The great thing about radio is that apart from the obvious statutory regulations current in the territory the broadcaster operates within, there are no rules. There are NO rules to constrict creativity or to prevent the radio writer exploring areas that less adventurous scribes would fear to even consider. This is especially true in radio advertising, and the only rule that governs it all is that “It Works!”
How Long is a Piece of String?
The only one sensible answer to the perennial question, ‘How long is a piece of string?’ is that either a) it’s too short if it’s needed to be longer or b) it’s too long if a shorter piece is needed. The same could be said of a radio commercial, or a series of radio commercials working together as a campaign. There are no rules but there are a number of general principles that have developed over the years :
- A radio commercial is a long or a short as it needs to be to complete the brief.
- Write more than one ad if there’s too much information for one ad
- Write one idea into each radio ad – simple is best.
- The law of diminishing returns, means the more detail there is for the listener to grasp, the less the overall impact
- Words for a radio commercial have more in common with a 48 sheet poster that with a press ad
A radio campaign may be considerably more effective, by running more than one ad, and more than one execution of the same theme. The same audio logo or brand style in each individual commercial will considerably increase the campaign’s effectives, another example of “The whole often being greater than the sum of its parts.”
Radio Ad Lab Research Results
Radio Ad Lab is an independent organisation funded by the Radio Industry in the USA, “to further the understanding of how radio works, to measure radio’s effectiveness, and to increase advertiser and agency confidence in Radio." In their March 2004 ‘Radio White Paper’ they outlined research, which included a whole raft of useful qualitative research into radio’s effectiveness and types of execution. Information they cited that revealed the impact of various factors on radio advertising’s effectiveness including:
- Environmental factors: The environment in which the listener is consuming the ads can make a difference. (Higher recall of ads from those driving, and from brands that ran on radio and Tv for example.)
- Humour: The effectiveness of humour in radio advertising depends on the product category.
- Content: Various content characteristics like number of words and brand mentions (generally more is better in both cases) can make a difference.
- Length: Commercial affected the impact revealing “45 seconds or more were more effective”
The White Paper also quoted from a study that suggested there was “an interaction between likeablity and length.”
The Jigsaw Study
An older, but still valuable piece of research from Bournemouth University in the UK in 1994, “The Jigsaw Study, looked at Research into consumer’s relationship with radio,” and interestingly seemed to conclude when examining radio commercials:
- Commercial length: there was a greater chance of higher recall with 40 second commercials
- Word Count: the total number of words gave no indicator of recall
The study generally concluded that the most successful ads (in terms of recall) employed drama, a story, and simple situations or relationships and distinctive voices, and the least successful were information-led ads, results regardless of the respondents age, gender or class.
Judging Radio, the Five I’s
The RAB, the marketing arm of the radio industry in the UK, suggests Five I’s to help when judging radio proposals. These include for example such topics as :
- Listener Involvement
- Brand Identity
- Brand Impression
- Information
- Integration of the brand with other media.
In summary they advise potential radio advertising users to approve the idea, “rather than the exact words.” This is because very often in recording conditions, an agreed script can be approved and enhanced by the participants, by good actors. With the leeway, they suggest a “good script can become great radio.”
Conclusion
Average commercial durations, and therefore broadcast advertising rate-card quoted rates vary from country to country, typically 60 seconds in the US, to 30 seconds in the UK, and in metric units of 10, 20,30 and so on. A good 10” commercial, with one strong idea, well executed is eminently preferable to the listener to a long winded, unnecessarily complex and confusing 60” commercial.
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