercial that lasts 26 seconds/14 seconds/35 seconds, it means it’s likely their ‘read’ isn’t a genuine commercial. Also note the brand they are reading about. Does the tone, music etc match all the other commercials you have encountered for that brand ?

I am noting many personalities are now jumping on the voiceover bandwagon. The majority of them are going to give you a great read. But because it’s not uncommon for many to charge a ‘minimum’ of say, £3000 for their services, make sure that investment will genuinely bring something great to the commercial.

JOHN CALVERT

www.airforce.co.uk

Recover from the Recesssion faster: Advertise !

Every business should advertise. I am often perplexed when company owners say "we don't need to advertise".

Really ? Well Mr Businessman if that's the case, you know something that other businesses would pay you shedloads of money for. Trouble is, because you don't believe in advertising, no-one will ever find out about it. Ah well.

Because I am constantly telling businesses to spend their hard-earnt cash on advertising, it only feels right Airforce should do the same too !

2009 has seen us spend more money on marketing and publicity than ever before. The next phase is a regular appearance in the Radio Magazine. In addition at Christmas time, a publicity campaign that started in the spring comes to a climax. At a time where 'feel good' stories get more prominence, our PR company will be making sure that Airforce gets a share of the column inches, airtime and web space allocated to these kind of stories.

Spending money during a recession is scary. But it's been proven that maintaining a public presence during a down-turn helps to keep the wolves away from the door. The fact is, just because there's a recession on, it doesn't mean the whole world has stopped spending. Consumers are still spending on stuff they want and need. Radio advertising has that wonderful ability to sell an idea to a highly-influential public. And as we all know, once that seed has taken root, the mind will work overtime to find a way of buying it.

Want to recover from the recession faster ? Talk to Airforce about making radio commercials, radio adverts and jingles that get your tills ringing. Visit our website here.

Radio Adverts: Create that new habit !

This is a typical Wednesday in the Calvert household:

I get up at 7am. I go downstairs to feed our cat Archie with a special food to stop him getting even fatter. In the office by about 7.20. I download all emails on my HP PC and print off the scripts on my Epson printer for an ISDN voiceover session I regularly do every Wednesday with the BBC. I could get up later, but if I do, I think I sound slurred. About 45 minutes is enough to fully wake up and catch up with things that need my attention.

After the session, the wife is usually awake. Dan, my 3 year old son will be tucking into Coco Pops and a drink of Tomato Juice. (It’s the only thing he’ll drink other than water.)

After tidying up the kitchen, it’s back to work. My wife drops Dan to Pre-School and returns to work on the accounts for our two companies.

I work solidly without any break to about 2pm. It could be anything from scriptwriting to recording voices via my Audio TX and mixing commercials on Pro Tools. From there, I gather some documents and jump into the BMW and head to a meeting. I always stop at the Esso station in Wootton Basset to buy a pasty and a can of ‘V’ energy drink.

At the meeting, I present the document and play audio from my Bose Acoustic Music System. In my opinion, nothing sounds better.

After the meeting, I check emails on my Iphone. On longer trips, I bring a small hard drive of all the radio commercials and music Airforce has ever recorded in the last 3 years. Then it’s off home. In Lyneham, I will usually stop at Tesco to buy wine for me and the missus. I drink white, Mrs C drinks red. She used to drink Rose, but now after drinking just one glass of Rose, she’ll get a migraine the next day.

It’s back into the office until about 6pm. Then it’s family time. Having said that, I keep the phone on because I know a few clients may call after 6. Dan will have had his tea, (he loves pasta) and will watch Waybuloo on C Beebies. Me and the wife will be discussing some business (She co-owns Airforce) while we crack open the wine.

Later, I will bath Dan. He likes Matey bubble bath, but we wash his hair with Johnson’s Baby Shampoo. Dan will then rest on the sofa with some milk and usually drop off. At 7.30ish, I will cook dinner and then watch TV on our Samsung TV. Later, I check emails on more time, then it’s off to bed.

So what’s the point behind me telling you my daily routine ?

We all have one. Every day, we go through the same routines, rituals and habits. You may not be aware of it, but you’ll have superstitions as well. You’ll do things in a certain way because you’ll believe your day will be a better as a result doing things ‘your’ way. You may avoid walking on cracks in the pavement. You may never walk under a ladder. You won’t buy a pastry from the bakery on the street corner because you heard someone got food poisoning there. You may think that if you buy a Lottery ticket with a specific set of numbers, you stand a better chance of winning. You will stick religiously to certain personal hygiene products because you believe they are more effective than others. You will always park in the same area every time you visit your local supermarket. You may think Christmas isn’t Christmas without a tree and a Turkey. The list goes on and on.

Our days are dominated with routines, rituals, habits, beliefs and superstitions. Some will be very subtle, whereas others you will be completely aware of and apologise to others for them. We carry them out to make us feel comfortable and in control. Many national advertisers know this, so they create products that help to maintain and enhance that feeling of well-being. Think about it. For hundreds of years, the human race survived perfectly without mobile phones. Today, if we leave our mobiles at home or the battery runs out, we feel vulnerable. The mobile companies have us where they want us.

As for local advertisers, I think they are missing out on a trick. They too should be encouraging listeners to create new habits and rituals with their product bang-slap in the middle of everything. So today, as you sip your daily Starbucks Frappuccino (because you believe it’s the only way to wake you up), think about making your advertisers products and services a way of life, a comfort zone, a ritual or dare I say...

...A pleasant and welcome addiction.

Fof help on making your radio commercials tap into the minds of your audience, visit www.airforce.co.uk

Give your Radio Advert an idea !

Let’s face it, a fair chunk of the local commercials broadcast on radio consist of 30 seconds worth of prices and special offers. Above that, there are radio commercials with some kind of ‘idea’ or thought that the advertiser is wanting to tell you. And above that, there are a small handful of commercials that when you hear them, you really want to buy that product.

Yesterday I encountered a commercial for a particular brand of coffee. At the end of it, I had no idea what I was supposed to feel or indeed do. It was a TV commercial, so we have to assume the campaign was an expensive one. So what a waste ! If a commercial simply shows the product and really doesn’t tell you why it’s good for you, how is anyone expected to know what to do or feel after the commercial has ended ?

Advertisements for products like coffee, make up, cars etc have to reach out and touch you. The brand has to show it can make a great contribution to your life and somehow, things will only be second-best if you choose not to buy it.

To be honest, I find few radio commercials to be aspirational. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve head radio ads for skip hire companies telling me I can hire a bloody great skip for only £50. Fantastic if I need a skip, but if I am not told why they are good for me, I am going to ignore the commercial completely. I have heard radio ads for half-price sofas. But I will be only interested if I am in the market for buying a sofa. I have heard commercials for cheap diamond engagement rings. But if I had a girlfriend and was not sold the idea of popping the question, the chances of me buying the special-offer ring won’t increase. In all 3 cases, the advertisers could have sold us ‘the idea’ of their products and services. Just like a ‘serving suggestion’ illustration on a packet of food, radio adverts would attract a larger amount of interest if the commercial had some sort of ‘lifestyle suggestion’ or better still, clearly show the positive outcome buying the product/service would bring.

Too many advertisers believe that ‘just telling’ will somehow turn on a metaphoric tap allowing a torrent of new business to come their way. In reality, it’s more likely to be a trickle. No one will buy anything unless they want or need it. The ‘special offer’ should really be treated as the final incentive to buy.

This week, I am off to take a brief from a brand new client. He’s dabbled with radio in the past, but never done anything (in his words) ‘serious’. His business is in a very crowded sector, but in our initial conversation on the phone the client said “People don’t buy our products on just price alone. There’s a lot more to it than that. People buy our products because the lifestyle it gives them is absolutely second to none.”

Fantastic. By cutting out all the price-related crap, there’ll be ample room to get listeners salivating with desire. Sure price, is important. But all of us know that when we see something that really ticks all the boxes, the mind has an uncanny knack of finding a way to make us buy it, regardless of what the price may be.

For a free consolutation, visit www.airforce.co.uk

Don't think all radio adverts should just be 30 seconds...

This week, my company was involved in a client pitch.

The presentation of radio commercials went well and after taking the potential new client through the document, I asked if there was anything that needed clarifying.

“The ads are longer than 30 seconds”, the client observed. I explained that the brief didn’t specify any preference for any specific length.

“We ONLY have 30 second ads” the client replied.

In my years of making radio adverts, I have always been concerned by this obsession with radio ads having to be 30 seconds ! It is a dreadful duration, namely because the length allows little-to-no time to set a good scene for the brand/product/service, promote the benefit and then close off with the call to action.

I know I am not the only Commercial Producer who has problems with this. In my capacity as a Voice Over, I am often sent 30 second scripts that struggle to be engaging in any way. There is an idea in there, but often it is undercooked because of the limitations of the duration.

I often wonder what life would be like if the ‘standard’ length of a radio advert was established as a 40 seconder ? Of course, there would be advertisers who would exploit this and broadcast ads that were packed to the rafters with easy-to-forget twaddle; but hunch tells me that many script writers would breathe a sigh of relief and create ads that would be far more engaging and so, more effective.

I know some stations are struggling with selling 100% of their airtime inventory, so I am wondering if they have nothing to lose by offering new and existing clients 40” commercials at the 30” rate on the understanding that their creative is given a thorough overhaul ?

Changing the subject a little, I am keen to hear what everyone thinks of Global Radio’s new initiative called ‘Radio Runner’. Recently publicised on the Radio Today website, Radio Runner is an application that allows advertisers to buy and create their radio advertising online. Currently, it’s only available in East Anglia but the objective is likely to be rolled out across the UK.

At the time of writing this article, my PC was unable to connect to radiorunner.co.uk. But in an earlier visit I discovered that ‘buy and create’ are the two main buzzwords. You log in to a website, choose the station(s) you want to advertise on, select the advertising package and then pick from a selection of pre-written radio scripts the ad that most appeals or is most relevant to you. From there, you then fill in the gaps with your company name etc.

This initiative from Global is in more ways than one a real-eye opener and I would really love to know if whether you are for or against this kind of approach.

No doubt we’ll be returning to the subject of Radio Runner in the weeks and months to come.

John Calvert
Visit the Airforce website here.