09. 12. 2012
5 Magical Ingredients
Dear radio friends, is fresh coffee waiting for you on the table? No? I’ll wait. Tell me, can anyone hear us? I hope not because the two of us will lead one dangerous conversation today. We will talk about cocaine and sharks. Cocaine and sharks in advertising, of course. In radio advertising.
The time of year when your clients and their brands should be on Christmas and New Year cards is approaching, isn’t it? Every advertiser is trying to get the attention of the consumers, to “bite off” a piece of their wallets. They are like sharks swimming in the big pool of consumers.
Advertising at this time of year is usually short terme: it means you want people to go out and buy something right away! I call it cocaine advertising. Why?
Because you are advertising something on the radio and you want to see the result right now. Like with cocaine. (At least that’s what I’ve read somewhere!)
You and me, both professionals in advertising, know that marketing is not like bubble gum or condom machine; insert money and get the product.
Marketing means connecting consumers, loyalty, relationships, love and purpose. It is not about the characteristics of the product, sails, quality etc.
But, I understand! Really! Now is the time to “scream” in your radio commercials in order for consumers to hear you and go buy products!
If the advertiser has good sales results, you get credits, you are the star and the business relationship is blooming!
Well, let me help you create magic and the most efficient SHORT TERM/COCAIN RADIO ADDS and your sails will sky rocket!
You need 5 ingredients. If you dismiss only one, the strategy will fall to pieces!
Let's go:
- Pushiness (shock at the beginning of the add; sentence, something no one expects and no one can ignore. Please, make the connotation positive, you do not want negative connotation to the product). This will surely get their attention! Warning: make a connection with the essence of the brand.
- The offer has to be so good that people’s jaws will drop. No, 10 or 20% discount does not count here.
- Logic. Tell consumers WHY are you offering them this. There will be people doubting you, so you have to make them believe you.
- Emergency or deadline Give them deadline for the offer. Date, hour when the offer will expire! That will make it hard for them to ignore the offer! Be specific!
- Repetition. You need a lot of repetition of the add on air. Two-three weeks, 12-15 times a day on ONE radio station (if you have more radio stations in the media mix, then you have to have 12-15 broadcasts on each one of them!)
I can see you smile because you know your advertising campaign will be HIT this season and I sincerely wish you all the best BUT (I hate but too)… I have to warn you; those short term/cocaine campaigns function less and less the more you use them. We do not want to teach consumers to “hear your ad” and just wait for SAILS or those special offers because that’s the way to attract only periodical consumers who are not interested in brand loyalty. Soon they will find “another you”, someone else with a better offer.
You have to think about those… who love investing time to “talk/connect” with your brand on long talks over coffee and who really appreciate your brand and the way it is improving their life!
I wish you all the best!
Your radio girl, BA Lenja F. Papp
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Lenja F. Papp is regular contributor to RAB Serbia web site.
(CEO RAB Slovenia, the only marketing/educational agency in South-East Europe, 102% dedicated to radio advertising). Talk with me about radio on lenja@rob.si