5-16-2014
Radio has been called the most visual medium. Because your audience is creating the pictures with their imaginations, a radio commercial provides the perfect opportunity for brand comparisons, coupons, product demonstrations, even statistics ?because listeners can see more clearly with their minds? eyes.
Brand comparisons: Ask your audience to examine the brand on the left and the brand on the right. Use music, sound effects, audience reactions, announcer inflections, or contrasting voices to show the differences. This of course works in stereo but it also works in mono.
Coupons: Get your audience to visualize a coupon. Use the sounds of a knife, scissors, tearing, or a chainsaw to cut it out, or the sound of a pen or pencil if you want them to create their own ?radio coupons.? Caveat: Make sure that coupon gets them something huge, meaningful or dramatic, because you?re asking them to take an extra step, not just clip something out of a publication.
Product demonstrations: Show changes by using audience reactions, music slowing down or speeding up, noise or silence.
Charts, graphs, statistics: Play rising or falling tones, orchestra hits for large, a tiny bell for small, a chorus of voices for many, a handful of voices for few, a tuba for old, a power chord for new.
Distorted muffled sound for impaired vision. Crisply equalized sound for clear vision. Dark music or light music for different shades.
Get your audience involved. Help them see. The possibilities are endless.
Pick the most visual thing you can think of ? something that must be done in print or on TV, and do it on radio. It?ll be the most powerful thing your listeners have ever seen.
To get your very own free copy of ?Hedquist?s List of 329 Commercial Cliches,? email me at jeffrey@hedquist.com and I?ll send them. Guaranteed to reduce commercial effectiveness.
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