Crimes Of Passion

Did you ever see the film Shawshank Redemption? Based on a story by Stephen King, it follows the life behind bars of an inmate, Andy Dufresne, convicted of killing his wife in what was described as a crime of passion. At the moment he took another life, he had such passion for what he was doing that morality and consequences were not part of the man's mindset. His heart led his head. (It doesn't matter that he didn't do the killing, just stay with me, okay?)

"And this has to do with what, David Kirk?" you ask, slowly nodding to the person on your right, who thinks you look odd for nodding at her.

I'll tell you what this has to do with. Ready? It has to do with Passion. (cue the soundtrack)



If you run a business, you have a deep conviction about it, right? You started it because you saw an opportunity. You thought you could be successful. You thought you could be great at it. In other words, you had a passion for the industry and your skills and made the decision to dedicate your professional life to it.

So why do so many commercials you hear sound the same? Listen to the guy in the auto spot screaming at you for 40 seconds, then 20 seconds of another guy speaking faster than the legal speed limit. Listen to all the places that boast about how they have "best customer service" and "most knowledgable staff." It's the same thing over and over again.

Which leads me to my question: Where's the passion in these commercials?

Remember the burning inside you used to feel when you thought about your business? Remember how your heart beat just a little bit harder and you knew, just knew, that you would be different?

Are you?

When it comes to making your decisions about where to advertise and what to say, find that passion again. Get that burning sensation back (the one you don't need a doctor to cure - c'mon, get your mind out of the gutter) and use your emotions to describe your business. Why did you get into it? What do you do differently? Why are you the best? Let your passion turn into creativity. When it comes to making a great radio commercial, let your heart lead your head. It's almost a guarantee that the consequences will be something you can be most proud of.

SONG OF THE DAY

WDHA, 105.5 FM: The Rock of New Jersey, plays new rock and classic rock. One track that fits with the above is "Life's Been Good" by Joe Walsh. We play it. You like it. Put together a really good commercial and life will be good for you too.

Thanks for reading!
Dave

David Philp
Account Executive
WMTR-AM/WDHA-FM
Greater Media Broadcasting
55 Horsehill Rd. Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
ofc: 973-538-1250 x1377
e: dphilp@greatermedianj.com
fax: 973-538-3060

There's No "I" In Advertising

Um, actually, there are two of them. But that's not the point. The point is that when you advertise, you're not just selling yourself, you're selling your company, your message, your future... Hell, you're selling your destiny. Am I getting too heavy already? First paragraph and I'm talking about how together we can change your life? All right. I'll slow down.

I was talking to a potential customer of mine today. He runs a company that's part dry cleaner and part carpet cleaner. They service most of New Jersey and the Philly market (I'm a Mets fan, so guess which word in that sentence hurt me the most to write). They don't have a marketing budget. They survive through word of mouth and their website. Naturally, we talked about how radio could take that word of mouth and shoot it with some Jose Canseco-flavored steroids right into the butt of his company. (I didn't really use that analogy, but it's fitting, don't you think?) He was, and is, interested. The program we talked about had to work for him. Then he said something that bothered me: "I've been talking to a really well-respected marketing person. She told me to ask you if we could test for a week or two and see how it went."

Want to know my response?

Well, first I said that you don't "test" anything for a week or two when you're advertising, unless it's a Super Bowl ad that 50 million people (that's 100 million eyes, give or take a few pirates with patches) are going to see. On a local level, like in Northern New Jersey, you need to commit to a plan. To try this for "a week or two" and then that other thing for "a week or two" and then that third thing for "a week or two" isn't going to show you much of anything. Advertising is about frequency and consistency. It's that simple. Think McDonald's and Geico and Miller Beer. I can write this blog post and never write another. You think anybody's going to follow me? No. I need to keep at this, every week, every month, for years in order to get people to give this blog credibility. One post and out means I'm a guy who had a good idea but didn't know how to execute. Think you want to work with a guy like that? I don't.

There was something else I wanted to tell my new dry cleaner/carpet cleaner friend. This "well-respected" marketing person didn't really know what she was talking about. Did I have the guts? Actually, I did. But he interrupted with another question and we never got back to the subject of the well-respected person who, to me, doesn't know the most simple 2 facts about marketing and advertising:

Get Frequency
Be Consistent

It makes you wonder what the destinies are of the companies this person works for if she's giving out uninformed advice.

Now, for your song of the day: I'm a big Beatles fan. We play a lot of Beatles on WMTR (1250 AM here in Northern New Jersey). One of my favorite Beatles songs is "Hey Bulldog." I don't know why. It's just got a cool groove and John's sharp wit. So here, for your viewing/listening pleasure, is "Hey Bulldog."



Thanks for reading!
Dave

David Philp
Account Executive
WMTR-AM/WDHA-FM
Greater Media Broadcasting
55 Horsehill Rd. Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
ofc: 973-538-1250 x1377
e: dphilp@greatermedianj.com
fax: 973-538-3060