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 !