We did the music for this film recently.
Enjoy !
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Friday, 21 January 2011
It's all about 'Desire' and not about 'Price'
It's something we've been harking on about for years.
Price is not the be-all and end-all.
If you'd like to know more about what makes people buy, read this article.
In radio advertising, there is too much emphasis on telling folks something is cheaper. Sure price is important, but no one will buy anything unless they want or need it.
Remember the old Monty Python 'Piston' sketch ? The excerpt below perfectly sums it up....
Mrs Non-Smoker: Oohh hello, Mrs Smoker.
Mrs Smoker: Hello Mrs Non-Smoker.
Mrs Non-Smoker: What, you been shopping then?
Mrs Smoker: Nope ... I've been shopping!
Mrs Non-Smoker: What d'you buy?
Mrs Smoker: A piston engine!
Mrs Non-Smoker: What d'you buy that for?
Mrs Smoker: It was a bargain!
Mrs Non-Smoker: How much d'you want for it?
Mrs Smoker: Three quid!
Mrs Non-Smoker: Done. (she hands over the money)
Mrs Smoker: Right. Thank you.
Mrs Non-Smoker: How d'you cook it?
Mrs Smoker: You don't cook it.
Mrs Non-Smoker: You can't eat that raw!
Mrs Smoker: Ooooh ... never thought of that.
Radio commercials, radio adverts and advertising jingles must do more than sell a price reduction. If you want to advertise on the radio, we can show you how. Contact Airforce here.
John Calvert
Price is not the be-all and end-all.
If you'd like to know more about what makes people buy, read this article.
In radio advertising, there is too much emphasis on telling folks something is cheaper. Sure price is important, but no one will buy anything unless they want or need it.
Remember the old Monty Python 'Piston' sketch ? The excerpt below perfectly sums it up....
Mrs Non-Smoker: Oohh hello, Mrs Smoker.
Mrs Smoker: Hello Mrs Non-Smoker.
Mrs Non-Smoker: What, you been shopping then?
Mrs Smoker: Nope ... I've been shopping!
Mrs Non-Smoker: What d'you buy?
Mrs Smoker: A piston engine!
Mrs Non-Smoker: What d'you buy that for?
Mrs Smoker: It was a bargain!
Mrs Non-Smoker: How much d'you want for it?
Mrs Smoker: Three quid!
Mrs Non-Smoker: Done. (she hands over the money)
Mrs Smoker: Right. Thank you.
Mrs Non-Smoker: How d'you cook it?
Mrs Smoker: You don't cook it.
Mrs Non-Smoker: You can't eat that raw!
Mrs Smoker: Ooooh ... never thought of that.
Radio commercials, radio adverts and advertising jingles must do more than sell a price reduction. If you want to advertise on the radio, we can show you how. Contact Airforce here.
John Calvert
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Want to become a Voiceover Artist ?
Every year, we get countless requests from people asking us to help them to become a Voiceover Artist. It takes an age explaining the pro's and cons, so I am extremely grateful to the good people from voiceovers.co.uk for publishing a book that explains everything you need to know. You can buy it here.
Airforce uses some of the finest voiceover artists in the business. But if you're considering using your own voice in your radio advert, here's a one-word suggestion.
DON'T !
With the greatest of respect, just because you own the company does not mean your voice should be the ambassador for it. Some of the most embarrassing radio commercials ever recorded are the ones that are voiced by the company's owners and/or staff. The result will usually be a production that conveys a company as amateurish and at worst: An absolute joke.
It's not just radio commercials either. I find it amazing how many companies still use their staff members to voice their telephone 'on hold' systems. The voice often sounds nervous, winey and hesitant. Worse still, the voice is recorded in an echoey room. It all comes together to create something that massively lets the brand down. A customer's first approach is often on the telephone. Ensure you sound as good as your product or service !
To hear a great example of how it should be done, give American Express a call on this number: 0870 600 10 30.
To hear how it shouldn't be done, listen to this recorded message on 0904 2562193. Not only does the voice sound hellishly depressing, but you're being charged £1.50 for the experience of it !
We all judge people on their appearance and radio is no exception. Remember, you're not saving money by using your voice or the voice of a staff member, you're actually spending more.
For a free voice casting service, contact Airforce here.
John Calvert
Airforce uses some of the finest voiceover artists in the business. But if you're considering using your own voice in your radio advert, here's a one-word suggestion.
DON'T !
With the greatest of respect, just because you own the company does not mean your voice should be the ambassador for it. Some of the most embarrassing radio commercials ever recorded are the ones that are voiced by the company's owners and/or staff. The result will usually be a production that conveys a company as amateurish and at worst: An absolute joke.
It's not just radio commercials either. I find it amazing how many companies still use their staff members to voice their telephone 'on hold' systems. The voice often sounds nervous, winey and hesitant. Worse still, the voice is recorded in an echoey room. It all comes together to create something that massively lets the brand down. A customer's first approach is often on the telephone. Ensure you sound as good as your product or service !
To hear a great example of how it should be done, give American Express a call on this number: 0870 600 10 30.
To hear how it shouldn't be done, listen to this recorded message on 0904 2562193. Not only does the voice sound hellishly depressing, but you're being charged £1.50 for the experience of it !
We all judge people on their appearance and radio is no exception. Remember, you're not saving money by using your voice or the voice of a staff member, you're actually spending more.
For a free voice casting service, contact Airforce here.
John Calvert
Monday, 10 January 2011
Capital FM.
Global's Capital FM hits the network. Supporting the launch is a great TV ad. You can see it and find out more about the campaign by clicking here.
If you're thinking of advertising on Capital FM, Airforce can write and produce your radio commercials. We have access to some great voices and your music can be composed by our composer (and co-founder of Airforce) Roger Dexter. Roger regularly composes imaging music for BBC Radio 1 and has worked on a ton of tracks for a host of youth-oriented radio stations and production music libraries.
Contact us for details
If you're thinking of advertising on Capital FM, Airforce can write and produce your radio commercials. We have access to some great voices and your music can be composed by our composer (and co-founder of Airforce) Roger Dexter. Roger regularly composes imaging music for BBC Radio 1 and has worked on a ton of tracks for a host of youth-oriented radio stations and production music libraries.
Contact us for details
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
IFA's: Win free radio commercial production !
Monday, 3 January 2011
The best and worst of 2010.
One of my agency clients gave me a call last week, asking that we have a get-together.
“Where do you want us to meet ?” I asked.
“Let’s meet in Germany. Berlin to be precise”, said my client.
“Berlin ? ? Normally we meet in boring hotel receptions !”
“Nahh. I fancy Berlin. We’ll stay a couple of nights, have a few beers and see the sights. I’ll pay”.
And so he did. We met at Heathrow, checked in and then all Hell broke out. Snow came down, all flights cancelled and Heathrow wanted us out of the building immediately. So, with suitcases in hand we headed to London for 2 nights of merriment.
At about 1 o’clock in the morning in a hotel in the West End, the client and myself reflected on where radio is now and what it was like when it started. We both agreed that radio advertising is a lot more scientific – and we like that. But over the years, a few things have crept in that, in our view, don’t really help some of the advertisers.
We discussed those packages that help radio stations to sell off any left-over inventory. To many stations, this has been a vital way of earning extra revenue, but from some advertiser’s point of view, it hasn’t been of great benefit. Yes, it’s an easy sell. Yes, it makes radio affordable to more businesses and yes, it helps stations earn more dosh. But conversely, I hear too many stories of it being sold to the wrong kind of businesses. I hear stories of the campaigns not working and so putting the advertisers off radio for a long long time. I hear from radio people who say they wish their station never started selling these packages because they have discovered it sometimes has the tendency to undermine the value of radio. And I know many Sales Execs dread having to sell these packages because they don’t believe in them. Our opinion is that they do work for some small advertisers, but for a lot of other advertisers, he/I would only recommend this kind of package if it was a support to a proper, structured and planned advertising campaign - a bolt-on if you like.
Our thoughts then turned to the ‘Creative Sell’. It’s going on and there have been many spectacular results achieved. But, it could be a lot, lot better. Too many radio stations are missing out on bigger revenue streams by not embracing the Creative Sell. Airtime proposals are dull, soulless items. Creative proposals set client’s minds alight with excitement. They are sexy, influential and very hard to resist. Creative proposals give radio advertising scale and helps to put brands into a context that airtime proposals could never do. In all the years I have been working with my agency client, I have never seen him compile an airtime proposal prior to establishing the creative strategy. For any medium to long-term advertiser, this is the way it should always be.
We spoke about sponsorship. We both like it, providing it’s a support to a structured radio advertising campaign. Creatively, many radio sponsor credits are dull. Let’s take another look at how TV advertisers handle their sponsor credits. Generally, they comprise clever scenarios and off the wall idents that give both the TV station and the advertiser an attractive on-air presence. Radio tends to stick with a standard format of wizzes, bangs, whooshes and a strapline that really doesn’t do anyone any favours.
And finally, we discussed what radio advert, in our opinion should be taken off air. That was an easy one: The 'Go Outdoors' campaign. If you haven't heard the ads yet, they basically consist of a hyperactive voiceover reading a 40 second script condensed into 30 seconds. It is bad radio and in the long term, will not do the brand any favours at all. Shouting is regarded as insulting and at worst, threatening. So why do Go Outdoors do it on the radio ? Being louder than your competitors on air won't mean your offering is better or exciting than anyone else's. Shouting simply means the listener will turn the ad down to a level that's so low they won't be able to hear it, so defeating the whole objective of being on the radio in the first place. Go Outdoors spend a lot on radio, imagine how much more effective their advertising would be if they talked TO people, rather than AT them ?
Happy new year !
“Where do you want us to meet ?” I asked.
“Let’s meet in Germany. Berlin to be precise”, said my client.
“Berlin ? ? Normally we meet in boring hotel receptions !”
“Nahh. I fancy Berlin. We’ll stay a couple of nights, have a few beers and see the sights. I’ll pay”.
And so he did. We met at Heathrow, checked in and then all Hell broke out. Snow came down, all flights cancelled and Heathrow wanted us out of the building immediately. So, with suitcases in hand we headed to London for 2 nights of merriment.
At about 1 o’clock in the morning in a hotel in the West End, the client and myself reflected on where radio is now and what it was like when it started. We both agreed that radio advertising is a lot more scientific – and we like that. But over the years, a few things have crept in that, in our view, don’t really help some of the advertisers.
We discussed those packages that help radio stations to sell off any left-over inventory. To many stations, this has been a vital way of earning extra revenue, but from some advertiser’s point of view, it hasn’t been of great benefit. Yes, it’s an easy sell. Yes, it makes radio affordable to more businesses and yes, it helps stations earn more dosh. But conversely, I hear too many stories of it being sold to the wrong kind of businesses. I hear stories of the campaigns not working and so putting the advertisers off radio for a long long time. I hear from radio people who say they wish their station never started selling these packages because they have discovered it sometimes has the tendency to undermine the value of radio. And I know many Sales Execs dread having to sell these packages because they don’t believe in them. Our opinion is that they do work for some small advertisers, but for a lot of other advertisers, he/I would only recommend this kind of package if it was a support to a proper, structured and planned advertising campaign - a bolt-on if you like.
Our thoughts then turned to the ‘Creative Sell’. It’s going on and there have been many spectacular results achieved. But, it could be a lot, lot better. Too many radio stations are missing out on bigger revenue streams by not embracing the Creative Sell. Airtime proposals are dull, soulless items. Creative proposals set client’s minds alight with excitement. They are sexy, influential and very hard to resist. Creative proposals give radio advertising scale and helps to put brands into a context that airtime proposals could never do. In all the years I have been working with my agency client, I have never seen him compile an airtime proposal prior to establishing the creative strategy. For any medium to long-term advertiser, this is the way it should always be.
We spoke about sponsorship. We both like it, providing it’s a support to a structured radio advertising campaign. Creatively, many radio sponsor credits are dull. Let’s take another look at how TV advertisers handle their sponsor credits. Generally, they comprise clever scenarios and off the wall idents that give both the TV station and the advertiser an attractive on-air presence. Radio tends to stick with a standard format of wizzes, bangs, whooshes and a strapline that really doesn’t do anyone any favours.
And finally, we discussed what radio advert, in our opinion should be taken off air. That was an easy one: The 'Go Outdoors' campaign. If you haven't heard the ads yet, they basically consist of a hyperactive voiceover reading a 40 second script condensed into 30 seconds. It is bad radio and in the long term, will not do the brand any favours at all. Shouting is regarded as insulting and at worst, threatening. So why do Go Outdoors do it on the radio ? Being louder than your competitors on air won't mean your offering is better or exciting than anyone else's. Shouting simply means the listener will turn the ad down to a level that's so low they won't be able to hear it, so defeating the whole objective of being on the radio in the first place. Go Outdoors spend a lot on radio, imagine how much more effective their advertising would be if they talked TO people, rather than AT them ?
Happy new year !
Thursday, 9 December 2010
You know what ? I am going to come out of the closet and tell everyone something that I have kept quiet about for many years.
I LOATHE ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
There. It’s off my chest and I feel a darn sight better for revealing my dirty little secret.
It feels like the whole world loves this show. But to me, just one note of a Cha Cha Cha or a glimpse of a sequin outfit adorning someone coated with orange fake tan makes me, cringe.
‘Strictly’ is one of many TV shows that uses celebrities to entertain us. On top of that, magazines like ‘Hello !’, ‘OK’ and ‘Heat’ publish millions of words about who’s doing what, with whom and where. Celebrity and everything that surrounds it is a huge industry and the public just can’t get enough of it.
All this makes me think that perhaps some radio advertisers are missing out on a trick. There are very few ‘celebrity’ brands on the air. By this, I mean local or regional advertisers taking an offering (be it a brand or a service) and creating a campaign that turns an ordinary company into a hugely popular icon.
Think about it. A business, product or service that everyone wants to be near or to be seen in. What if radio Commercial Producers and advertisers could work together to create something that when broadcast, emanates an amazing glow. Listeners hang on to every word, they feel compelled to respond when a new product, service or offering is broadcast. And when they deal with the company, every expectation is exceeded.
There are numerous international brands that are already doing this. Apple are doing an amazing job. Jimmy Choo with their to-die-for shoes. Virgin too. And although there are some local and regional radio advertisers adoring the crowds, I think there’s a lot of room for more to jump on the bandwagon.
Crunching it down, Apple make computers. They are well-made and work well. Jimmy Choo make attractive shoes and amongst other things, Virgin put you on aeroplanes and fly you somewhere. That’s it. But what helps to give them the iconic status is the way the offering is framed. If you’ve seen the Virgin Airlines ‘Still Red Hot’ TV commercial (the one with the group of beautiful Virgin hostesses walking through a 1980’s air terminal to the music of Frankie Goes to Hollywood), you’ll see how well framing can work. I am in the genuine belief that local and regional radio advertisers could do the same thing albeit for a smaller budget.
Helping an advertiser to achieve celebrity status isn’t something that will happen overnight. But if more brands could make listeners feel they are part of something special or perhaps God-like, then everyone is onto a winner.
John Calvert. www.airforce.co.uk
I LOATHE ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
There. It’s off my chest and I feel a darn sight better for revealing my dirty little secret.
It feels like the whole world loves this show. But to me, just one note of a Cha Cha Cha or a glimpse of a sequin outfit adorning someone coated with orange fake tan makes me, cringe.
‘Strictly’ is one of many TV shows that uses celebrities to entertain us. On top of that, magazines like ‘Hello !’, ‘OK’ and ‘Heat’ publish millions of words about who’s doing what, with whom and where. Celebrity and everything that surrounds it is a huge industry and the public just can’t get enough of it.
All this makes me think that perhaps some radio advertisers are missing out on a trick. There are very few ‘celebrity’ brands on the air. By this, I mean local or regional advertisers taking an offering (be it a brand or a service) and creating a campaign that turns an ordinary company into a hugely popular icon.
Think about it. A business, product or service that everyone wants to be near or to be seen in. What if radio Commercial Producers and advertisers could work together to create something that when broadcast, emanates an amazing glow. Listeners hang on to every word, they feel compelled to respond when a new product, service or offering is broadcast. And when they deal with the company, every expectation is exceeded.
There are numerous international brands that are already doing this. Apple are doing an amazing job. Jimmy Choo with their to-die-for shoes. Virgin too. And although there are some local and regional radio advertisers adoring the crowds, I think there’s a lot of room for more to jump on the bandwagon.
Crunching it down, Apple make computers. They are well-made and work well. Jimmy Choo make attractive shoes and amongst other things, Virgin put you on aeroplanes and fly you somewhere. That’s it. But what helps to give them the iconic status is the way the offering is framed. If you’ve seen the Virgin Airlines ‘Still Red Hot’ TV commercial (the one with the group of beautiful Virgin hostesses walking through a 1980’s air terminal to the music of Frankie Goes to Hollywood), you’ll see how well framing can work. I am in the genuine belief that local and regional radio advertisers could do the same thing albeit for a smaller budget.
Helping an advertiser to achieve celebrity status isn’t something that will happen overnight. But if more brands could make listeners feel they are part of something special or perhaps God-like, then everyone is onto a winner.
John Calvert. www.airforce.co.uk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)