Spot light #12: Kaiser chin

This spot for Kaiser is in Chinese and targetted to a Brazilian audience. It's the second or third part of a larger campaign named Vem, Kaiser, Vem (Come, Kaiser, Come). The Chinese version became Lai Kaiser Lai. Brazilians didn't understand anything, but found it very funny and could relate it to a previous spot with the same music and Portuguese lyrics. Check it out at www.danwei.org Just goes to prove how music matters more than words on radio.

Spot light #11: Beerly legal

What would you do for beer? This spot is made from beer.

Spot light #10: Library smart

What fun it would be to work on a product like this. And what's the product? Check out the library.

Why radio is so boring #2

Seth Stevenson adds: The Clio award presenter offered an excellent alternative theory: Radio ads are really difficult to excel at. "Making a radio ad," he said, "is like trying to hide on a squash court. There are no visuals you can fall back on, and you're at your most exposed as a writer." The big radio winner last night? Bud Light's "Real Men of Genius" campaign (which has been running since 1999 and also has a television component). This salute to everyday heroes (such as "Mr. Jean Shorts Wearer," "Mr. 80 SPF Sunblock Wearer," and "Mr. Backyard Bug Zapper Inventor") was termed a "radio juggernaut" by the presenter, who also wondered if it might be "the most successful radio campaign in history."

Why radio is so boring

Seth Stevenson from Slate: Midway through the ceremony, the excitement ground to a halt as the radio awards were announced. No one here seems to care a lick about radio ads. Throughout the festival, the short-listed ads were available at an iPod station in the convention center, yet I saw only one other person (besides me) bother to listen to them. My theory: Radio spots afford ad executives no excuse to travel to exotic locales, spend lots of money, and cast attractive young models (since it doesn't matter what radio actors look like), so the task holds little interest.

Which is exactly why you should focus on radio if you're a copywriter hungering for an award. (Yep, the big fish in a small pond theory.)

Spot light #9: Snow ridge

Good voiceover. Cool attitude. Nice music too. A great recipe for a good radio spot. And yes, peanuts to produce. Big on returns. That's why we need more radio. It makes good business sense and makes your brand look cooler than it is. If done right. Check it out.

Spot light #8: When Google fucked up

How did the marketing department at Google approve this? I guess that's why it got through. Only a marketing department could ever approve something like this. Cringe.

Spot light #7: eBay motors

Not just a better way to sell your car but also one of the nicer ways to do a radio spot for a classified service by using the way words sound beautifully. Lvly.

Spot light #6: IE 7

When was the last time you heard a radio spot for a web browser? If you ask me, never. Does it make sense to have a radio spot for a web browser? I seriously doubt it. Anyway, check out the spot. And then, think about how you might tackle a brief for a radio spot for a web browser. Not cool.

Spot light #5: Smoke now. Pay later.

The problem with a lot of smokers is they can't see how it will change their lives as they go forward. All they can see is how they think it changes the way people percieve them while they're smoking. This spot addresses that problem. Well.

Radio saydio #5

Radio is conversation in different forms and using different sounds. Words are sounds. Talking is sound. Sound is conversation. Here's an interesting article from the Economist on the rules of conversation. Understand them and then break them.

Radio saydio #4

It's bad enough that you're asking them to buy something and if you can't tolerate the sound of it for more than a few times, what makes you think people will?

Spot light #4: Dippity poo

Nice music. Interesting voiceovers. Irritating spot. How many times should you repeat your brand name in a radio spot? How many times would you be able to listen to this spot?

Spot light #3: Homo nobia

When you're asked to do a radio spot against homo phobia, is this what you'd do? It's interesting, but I think it can be bettered. Still, it's interesting. Especially, the voiceover. Just goes to prove what good casting can do for a TV commercial. Let's fight homo phobia. Listen. And then write a radio spot. It won't take much to air it.

That's the beauty of radio. It doesn't take much to put your message out there. Unfortunately, it does take some thinking.

Spot light #2: Cancer sell

Proof that it takes next to nothing to promote your brand. Because sometimes all you need is a great voiceover. Start.

Radio saydio #3

A most effective way to write good radio spots is with your eyes closed. And an open mind.

Spot light #1: Everyday life

The brief: "Our target market is people around the age of 35-40, who work full-time jobs, ...are stressed out all the time, and... are the kind of people that brag about not taking vacation days,... These people must be saved. Not in the Pat Robertson Evangelist sense, but in the vacation sense. If The Bahamas can tug on their heart strings for even a brief minute while driving down a construction-filled highway, maybe they'll realize, 'Wow. I totally need to escape from my life for a little while.'" The spot created by Babble on. And Fallon.

For more cool spots, check out the Babble blog on the link list. Or wait for me to find them.

Babble talks

A recording studio that works with advertising writers to come up with award-winning radio commercials. Check out some samples of their work. Good stuff.

Radio saydio #2

If you have to do a 30-second spot, think 25 seconds. (Okay, make that 27 seconds.) In short, most radio spots try to say too much. Please remember, it's only a part of the communication mix. Use it to get people to ask for more.

These spots stink

Can you top these spots and sink even lower? Writers and clients, please welcome the sow's ear for 2005.