Advertising On The Radio For Dummies

Back in early '00s, I worked in the Special Markets Division of the Universal Music Group. We put together music promotions, mainly custom compact disc promotions. The CDs you see in Williams Sonoma and Starbucks and Pottery Barn? They were/are done by those divisions. One of the hard parts of the job was convincing companies that putting together a custom CD for them was actually pretty easy. We chose the music together, licensed it, put some artwork on the CD - which we could create or their in-house art department could create, manufactured and shipped to their warehouse. There. Done. It was a 3-month process: 6-8 weeks to license the songs and 4 weeks to manufacture. Before record companies morphed into dinosaurs, this was a big business.

"Yes, Dave," you save with just a trace of a lisp, "but is it the same with radio?"

I will answer you with a hearty OH YEAH! Really, it's actually easier. You come up with a budget. We recommend to you what type of commercials we should run for you (10-second live announcements, 60-second pre-recorded announcements). We write and produce the commercial. You approve it. You pay us. You hear it on the air. Very simple. How long does it take? Give us 48 hours and we can have you rocking out on the airwaves.

Let me add that there is a catch. It's easy to go from 0 to 60 in 48 hours. But here are a few things you should keep in mind:

- Is your budget enough to keep you on the air for a sustained period of time? If you're running a branding campaign, a few weeks won't cut it. Run commercials for six months and really commit to your branding campaign. Combine it with local print, social media, cable. If you've got the budget, diversify.
- Is your message clear? You know why people change the dial when they listen to the radio (or why they skip commercials altogether with their DVRs)? Because the commercials usually suck. Seriously. They try to be funny but aren't. They try to be crass but are annoying. They try to get your attention but do it with cliches. This part is as important as your budget. You've got to cut through the clutter with a great commercial. Don't settle for less than what you can be proud of. And if you WANT to be on the air in 48 hours but don't really NEED to be, take a breath and get it right. Why waste money with a lousy commercial?

There. Those are the basics. Budget. Script. Goals. If you know what all three are, you've just increased your odds incrementally when it comes to running a successful radio campaign. Good for you.

SONG OF THE WEEK

WMTR plays some great Classic Oldies. As I composed the most wonderful words ever (look above), MTR played "Creeque Alley" by The Mamas & The Papas. Know it? Great song. Listen and enjoy.





Thanks for reading!
Dave

David Philp
Account Executive
WMTR-AM/WDHA-FM
Greater Media Broadcasting
55 Horsehill Rd.
Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
cell: 917-204-1929
e: dphilp@greatermedianj.com
fax: 973-538-3060