Start with what customers care about.
People care about their own problems, whether you can help, and whether they can trust you. The message helps do some of the targeting.
Radio advertising · Strategy, creative, media buying
Radio advertising that gives people a reason to remember you.
It's not just who hears your advertising. It's what they hear.
Simply putting commercials on the air isn't enough. What are you saying? Who are you saying it to? And are you giving people a reason to remember you instead of your competition?
Let's talk radio advertising9
THE POINT ISN'T JUST TO BE ONMake the message
matter.
matter.
The work behind a good campaign
Message. Creative. Schedule.
Make the message stick.
Humor, storytelling, unexpected conversations, and business owners playing themselves can make a commercial memorable. Entertaining is a tool—not the goal.
Don't spread the budget too thin.
We look at stations, audiences, competition, cost, and what you're trying to accomplish. More stations don't automatically mean better results.
Hear What I'm Talking About.
I've written and produced a lot of radio commercials over the years. Here are a few of my favorites. Some are funny. Some are serious. But every one started with an idea and a message worth hearing.
Christine's Sleep Testimonial
This started as a video testimonial. I pulled out the most meaningful moments and turned them into a radio commercial. It's hard to beat a real customer telling her own story.
The Farmer Tan
Recording Summit's owners was always a blast. We made their ag-building ads anything but ordinary—and people actually stopped them to talk about commercials they'd heard. I also came up with "Farm Builders," which became our signature line in every ad.
Sleeping on the Moon
This one took top honors in the South Dakota Broadcasters Association's Gary Owens Commercial Production Awards. A little storytelling and imagination can do a lot more for a handcrafted mattress than another list of features.
Feeling Hopeless
No script. I just sat down with one of their psychologists, recorded our conversation, and edited it together. Sometimes the most powerful commercials are the ones that don't sound like commercials at all.
The Pumpkin Torte
"Gramma Nanna" was a hoot. I never handed her a script. I just let her be herself, then edited the audio afterward. That's what made those commercials so much fun.
The Sewer Backup
Two voice actors play a husband and wife dealing with a sewer backup. Not exactly a pleasant situation—but there's room for a little humor, even when things stink.
Help Wanted (Hog Jockeys)
Midwest Railcar was getting plenty of job applicants, just not enough good ones. We wanted to reach people who already had jobs but might consider a change. After a few months, their HR person told me the applicant pile was smaller—but the percentage of qualified candidates was higher.
Dandelions
Derek, the owner, called this one of their most powerful ads. We ran a dandelion commercial each spring when those pesky things started popping up. On this one, the sound effects do the heavy lifting.
Land Mines
Not a lot of budget. Just 15 seconds to get the point across. I think we managed.
Help Wanted
Ping pong during your break. Reruns of Robot Wars. Now that's a workplace somebody can picture themselves in. Recruitment ads have to do more than just say, "We're hiring."
What Is That, Hickory?
This one never aired. I took two coworkers to lunch at Backyard Grill, listened to their reactions, then wrote the commercial from what they said. Apparently I was better at writing radio ads than selling them back then.
The Frisky Deer
I always loved recording Mark and his two young boys. We tried to be a little goofy with those commercials, and this one about "frisky" deer is still a favorite.
Are There Pets in Heaven?
I got a bunch of Hillcrest Church kids together in Pastor Doug's office and let them talk. All at once. It was a blast—and this is one of my favorites from that recording session.
Not Just a Weird Smell
Can you picture what Jerry's describing at the beginning? That's the point. Some of the best radio commercials paint a picture in your head without showing you a thing.
Long Hair and Man Buns
This idea came straight from living in a house full of girls with long hair. Jerry's been voicing Roto-Rooter commercials since the early 2000s, and his delivery makes the message feel like advice from someone you trust.
The Clog Detective
I had my buddy Jason play the detective in this one. Just plain fun. Aren't commercials better when they don't sound like commercials?
The Broken Spring
This one started with a real customer email about a broken garage door spring. After learning how dangerous a DIY repair can be, I added some great voice actors and sound effects to make the point hard to miss.
A PhD in Garage Doors
Can you actually get a PhD in garage doors? Nope. And that's part of what makes this one fun.
A candid answer
Sometimes, radio isn't the right answer.
If the customer base is too small, margins won't support the investment, or the budget can't give a campaign a reasonable chance, I'll say so.
Sometimes the issue wasn't radio. It was the plan, the message, or what the business expected the campaign to do.
The point isn't to sell radio commercials. It's to help you make better advertising decisions.Strategy through finished commercial
Let's see whether radio fits your plan.
We'll talk about your customers, goals, market, and budget. No pressure. No obligation.
Talk with 9 Yards about radio