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I was recently thinking about legendary Country artists that have little significance in today’s Country music world or in the pop culture at large. They certainly have respect and have been influences on culture, but they have either been shut out of today’s world or have purposefully decided not to participate. It happens.
Then there are others who still have weight and significance in what is happening today. How does that happen and who decides? Some of it is hard work on the road, a great marketing, publishing or publicity team, and a new vision of how they can fit themselves into what’s going on now. Sometimes it is random fortune too.
That leads me to The Bellamy Brothers. They currently have a big hit in the U.K., but not from a new song, but rather “Let Your Love Flow” which they originally released in 1976. It is one of the best “feel good” songs ever recorded and someone took advantage of that fact and licensed the track for a television ad in the United Kingdom. The single is rising up the UK charts 30 years after it was a hit and they have a new found fame. A whole new generation is discovering the Bellamy’s.
The ad is for a credit card company. I don’t feel good about credit card companies. I actually hate credit card companies for a multitude of reasons. They are evil. But I do like this advert.
Seth Godin gives some interesting and relevant insights and makes a good case for getting back to personalized authenticity…….
Organizations will work tirelessly to de-personalize every communication medium they encounter.
Radio ads used to be live, personal and spoken by an individual.
TV ads used to feature actual people, demonstrating something, usually live.
Phone calls involved a live speaker, talking, with permission, to another person.
Email used to be honest interactions between consenting adults.
Facebook pages (and Wikipedia, too) were built by people, not staffs.
Twits came from real people, and so did instant messages.
One by one, the mass marketers have insisted on robocalling, spamming, jingling and lying their way into our lives. The pronoun morphs from “you” to “me” to “us” to “the corporation” …
The public works tirelessly to flee to actual interactions between real people, and our organizations work even more diligently (and with more leverage) to corporatize and anonymize the interactions.
The irony, of course, is that an organization with guts can go in the opposite direction and win.
Radio Ink recently released the findings of a phone survey of 1,004 U.S. adults. Among the findings the survey showed that 53 percent of listeners said they stick with a station through commercial breaks, 35 percent change the station, and 8 percent turn off the radio. And those who change the station tend to do it quickly: Seventy-seven percent of those who tune away do it within 30 seconds after commercials begin. I‘ve seen other surveys where the numbers for losing listeners during commercial breaks are even higher.
Personally, I will punch out of a station that is playing a really bad spot, especially if the ad is poorly voiced by the owner of the company (hello Tom Shane?). I’ll also find another station if an advertisement is loud and annoying or if there are more than three or four 60 second spots back to back. Production and content of the commercial really does matter.
When I was in radio we had a full time production person and that’s all they did. Not many of those anymore with budget cuts and staff members wearing multiple hats and spreading themselves thin.
In thinking about the future, how much longer can the current advertising spot system last? Is there a better way to set up advertising and partnerships to better utilize time, money, positioning and ratings? Especially with the current battle that has emerged with other entertainment options (some of them commerical free).
The only time I find myself sticking around is if the spot is delivered with personality by the DJ or talk show host. If it is done live with improvisation, all the better. Give me authenticity and creativeness. If a host can pull that off, it is not only entertaining, but the represented company is better served. However, this can backfire when the host is delivering too many live spots and they suddenly become recorded “live” reads. Which leads us back to annoying.
An even better scenario for advertisers is the shorter and focused spots that are live or that “sponsor” an entire half hour or other segment of time. You know the type….”This half hour brought to you by insert company here…..”
Am I the only one that thinks something different should emerge in the way ads are produced, presented and scheduled? Maybe an entirely new and innovative type of advertising revenue stream will emerge through podcasting, texting, or social networking? There has to be a better way.
It will take a bold radio company to step out and set a new course.
RADIO IN 3D
by Daniel Anstandig
Radio cannot grow if its operators insist on constricting the delivery of their brands to the sense of sound. Sure, there is no way around the fact that “speakers to ears” is our primary delivery method. Still, listeners and advertisers are now challenging radio stations to “think outside the speakers” into the interactive world. They want three-dimensional radio.
Many advertisers are now convinced that an audio ad is no longer enough to reach their customers. New Media has opened up new options to reach consumers—outside of television and radio, and local direct advertisers are buying campaigns that are “diversified” in nature. Radio/advertising companies that offer a multi-dimensional solution to advertisers (including audio, online showcasing, online lead generation, etc.) are more likely to win the lion-share of the business. Many of the radio companies we consult on building their digital marketing/sales strategies have reported that the street-level enthusiasm for radio buys with an interactive bend is at an all-time high.
McVay New Media’s 2008 Interactive Revenue forecast is calling for a 9% increase in this year’s spending on local banner ads alone. Across the United States in 2008, we will see approximately $10 Billion spent on local internet advertising by local direct buyers. Last year, radio is estimated to have pulled a whopping 1% share of that revenue.
These numbers concur with a study done by Borrell and Associates, which estimates that only 1.1% of last year’s $8.5 Billion spent in local online advertising (banners, audio/video streaming, and paid search engine placement combined) went to a radio station. Approximately $1.2 Billion dollars in streaming audio/video advertising alone will be placed online by local advertisers in 2008 (up 317% from 2007). It is estimated that $6.3 Billion will be spent by local advertisers on banner ads alone.
Broadcasters now stand at a cross-roads on whether to further include interactive media into their advertising-product-portfolio or not. The operators that effectively include interactive media in their strategies for audience and revenue growth will see returns this year. The operators without a vision for including interactive in their plans will leave money on the table—and sacrifice dollars to local internet portals.
For any of you who missed a Super Bowl advertisement you’ve been hearing about all week, or if you just want to view an ad again, check out the following link. Time online ranks the best and worst commercials. See if you agree. Pretty funny commentary as well.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/0,28757,1707987,00.html
