Radio

60 second radio: a waste of 30 seconds

Yes, we’ve said radio is not the obsolete medium you think it is. But actions speak louder than words. We just finished work on a new campaign for On The Fly – a San Francisco Men’s store (listen to our favorite spot below). And the spots make one point we’ve overlooked in our previous posting: 30 seconds is as good as 60. A few years back, radio made a marked shift away from the 60 second spot, and toward the 30 second spot. Agencies went into an uproar, claiming they wouldn’t have time to tell a story and engage the audience, which would result in diminished results.

But this was a symptom of an age-old advertising problem: good radio is hard to do and it doesn’t have the portfolio cachet that TV does. So the hardest thing to do well always falls to new, less experienced writers. In other words, most agencies aren’t very good at radio in the first place – and the need to do it in half the time has simply shined a light on that fact. On the other hand, agencies that specialize in the “theater of the mind” are more in demand than ever.

Listen to more of our radio spots here

Reports of Radio’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

These days, radio feels like a dead medium. It’s considered old-fashioned and advertisers are moving away from it in droves. The thing is: the audience is growing, not shrinking. 93% of the country listens to it and that audience has grown over the last 7 years, not diminished. Studies show iPod users get sick of their play lists very quickly, then return to the radio to hear what’s new. And the hype that launched Satellite radio was… well, hype.

So nothing’s changed but perception. Oh, and the price. The perception I just mentioned has caused radio rates to drop off substantially – which means efficiencies have increased substantially. It’s hard to say how long this will continue. But it’s easy to see that right now, you have an unprecedented window of opportunity to get tremendous reach and frequency. Need help? Give my reel a listen and give us a call.

Capitol Volkswagen Casts Wider Net With Radio Campaign

Back in April, we launched Capitol Volkswagen (the newest member of the Del Grande Dealer Group) with some cool, fun cable spots. Why? Because unlike network TV, cable is an incredibly targeted medium. If you want to reach San Jose, you buy the San Jose zone. If you want to reach San Francisco, you buy the San Francisco zone. High efficiency, low waste.

So why did we choose to shift to radio this month, when we know the spots will be heard in Marin, Sonoma and other areas where we can’t possibly expect listeners to make the trip to San Jose? Well, it’s frequently a close race between cable and radio, for the simple reason that radio is so inexpensive. With radio, we may be reaching people all over the Bay Area, but we’ll be reaching the same number of San Jose consumers (if not more), as we would with a cable buy.

Of course, the switch to radio at this stage begs the question of why we launched on cable. And the answer is: visual impact and brand awareness. The cable spots allowed us to connect with our consumers in a more visual, visceral way – they provided an interaction that goes further than a radio spot can, in terms of message retention. But now that some brand awareness has been built, we’re able to leverage that awareness and gain the cost efficiencies afforded by radio, by running continuity-minded spots that feature the same tone and voice as the cable spots. Take a listen:

Springboard Forward: Video Portfolio

The samples below represent a fairly wide range of styles, demonstrating Iron’s adaptable aesthetic. We believe we will be able to leverage that adaptability, along with our strong understanding of the Springboard Forward brand, to deliver a product that appeals to the target, as well as all internal stakeholders.

Checkpoint / The Wall:
This piece features a bold, unconventional look and feel, intended to invigorate attendees at Checkpoint’s annual meeting.

Capital Volkswagen / White World
Here we developed a friendly but minimalist world, where the message and the product would stand out, unfettered.

Astia / it Conference
This was a viral piece, that needed to surprise and entertain people, while branding Astia’s conference as an unconventional new experience.

Lombardi Sports / Miles Per Hour
This spot needed to maintain consistency with the overall Lombardi campaign – based primarily on irreverence.

Purcell Murray / Pro Range & Showroom
These two spots made the most of a shoe string budget, carrying the brand Iron had developed for Purcell Murray, into a Cable TV environment.

Clothing Broker / Security
This spot evolved very naturally out of the Clothing Broker brand promise: “We save wherever we can, so you save big on designer fashions.

Purcell Murray / Gaggenau Steam Oven
Here, the client requested a very conservative, conventional aesthetic.

The Risk Ratio

When do you take a risk with your marketing? The answer depends entirely on the purpose of a given marketing communication. In today’s crowded marketing environment, your advertising absolutely must take a risk. That said, marketing is not always advertising.

When a client asks for advertising, they are asking to break through the clutter and grab the attention of an otherwise disinterested prospect. This is not the forum for a conservative approach, and to recommend such an approach is just plain irresponsible. However, there’s a reason we call it a risk. Effective advertising often connects with the majority of the target at the expense of putting off a minority. For instance, we recommended San Francisco Honda go with a voice that was downright wacky:

Now, when a client asks for a business card or a tri-fold brochure, there is no reason to take a risk. These communications are going to people who are already paying attention. So the upside of taking a risk is removed, leaving only the downside.

So, in short, you take a risk when you have to.