Current PDF Edition - Broadcast Dialogue

PubLISHER’S NoteBroadcast Dialogue has an incredible treasure-trove of thoughtful, enlighteningand entertaining content buried in our archives, columns thatare as relevant today as they were when first written.THE Book on CREATIVITY owes much to Rogers Toronto Creative DirectorMaureen Bulley for her years of insightful articles in Broadcast Dialoguerelated specifically to creative writing for broadcast.DialogueBROADCASTThe Voice of Broadcasting in CanadaHOWARD CHRISTENSENPublisher and Sales Directorhoward@broadcastdialogue.comDirect: 705-484-0752SUSAN WAHAY, Art Directorsu@broadcastdialogue.comDirect: 416-691-1372INGRID CHRISTENSEN, Editoringrid@broadcastdialogue.comDirect: 705-484-0752Additional contributors in THE book on CREATIVITY are:Albert Berkshire • Ingrid Christensen • Rodger Harding • Mark La Pointe •John McGrath • Jeff Rose-Martland • Christian Schoepke • Doug Thompson• Jamie West • D.J. WilliamsSincere thanks to each and every one of them.To our readers: Enjoy and create something beautiful!Broadcast Dialogue, a controlled circulatione-magazine, is published 10 times a year byChristensen Communications Ltd. The contentsof Broadcast Dialogue may not be reproducedin whole or in part without written consent ofthe publisher.Broadcast Dialogue18 Turtle PathLagoon City ON L0K 1B0Tel: (705) 484-0752Email: howard@broadcastdialogue.comwww.broadcastdialogue.comISSN # 1480-9443We invite story submissions.E-mail: howard@broadcastdialogue.comTo subscribe to the Broadcast Dialoguemagazine:ingrid@broadcastdialogue.com

MAUREEN BULLEYWhat goes around,comes aroundThe debate about the perfect spotlength is back, refreshed by recenttrends that find national TV advertisersopting for 15-second commercialsinstead of the traditional 30-seconds.Recent Nielsen statistics state the numberof 15-second television commercialsin the U.S. has increased more than 70%in five years to nearly 5.5 million in 2009.The shorter form commercials made up34% of all national ads on the air lastyear.The rationale behind the movement tothe new shorter spot length appears to betwo-fold. The first is cost: 15-second adscost about the same per second as longerones do, so mathematically the ad budgetcan be cut in half without compromisingfrequency. The second seems to be theshorter attention span we have or thelengths we go to avoid commercials altogether.Apparently about five percent ofpeople watching a short form TV commercialwill give up on it. About six percentfor 30-seconds and 6.5% of us giveup on 60-second spots. Not much moreengagement is evident between the 30-second and 15-second piece.Can a meaningful message be conveyedin 15-seconds? Products or servicesare better introduced with longer-formadvertising. 15-second commercials areideal to remind people of products, storesor prices. So, this could be an effective wayto reinforce branding of well-establishedproducts. It may also be an effective wayto conduct a countdown to an importantevent, but would still need the benefitof a regular spot schedule to tell the fullstory.But is the length of commercials reallythe issue? They are from the businessside of the street, but not necessarily fromthe audience’s perspective. Should spotsbe longer? Should they be shorter? Orshould they just be better?Radio programmers believe that 60-second commercials sound better. This assumesthat the length of each stop set isfixed, and the number of units fluctuatesdepending on inventory sold. One optionis to schedule no more than 10 units in abreak, regardless of how long each unitis. You could set guidelines based on thenumber of interruptions, or the numberof minutes used.How does the audience feel? Some researchsuggests that the audience perceptionis that 20 30-second commercials ina break sound longer than 10 60-secondcommercials. Regardless of that perceptionit’s hard to be seen or heard whenthere are no eyes nor ears on your message.If you’re the number five or numbersix commercial in a row, can you reallycreate an impact with your message?Perhaps we should allow clients to pay apremium to be number one, two or threeat the beginning of a commercial break.The bottom line is who cares how longthe commercial is as long as it is effective?It’s always the quality of the customer serviceand the effectiveness of the messagethat wins the sale.The decision about which spot lengthto recommend to your clients should bea function of what is being advertised.Sometimes even 30-seconds will seemtoo long, and 15-second spots or 10-secondtags will be enough. Other times, 90-seconds is the best way to develop an appropriatestoryline. In the UK where spotlengths are all over the map, some spotsare 40-seconds long. Perfect for that 30-second client who just cannot resist theurge to add just one more thing to theirscript.At the end of the day, the key is entertainmentvalue. Strive to create commercialsthat compliment the programmingand feel like a part of it. Avoid commercialsthat give a whole new meaning tothe word “interruption”.If and when you make a move toshorter spot lengths, you’re still filling thelogs—it just takes more advertisers to doit. That means double the work for thepeople writing and producing those shorterform commercials. And that’s wherethe rubber really hits the road.If you’re doubling your work load inan effort to increase revenue take a closelook at the amount of time it takes to filleach order. Plan to have a runaway successwith this new strategy instead of a runawaytrain.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or at doradio@total.net.10 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada DECEMBER 2010/JANUARY 2011

MAUREEN BULLEYIt’s a small world after all!In the classic 1982 Star Trek II episodeThe Wrath of Khan, Chekov andCaptain Terrell are taken prisoner byhenchmen who force unpleasant lookingmind control worms called Ceti eelsinto their ears. The eels wrap themselvesaround the cerebral cortex of the brainrendering the victim subservient to everycommand. The victim is slowly driveninsane, followed later by death.Apparently 90% of us experience thisat least once a weekOh, not the Ceti eels, rather earwormswhich can also drive us crazy. And thoseearworms are creating a lot of buzz in theland of academia.The origin of the term earworm isa translation of the German word“Ohrwurm” and describes the sensationwhen a song or chorus is stuck in yourhead. There’s a lot of earworm researchunderway, the outcome of which couldprove useful in the programming of musicand the creation of music-based advertisingmessages.There are at least two research studiesin progress. The one that first caughtmy ear is underway at BRAMS, theInternational Laboratory for Brain, Musicand Sound Research devoted to the studyof music cognition with a focus on neuroscience.It is located in Montreal andaffiliated jointly with McGill Universityand the University of Montreal.Another study with some great onlineelements is being conducted atGoldsmiths, University of London in collaborationwith BBC 6 Music and theBritish Academy. They’re researching themusic that sticks in our heads, sometimesreferred to as musical imagery. Researcherspontificate about which songs cause earwormsmost commonly, whether we actuallylike earworms and how frequentlywe experience them. What causes thesetunes to randomly enter your head andrepeat for a few minutes or even a fewhours? And why can’t we make them stop?The Goldsmiths’ undertaking has anumber of goals, including the search foranswers to questions such as what featurestypical earworm music tunes havein common—are some naturally more“sticky” because of the way they are constructed?Great fodder for the creationof hit songs or memorable jingle composition.Researchers also want to know whattraits are common to people who frequentlyexperience earworms. Perhapsmusicians or people who simply lovemusic are more at risk for earworminfections, or those who share personalitytypes. What causes the music in ourheads? Are some situations more highrisk, does the frequency of our exposureto music influence their effect, and whatpurpose can earworms serve?The first of several surveys begins witha personality questionnaire containingstatements about everyday experiencesand how much those experiences mayhave distressed or bothered the respondentin the last month. It also seeks tolearn about any formal music trainingand how long that training took place.Next, do you sing along with the musicin your head, and are those songs happyor sad? Clearly they’re seeking to establishsome kind of emotional connectionbetween those sticky tunes and our generaldisposition. Not unlike what we dowith advertising every single day.When we’re writing commercials thatwill use stock music from our productionmusic library we must decide therole the music will play. Is it intended tosimply add texture to the overall landscapeor does the music play a lead rolein making the advertising memorable?If you simply want to add texture tothe commercial, be sure to read your commercialalong with the music before it isrecorded to ensure that both copy andmusic are complementary. Another wayto use music is to let it be the key focusof the commercial.Writing from “the music up” takesmore time than some of the other techniques,but it can be very effective. Choosemusic that will reinforce the point youare trying to make. Listen to your productionmusic library and make notesabout how the music makes you feel,where it takes you and what gets stuck inyour head.Have a song stuck in your head?Why not “Sing-A-Worm”? Record yourearworms and submit them to the studyacross the pond.The Disney tune It’s A Small World AfterAll! comes to mind because it’s stuck inmy head right now. How about you?Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada OCTOBER 2010 15

MAUREEN BULLEYAnts don’t sleepDo you believe that ants don’tsleep? Do you believe that agiraffe can go without waterlonger than a camel? Whether or not youbelieve these statements depends on whosays them.Apparently, if a person with a foreignaccent told you these things you wouldn’tbelieve them.Why? According to research at theUniversity of Chicago a foreign accentreduces credibility in ways that the speakerand the listener don’t consciouslyrealize. Because an accent makes a personharder to understand, listeners areless likely to treat what they say as truthful.The credibility decreases even moreas the accent thickens.ScienceDaily summarized the study asa way “to test the impact of accent on credibility.American participants were askedto judge the truthfulness of trivia statementsby native or non-native speakersof the English language”, and providedtop line findings from the research.Boaz Keysar is a Professor of Psychologyat the University of Chicago and anexpert on communication. Keysar says:“The results have important implicationsfor how people perceive non-native speakersof a language, particularly as mobilityincreases in the modern world leadingmillions of people to be non-native speakersof the language they use daily. Theaccent makes it harder for people tounderstand what the non-native speakeris saying. They misattribute the difficultyof understanding the speech to the truthfulnessof the statements”.This is perhaps the most relevant outcomeof the study for commercial writersand producers. If people cannot be clearlyunderstood they cannot be believed. Wedon’t disbelieve consciously—the accenttricks us into thinking we don’t believe itsimply because we don’t understand it.Now what?There are many great commercials withso-called foreign accents in them. Cleverwriting and a unique sound makes thesecommercials really pop. Such commercialshave been running for years—we can onlyassume they work or the creative wouldhave changed ages ago.The unmistakable voice of HughHeron of Heathwood Homes is just that—unmistakable. His voice oozes credibilitydue in large part to the fact that healways speaks with sincerity. While theoccasional word or phrase in his thickScottish accent may be difficult to wrapyour ear around, the overall tone of hisvoice makes Hugh’s commercials standout. He told me recently that people hemeets on the street treat him like a friendbecause they feel like they’ve met himbefore. His voice is unique and memorable.That’s why his commercials work.One of my favourite commercialsmakes fun of the stereotypical humanresponse to people who don’t speak yourlanguage. “Good Morning, is this theinformation desk?”… the opening linein this classic spot for SAS Airlines featuresan American speaking to a Europeanhe believes doesn’t understand him. So,the American speaks English, but does soextremely loudly and extremely slowly. Asit happens he is speaking to a British manwho speaks English very well, thank youvery much! Ironically, the American isoverseas and the tables are turned—nowhe is the man with the supposed accent.So is there a place for foreign accentsin radio advertising?I’m not entirely sure, but what I doknow is that participants in the RadioPower Tools research gave low scores tocommercials that contained a foreign accentif it was “a voice that drips with anon-mainstream accent spoken only bya small group within the population, andused for no apparent reason”.Clearly the operative here is “no apparentreason”. So, if it makes sense toinclude a voice with an accent do so withpurpose. I would also suggest using a voicewith a genuine accent instead of tryingto replicate one. You’ll be disappointedwith the finished sound of the piece andyour client will be disappointed with theresults of their advertising unless yourvoice talent can truly nail that accent theydon’t naturally possess.So, do ants sleep or not? Accordingto BBC Earth, on average a single workerant in Britain takes 250 naps a day, butthey’re only a minute long. The Queenfalls asleep at far more regular intervalsthan her royal subjects. Guess they can’tunderstand a word she says.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or at doradio@total.net.26 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada SEPTEMBER 2010

MAUREEN BULLEYThe threshold of annoyanceIreally don’t like that awful scrapingon one’s teeth to clean them, but lovethe feeling of a freshly polished smile.And regular dental hygiene beats neglectingyour teeth to the point where theyhave to be pulled.This is where the discussion of spotload is going. Just like taking care to programcommercials with as much attentionto detail as we schedule music or designhourly clocks.The discussion of spot load and itseffect on the radio listening audience isongoing. We struggle with the departureof audience during commercials as measuredelectronically. In recent months I’veread research studies including an EKOSMedia Research study from May 2010 entitled“What drives the success of a GreaterToronto area (GTA) Radio Station”. Thestudy asked respondents to assume theywere general manager for a day and offersuggestions for making the station better.Eighty four percent offered at least onerecommendation. Almost half (46%) suggestedrunning fewer commercials. 36%said fewer interruptions (regardless of thetype of interruption) would make theirfavourite station better.A recent piece in Ross on Radio proclaimsthat a drastically reduced spot loadis the new paradigm. Ross also believesthat “most listeners still regard listeningto commercials as fair trade for entertainment”.He cites Pandora’s successfulintroduction of commercials and pointsout Slacker’s constant research into the“threshold of annoyance” as one of themost important things that terrestrialbroadcasters can research in the immediatefuture.So until such time as we determinethat magic number that represents balancebetween music and commercials weneed to brush and floss a little, just likewe do between visits to the dental hygienist.Here are a few ideas to get you started.The first is the ability to integrate whatyour audience is thinking and talkingabout to blur the lines between entertainmentand advertising. If it’s hot andhumid I’d sure like to know where tobuy an air conditioner on sale and I’d listento that information if it was in thecontext of a weather report. If the end ofthe month is looming, it’s a busy timefor moving companies and truck rentalsso it would be a good time to book yourmover now if you’re moving next month.If today’s UV index is high, the audienceneeds to know that it’s time to put on yoursunscreen. They’d also appreciate knowingit’s on sale at the corner pharmacy.This type of programming of commercialson the fly may seem ambitious, butyou’re probably doing a similar thing rightnow with your music. You program specificsongs when it’s raining, songs for hotand sunny weather and songs to celebratethe arrival of 5:00 o’clock on Friday after-noon. So it can be done. It just requires anew way of thinking and a new level offlexibility and cooperation between sales,traffic, creative and production, programmingand talent to pull it off.You put songs back to back becausethey sound good together. Use the samestrategy to schedule commercials. Classifythem as hot, medium or cold. If somethingterribly “hot” or grating is scheduledfirst in the break, move it in favourof something that more closely mimicsthe programming you segue from. Adjustfor tempo, and “hear” the log in yourhead before you finalize and print forthe next day.New commercial scheduling softwareallows you to sort based on a variety ofcriteria, including tempo and voice talent.If your voice pool is limited you want toavoid over-saturation by having one commercialafter another, voiced by the sameperson. Practice voice separation, or makeit unnecessary by accessing a broader poolof talent. Voice share with another marketor budget for more freelance.Try scheduling contesting elements inthe middle of a break—put your “cue tocall in and win” in between commercials.Or, create fictitious, funny and entertainingcommercials to place within the stopset and award cash to the first listenerwho can distinguish between real commercialsand the counterfeit ones.These solutions may seem like painstakingattention to detail. Kind of likebrushing and flossing. Better to attend tothe care and feeding of entertaining commercialbreaks day to day, than risk extractingthem entirely. Your smile will bethat much more engaging.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or at doradio@total.net.28 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada JULY/AUGUST 2010

Becoming aPowerfulCommunicatorTell the truth.Make it matter.Never be boring.These are three cardinal rules for radio, television or any othermedium such as Twitter or Facebook.While Valerie Geller’s ideas on powerful broadcasting communicationare definitely geared toward growing audiences, herrecommendations may prove to be powerful in your personal lifeas well.If you can do those three things, she told delegates to the2012 British Columbia Association of Broadcasters conventionin Vancouver, you will have listeners and viewers. The trick, ofcourse, is that you actually have to do it.Some of her suggestions sound simple but can be difficult toaccomplish. For example, “quit smoking” or “lose weight”. Bothroll off the tongue nicely but achieving such goals is a whole otherstory.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada • July/August 2012 29

With that in mind, here are a few of Geller’s suggestions:• Speak, write and communicate visually and emotionallyin terms a listener and viewer can visualize.• Start with your best material so that your listener andviewer is hooked immediately. Always ask yourself thequestion: “Why should anyone listen to this?” Whateveryou say next is the opening line.• Storytelling. Everybody is a story junkie at core. Welove stories. Geller reminded the audience of the fiveWs model: Who, what, where, why, when. But she addsa few more questions: “How does the story affect yourlistener or your viewer?” “How can you describe itmore visually?” “How can you make somebody careabout it?”• Never let anything go too long. How do you know ifit’s too long? It’s not the time. If it’s relevant, if itmatters, if the audience cares, five minutes can feellike one minute.• Listen to your station. Why would somebody listen orwatch? Imagine that a viewer or listener comes to youwith a bucket. What are you putting into that bucket?How does it affect their lives? How does it affect theirhealth, safety, money? Does it have focus and does itengage the listener or viewer? Does it have a point ofview, is it interesting? What’s the story? Is it a talkabletopic? Is it something they can talk about with otherpeople?• Ask: “Why would someone want to hear this?” if oneof the things you offer in your broadcasts, at least oncean hour, twice a show, are talkable topics. Most peopledon’t have fascinating lives. One thing that keepsmarriages alive is the element of surprise. And therelationship between broadcasters and the audienceis indeed a relationship.Boredom is a killer. Have interesting things to say.• Address each listener as an individual. Use “You”. Thispowerful word is magic. If you use the word you insteadof me, I, us or our, it’s like calling each listeneror viewer by his or her name. Instead of saying, “Ihave tickets to give away”, use “You have the chanceto win.”• Do engaging transitions and handoffs.• Promote, brag about your stuff (and other people’sstuff).• Stay curious, relax—allow humour to happen.• Be who you are on the air.• Take risks. Dare to be great!You’ll find more secrets on becoming a powerful communicatorin Valerie Geller’s book, Beyond Powerful Radio,available through www.BeyondPowerfulRadio.com.—BDBROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada • July/August 2012 30

MAUREEN BULLEYGo ahead, blaze some trailsIrecently had the pleasure of hosting atable at the Eighth Annual TrailblazersBreakfast as part of Canadian MusicWeek. The highlight was the presentationof The Rosalie Award to Denise Donlon,Executive Director of CBC English Radio.Equally inspiring was keynote speakerM. Michelle Nadon, President and CEO ofmediaINTELLIGENCE.ca. Nadon’s companyhelps media and entertainment professionalsthrough recruitment and careerplanning. Here are excerpts from her presentationthat may inspire you to blaze afew trails of your own:“The employment market today isdramatically different to that of 10 yearsago. The established Canadian creativeclass built their careers on hope and opportunitywhen traditional media, read:radio/TV, were in growth modes. Therewas little structure to securing jobs. Yougot a foot in the door, gained some experience,built incremental successes andmoved up the ranks. Employers relied onperformance and employees relied on employers.There were stable staff jobs. Wedepended on the broadcast communityto provide career-building opportunities.“Since the advent of the Internet, however,the media employment markets havedramatically changed. What used to berelatively simple radio and television productionis now multiplatform content development,content management, contentdistribution and rights management. Staffjobs are giving way to contracts and thevirtual workplace. There is a huge need forspecialized training, management training,business training, digital training andan equal need for upgrading the workforce’soverall understanding of broadbandcommunications tools.“Established and emerging talentstruggle with the changing physicalchannels, at the same time as being forcedto change mindset channels. Emergingtalent is full of energy and ideas, but theircollege degrees are passé before they exitthe institutional doors. Established talentsare treading water, some being ploughedunder by waves of technology. Every roleis a combo now, a specialty area plus marketingplus fiscal accountability plus projectmanagement—four jobs in one!“So, what does all this mean in termsof meaningful, let alone gainful, work?“We have two critical opportunities infront of us—first, the command generationis changing, second, innovation iswelcome. There is more room than everfor talent with fluid, business mindsets.There is a growing sense of evolution. Andevery professional or personal endeavourgoing forward is going to involve contentand media in some way, shape or form.From the entrepreneur’s perspective, it’snothing but good news.“With a little additional focus, we cantake charge of our careers. We have theopportunity to move and to grow withour labour market. But it’s up to us tounderstand the new content, research thenew players, source the new companies,acquaint ourselves with new businessdirections, new technologies and newdelivery mechanisms. We need to moveaway from our past reliance on funding.No single entity is going to deliver theperfect business model for everyone’s use.We need to create the new business models.Plural. And we all need to increaseour digital skills and knowledge.“Yesterday, we left it all to chance.Today, we structure our own career plansand opportunities. If you do a good jobof researching your industry and the newcompanies, researching their mandates,learning who the decision makers are, upgradingyour skills and knowledge andpresenting your business case accordingly—therewill be no reason not to beconsidered for the command jobs of thefuture.“Today, we depend on ourselves, ourpeers and innovations in the marketplaceto create career-building opportunities. It’sup to each individual to plan their professionalmoves and execute their individualplans. If we source opportunities thatmatch our goals and passions, develop agiven specialty or knowledge area, andpackage and position ourselves as professionalswith vision and the will to takeCanadian culture to new business heights,there is no reason not to succeed.“The media markets are primed fornew business, new business knowledgeand new business leadership. With propercareer planning and career management,there are opportunities for bothemerging and established talent toensure that Canadian culture remains insuccessful and capable hands.”Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or at doradio@total.net.14 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MAY/JUNE 2010

MAUREEN BULLEYHow to be amalfunctioning robotLast issue I shared some strategies forcreating more commercials morequickly. The key is to simplify… becomea better wordsmith and rely less onhigh production values.While this reduces the pressure onyour production department, it shifts itto the voice talent. Here is some advicefrom a master of many voices, Rogers seniorradio writer Damon Papadopoulos.An accomplished voice talent known forwide-ranging character voices and accents,Damon is featured in many cartoons andon countless radio commercials. Here’shis spin on developing your voice talent.“Here’s the thing about voice work—anyone can do it. Recently, a colleagueused one of our cleaning staff, a foodservice worker and an accountant-type ina PSA... all because they had accents.Written by Mathew Boniferro, The UnitedWay of Greater Toronto PSA is a finalistin this year’s Crystal Awards and you canhear this message at www.rmb.ca. Thevoices used were by no means professionals—butthey were coaxed out of theirshells. And really, all you need to performis a pair of cajones.“One-upmanship is the name of thegame. Someone has to be the funniest atthe auditions and the talents at the voiceovercattle calls are some of the craziest,mixed-up goofballs ever. But that’s whereit starts, doesn’t it? We started out thinking‘I’ve got to get all of this craziness outof my head’. We just blurted it out. Andthe craziness got laughs. And we liked it.“I had a ton of material to work withgrowing up. Greek father, English mother.Talk about accents! I even went to universityfor music, singing opera, in fact, butI always knew I wanted to voice commercialsand cartoons. I’ve been a malfunctioningrobot, a woman, a tyrannical ant,husband and anything else you can thinkof. So how do I do it? I follow a few steps.“I prepare to audition by doing somebreathing and singing exercises. You lookstupid walking down the street or drivingin a car, but in an age of Bluetooth techand general weirdness, no one really looksat you twice. If you’re trying out as ManTwo in an insurance commercial or anAntonio Banderas-like impersonation fora cartoon, you need to move your faceand warm up you vocal chords.“Second, I think about what I’m auditioningfor. If it is an accent, I try severaldifferent ones to see which one mightsound the best. The best way to learn accentsis to be around people who actuallyspeak the language. If you can’t access people,access the Internet.“The Internet is also the best placewhen trying to do impersonations. Actors,movies, concerts, commercials, programs,it’s all there. However, once you get theperson into your head, you’ve got to startspeaking. I recommend hanging out inthe bathroom. It’s private and most importantly,it has a mirror. You need to lookat yourself to give your brain visual clues.Take Clint Eastwood. He’s always squintingat the sun. When he speaks, it’s outof the corners of his mouth. He’s breathyand a little choppy. He’s cool as a cucumber.He’s Clint. After that, if I have a script,I’ll write down those visual clues andvoice directions to prompt me when Iget in front of the microphone. Because,quite literally, you have a minute or twoto make your best impression.“I remember someone saying if it’ssomething you have to make up, you haveto give the character a history. Say you’retrying to be an old prospector. He’s probablygot a broken American accent. He’sprobably missing some teeth. He probablyhas been alone most of his life, so he’snot married and he’s not close to his family.He’s squinty-eyed and he’s hunchedover a little because he’s a prospector.Then you’ve got to think about the waythe prospector laughs, because if it’s onething a casting director ALWAYS asks, it’s,‘Let’s hear him laugh’.Finally, in any audition, you have tobe on. You’ve got one shot to take. You’reup against 20, maybe 50 other people. Youhave to do something different to makeyou stand out; so if you’re tired, wake up.You’re in a crappy mood? Get happy!“And if all else fails, bribe them.”Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.34 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada APRIL 2010

MAUREEN BULLEYBigger, faster, better!If your station is writing and producingcommercials for direct advertisers,in the last 12 to 14 months you’vewritten and produced even more than theyear before. And you’re doing it with thesame or fewer resources.The nature of the business haschanged in all market sizes. Buys areshorter in nature, come with smaller leadtime and bigger expectations. Advertisersdemand instant gratification from theirinvestment, so we find ourselves strivingfor enhanced effectiveness while creatingmore commercials, more quickly.The key to success in today’s environmentis more efficient management ofresources. Here are a few ideas to helpyou with that.Simplify. Minimize the complexity ofthe scripts you write by relying less onhigh production values and more onclever word-smithing. Complex productionadds to already-taxed production resourcesand creates a bottleneck in theprovision of top drawer client service.Highly demanding, anxious clients won’ttolerate anything less than stellar service.Radio has always been sold on thebasis of its immediacy and as such wemust deliver it. Let that be your guidingprinciple in the creation of well-craftedscripts.There are two writing styles that lendthemselves to better, faster customer service.They are the narrative writing style,and the storytelling style.Write a narrative as though you werewriting a letter to a friend, or speaking tosomeone on the telephone. Economizewith your words, and write the way peopletalk. People don’t talk in completesentences, and they do use slang. This willhelp you fit the entire thought in to theallotted 30- or 60-second time period.Another key to a good narrative is toknow the skills and personality of yourvoice talent. If you write with a particularvoice talent in mind, it becomes easierto develop the script to make it soundlike something they would actually say.Commercials that fit your programmingstyle are much more effective. If yourstation is high-energy, fast-paced radio, aproperly written narrative can mirror thatprogramming without becoming tuneout.Think about how your listener wouldtell a story to another listener. Check outthe classic Ortho Fire Ant Killer fromthe 1999 Mercury Awards. Or somethingmore current at www.bearmountain.com/snowboard/2010/01/07/funny-radio-ad/.Storytelling is a form of narrative witha little more depth. It can be done withone voice; modest, well-placed sound effectsand cleverly chosen music. It is oneof the most powerful writing techniquesbecause it gives us the opportunity to conveythe story, and have the listener developtheir own images about its details.Because listeners play an active role incompleting the storyline, they tend to rememberit longer. They may also be ableto relate personally to the story, or knowsomeone who can. This allows us to verbalizefewer details because the listenercan contribute them on their own.When you work on your storytellingskills, edit thoughts to two words insteadof four. Then look for thoughts or ideasyou can establish or convey with thesound effects or music. Even the voicereading your commercial will add to thestory’s overall texture. Work with the scriptuntil it is within the 30- or 60-second timelimit. Be sure to allow the talent time totell the story at the appropriate pace.Asking them to rush through the commercialto include all the copy defeatsthe purpose of telling the story.Better writing requires better concentration.Minimize interruptions by creating alist of answers to FAQs about commercialsfrom listeners. You know the typesof commercials that will stimulate callsfor more details, so create it on the goand share it with your receptionist.Recycle good, unsold ideas and modifythem for use with a different advertiser.Track your volume by knowing howmuch you are writing and producing. Youcan assign a numeric value to their complexity:“one” representing a simple narrativecommercial and “five”representing a complex, productionintensepiece. Know how long each styletakes to execute and work backwards,based on available time and resources, toknow and understand your overallcapacity.Anyone can be bigger and faster. To bebigger, faster and better is, well, better!Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or at doradio@total.net.32 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MARCH 2010

MAUREEN BULLEYThe dinner time dilemmaDid you hear about the man whowrote to his favourite radio stationto request a change in thebroadcast time of a particular feature? Thelistener stated the scheduling conflictedwith his wife’s dinner preparation. He wasmotivated to write because their housenearly burnt down when the cooking wasleft unattended while the pair listenedintently to the radio broadcast.You probably receive hundreds ofpieces of correspondence every week fromyour audience. Now, with tighter timelines,increased workload and limited resources,responding to listener inquiriesmay not always be at the top of your to-dolist. Should it be? A study of the role oflistener feedback or “fan mail” from a historicalperspective may help you decide.This dinner time dilemma is just oneof many letters sent to the producers ofVox Pop. Popular in the 1930s and 40s,the program was a person-on-the-streetinterview show that began at a Houstonradio station in early 1930s and latermoved to New York. The program receivedincredible amounts of mail. Listener interactivitywith radio began long beforewe had the technological ability to beinteractive back at them.Why does the audience take time towrite? Was this early practice of writingletters to broadcasters truly interactive?Perhaps yes, if you subscribe to the conclusionsof a piece by Charlene Simmonspublished in the September 2009 issueof the Journal of Broadcasting & ElectronicMedia. Simply put, if the perception is oneof interactivity, that perception is realityeven if no true interaction takes place.According to the paper’s author, perceivedinteractivity is dependent uponcontrol, response time and synchronicity,two-way communication, personalizationand the content of the message. Our abilityto respond instantly is relatively new.But from that very first letter written byhand, audience members felt that theywere interacting with the broadcaster.Even though the letter writers figuredthere was little chance of getting a reply,they felt that communicating theirthoughts might influence producers.Audience members found the fan mailexperience to be interactive even thoughinteracting never occurred. Case in point,the NBC Nightly News which in the’90s began displaying e-mail coordinatesof news correspondents during reports.“Although NBC never responded to itsviewers, the e-mails reflected a level ofperceived interaction on the part of theviewer”.Interesting to note is that listener letterswere at one time used by many radiostations and networks to estimate thesize of their listening audience, confirmthe size of the station’s footprint and tounderstand audience preferences. Whileaudience measurement is much moresophisticated today, the fundamentalsremain the same.Listener feedback is a wonderful thing.The ability of our audience to connect tous quickly through our website or ourswitchboard gives us a great opportunityto interact. One example of early fanmail stated: “We do appreciate your kindendeavour to please the listening publicand we only wish there was some waythat our applause could be transmittedback”. I suspect it was—delayed by thelength of time it took for the letter to bewritten and delivered, but applause receivednonetheless.Interestingly, if the stations made requestsfor listener feedback, the responsewas great and filled with praise and positivecommentary. In between those requests,however, most correspondencewas critical.In a study of fan mail for the NewYork Philharmonic broadcasts on CBS,Scholar Bogart concluded in his 1949paper that “fan mail is a means for whichthe audience can talk back, by whichcommunication can resume its two-wayflow… It is a way by which the listenercan participate more fully in the experienceof listening”.Whether your audience is writing topraise, complain or inquire, they feel likethey’re interacting just by getting in touch.It may not matter much if you actuallyreply, but perhaps you should.Feedback, positive or otherwise, is alwaysworth the page it’s written on or thescreen upon which it is displayed.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada DECEMBER 2009/JANUARY 2010 61

MAUREEN BULLEYPreaching to the choirnot creative unless it sells”. Iclipped that out of an advertising“It’smagazine and posted it over mydesk at my first radio job. The sales peopleloved it. The more artsy among us, notso much.I suppose it should have read “It’s notadvertising unless it sells”. This is whatBob Hoffman believes. Bob is The AdContrarian, author of a book by the samename.Directed at people in the industryand anyone in business that has to makeadvertising decisions, The Ad Contrarianstates that “advertising has one simplepurpose: to find something interestingto say that will make someone buy yourstuff”. This brief but entertaining booksimplifies a complex task by being specificabout what advertising should do,what it should say, and who it should besaid to.At the heart of the matter is what advertisingshould do versus what a lot of itis trying to do. Advertising should encouragea change in behaviour, not a changein attitude. Just give a consumer a solidreason to give you a try. The only way tochange an attitude about a product is toexperience a product. When a customerexperiences your product, sales are created.Mission accomplished.Advertising should not be tasked withthe responsibility of building a brand.Rather, that a strong brand is an outcomeor a by-product of numerous activities—great products, great customer service, andadvertising that demonstrates how youare different from, and better than, yourcompetitors. Hoffman thinks Apple is acompany that has become great by makingreally good products and really goodads about those products.What should be said in advertising tomake it effective? What advertising needsto do is make a differentiating point aboutthe product. Give consumers a reason totry it by speaking in a language that thebest potential customer can understand.Who is the best potential customer?The Ad Contrarian is of the opinionthat we have the target group all wrongand, based on the examples he provides,I would tend to agree. Hoffman arguesthat most marketers target young peopleeven though older people have more buyingpower. There are certainly exceptionsto this, but for many products it makessense to reach out to the people with themost money. In fact, the author quotes astudy in which half of older people saidthey tuned out of a spot targeting youngpeople, and one-third actively avoid productsdirected at young people. This lendsnew meaning to shooting yourself in thefoot.The best potential customer is the onemost likely to respond: sort of like shootingfish in a barrel. You can target the personwho might go once every couple ofweeks to eat fast food, but the paydirtlies with the person who uses a fast-foodrestaurant as a refrigerator. It’s where theyeat most of their meals.What’s an advertiser to do? First, identifythe principles that guide your advertisingdecisions and write them down.Next, understand that the key to impactis concentrating your resources. Decidewhatyouwanttobe,andthenbeagoodone. For example, if you’re going to be agood broadcast advertiser, buy lots ofweight. If being interactive makes moresense, spend your money there.Bottom line? Concentrate your efforts,don’t dilute them. Then determine whoyou’re going to speak to, and what youneed to say.If as an advertiser you find yourselfoverwhelmed by reams of data andagency-speak, it would be prudent toidentify people in your company whoare good at solving the mysteries buriedin all that information. (Hoffman includesa must-read chapter about the differencebetween puzzles and mysteriesborrowed from a New Yorker article byMalcolm Gladwell.) Look for people inyour company with a high IQ, then exposethem to all information you alreadyhave about your customers to figure outthe hidden meaning.At the creative level, look for peoplewho Hoffman calls “simplifiers”: peoplegood at simplifying vast amounts of informationto distil it down to a unique lineof thinking. They can help you to preachto the choir that is made up of your bestpotential customers using a message thatwill change their behaviour.Only when behaviour changes willbeliefs change, so put first things first.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.26 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada NOVEMBER 2009

Let the FUNbeginBY MARK LA POINTERemember when we used to have it. You know, beforedownsizing and recession mongering.Way before political correctness and pepper sprayings.And before carpal tunnel had set in to both our wristsand our brains.I don’t mean the fun we had on the air, I mean the funwe had with each other.The REAL fun.The stuff of legend.I sat in a “state of the union” sort of meeting the otherday, and my op manager asked that question. And besides allthe other stuff he filled us in on… it was that little questionthat stuck with me. That, and the fact that the sales departmenthad scored all the good muffins first.Sadly, the room was full of blank stares and fearful sidewaysglances. Nervous eyes bounced like crazed windshieldwipers, desperate to catch a hint of what the right answermight be. No one wanted to be the odd man out. It was obviousthat they didn’t remember the fun, or maybe the meetingcoffee and muffin were just kicking in.All he asked was, “Remember when radio used to befun?”I in turn asked the question to my brain. The few synapsesI have left sizzled a bit… and then the memories came,followed by a more obvious question: “Why am I not injail?”But we’ll get back to that.Many of us have been so busy worrying about theBROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada NOVEMBER 2009 13

economy, our futures, the ridiculous amount of multi-tasking we do, the changingtechnology and Paula Abdul’s next career move… that we have forgotten the spirit ofour “what we do”.Well, not forgotten just not really thought of in a while.We have set aside our very essence. (And by “essence”, I don’t mean that big bottleof Brut that one of our ex news guys used to gargle with.)Fun. Damn it. Silly. Immature. Goofy. A thousand paper balls waiting in the overheadcupboard stuff.One of my first radio gigs (while still in college), was to stand ass deep in snow atthe base of a looming AM tower at 3 a.m., and scrape micro-waved raccoon bits fromthe inside of the tower shack with a spatula.That has nothing to do with the fun thing, I just wanted to get that off my chest.If you’ve been in the radio biz for at least 15 years… you remember some fun.Twenty years… THE fun. Twenty-five or more years… you are no longer capable ofremembering the fun you had, that’s how much fun you had.Remember the time you wore the cow suit to the BMG after-awards party and gotmilked; or the time you assembled a 50-foot long, 20-foot high plywood radio dialon your GM’s front lawn at two in the morning; or when you went through the entirestation and covered every single photo on every single desk with a shot of your own face?I CAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE WHO PULLS THIS CRAP!Simply irresistible –the R&S ® SCx8000 TV transmitter seriesUltra-compact, energy-efficient, flexibly configurable and economical—simply irresistible, any way you look at them. The new R&S ® SCx8000 TVtransmitters from Rohde&Schwarz incorporate all the features thatnetwork operators look for, but have not found in other transmitters inthis power class.❙ The most compact and energy-efficient UHF transmitters in their class(ATSC: from 300 W to 900 W)❙ Innovative redundancy concept for maximum reliability at minimum cost❙ N+1 solution available for redundancy❙ Multistandard, for DVB-T, DVB-H, ATSC, ATSC Mobile DTV,MediaFLO and analog TV, simple switchover from ATV to DTVThe R&S ® SCx8000 transmitters offer all the quality andperformance you expect from Rohde&Schwarz. At a price that is simply irresistible.www.rohde-schwarz.com/ad/scx8000Rohde & SchwarzCanada Inc.750 Palladium Drive, Suite 102Ottawa, ON K2V 1C7Phone: (613) 592-8000Fax: (613) 592-8009Toll Free: (877) 438-2880www.rohde-schwarz.comDriving Efficiencyin BroadcastingCome SeeUs at WABEBooth No. 100The Moffat guys were the kings. Theywould use helicopters, chainsaws, TV camerasrigged with high-powered hoses. Theywould move people’s houses while theywere away on vacation.They weren’t pranksters… they wereartists. Gods. And there were so manymore… at CHUM, Standard, Blackburn.THEY KNEW FUN.Before you start, I know times are different…blahblahblah.But fun isn’t.I would love to see two things happen.1. I want to hear from you with your legendaryprank story. Maybe you pulledit, maybe you wore it, or maybe youjust love telling the tale. We’ll puttogether a bunch of the best (anonymouslyif necessary) and print themASAP. No need to start your story with“I was drunk when…” as that will justbe assumed.2. Have some freakin’ fun again. Teachthose young serious professionals whatall this noise and heart and soul isreally about. Don’t get fired, don’t destroyanything, don’t hurt anyone…and, most important, don’t get caught.But for God’s sake go have some fun.Please be careful not to harm any animalsor engineers in the making ofyour fun. (You can rent the cow suitfrom me.)3. I know I said “two things”, but I’m ona roll here. Lastly, I would like to seemore muffins at our next meeting,because I swear each sales person tooktwo.Let the fun begin… again.And send your fun to mark@killervoiceovers.ca.Mark La Pointe’s freelance voice-overand radio careers have spanned over 25years, and he continues to do a daily radioshow in London, ON. He can be found atKillerVoiceOvers.ca or reached by e-mailat mark@killervoiceovers.ca.14 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada NOVEMBER 2009

A radio ad can makean impression fora long, long timeRegardless of how old you are, radio has played a role in your life one way oranother. There has been a moment, at some point in your existence, when you’veactively tuned into a radio station to hear something. It may have been to hearthe new number one song, breaking news, or an updated weather or traffic report.My father, Dick Williams, is a disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s not onlyin my hometown of London, Ontario but also in music history for being one of the firstdisc jockeys to play the Beatles in North America. What’s even funnier is that supposedlymy mother, Debbie, who was the music librarian at CFPL Radio, was the one who actuallyhanded my dad the record. I recently listened to one of his air checks from 1963. Itis amazing to be reminded of how exciting and engaging radio was back then.When I spent time with my father as a child it was not always at thehockey rink, fishing or sailing, but at the radio station hangingout in dimly-lit control rooms watching him perform hiscraft with a pair of massive headphones on, infront of a huge soundboard with all kindsof what my friend Forrest Martincalls “bright lights andblinky buttons.”by

It was pretty exciting stuff for a seven-year-old.In 1999, my radio sales career started when I accepted a position at CFPL Radioand embarked on a journey that continues to this day. I was very excited to walk intothe same building where so much history had gone down and to actually be a part ofthe legacy myself.The only problem was that between my dad’s glory days and the day that I started,quite a bit had changed in the radio business.To this day, my father is still the most passionate radio man on the planet. He taughtme to “Say what you need to say. Say it with passion. Say it with energy. Make itbelievable. Make it entertaining. Show emotion. Be yourself.”And although my dad is a very private person, he did and still does his job verywell. He made everyone he met on the street feel special. In turn, it made his radioprogram and radio station special. It was local. It was personable. It was a big part ofhow folks lived their lives and how they went about their day.Back then, if you were a disc jockey on the number-one station in your city youwere as much of a celebrity as a movie or rock star. You had a power to draw people’sattention. If you said that your favourite hamburger in town was at Joe’s HamburgerStand, people would line up there just because you were an authority on the subject,and anything that you said was considered gospel.Radio taught me that the power of media can really have an impact on people’slives. It can introduce them to new things, new ideas, new concepts and new promotions.It’s played out well in my life because I wasn’t born with a natural radio voice.I hate the sound of my voice. I hate being put on the spot in front of large crowds ofpeople. I don’t have the slickness and the smooth style of my father—but I do havehis passion.Because of my name being D.J., people assume that I had aspirations of being onair, which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s so unnatural for me that it’s almostdriven me to anxiety attacks at times. I pull it off pretty well, because I learned from mydad that this is show business and that you are “on” all the time.When you go to a radio station and see that light outside the studio that says, “OnAir,” it means that it’s game on. You have the captive interest of thousands of listenerswho may not know you personally—but they know you and have tuned in to hearwhat you have to say.Industry GlueRadio commercials should be considered the glue that holds a format together andkeeps it flowing. This idea comes from a time when radio stations used to be muchmore creative with their advertisements than they are now, though radio still continuesto have the potential to make an impact this way. Back in the day, people mightnot have even been in the market to buy a certain product or service but, because thatradio personality was connected to that company or service, it added credibility.In this modern day there are stillradio personalities that can generate thattype of buzz. Unfortunately, this is theexception now when it should be therule.Radio stations must make it a priorityto groom and foster on-air personalities.An exceptional disc jockey makes all thedifference. If a radio station doesn’t havea bold personality that listeners can relateto and believe, it better find some otherways to make the advertising messagesthat run on their station over the topexciting and able to pique consumers’curiosity.You don’t have to be a clever copywriterto come up with a successful radiocampaign. In fact, one of the best campaignsthat I’ve seen in the last couple ofyears is for Head On, the headache relieftopical stick. They told the consumer whatthe product is, what to do with it and whatwill happen if they follow those simpleinstructions. More often than not, a simpleand straightforward approach leads tothe punchiest and most compelling advertisingcampaign.Some of the things that we laughabout are things that we’re picturing inour mind, not something we actually saw.A radio ad can make an impression for along, long time.Radio still reaches millions of peopleeverywhere, every day of their lives. Thebest thing radio can do is continue to findways to be relevant in our own industry,and in other ones as well.D.J. Williams is the author of “soundBAIT:Creative Weapons of MASS Distraction”and President of The Jetset MediaWorkshop in London, ON. He may bereached by e-mail at info@soundbait.comor visit www.soundbait.com.18 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada NOVEMBER 2009

MAUREEN BULLEYDo you hear what I hear?There are several classic audio clipsyou may have heard of actor OrsonWelles storming out of recordingsessions because he was distraught withthe content of the copy he was readingand the voice direction he was receiving.The expletives prevent me from transcribingit for you here.There is a more recent rendition featuringWilliam Shatner in which James T.challenges the voice direction he is receivingand responds by delivering the lineswith a mocking sarcastic tone that mimicthe director who is painfully reduced tofeeling like a moron.Sure it’s a challenge working with starpower—they can walk out on you if theyfeel like it, just because they can.Why didn’t Donald Sutherland dothat? I’ve been struggling with that questionfor months. Don’t get me wrong. Ilove our Canadian-born treasure. We’reall grateful for the advertising investmentmade by the home improvement companywhose commercials he voices. Butthis to me is a disconnect.I pity the copywriter and sound engineerwho had to have this magnificentvoice tell us it’s time to stop (sfx: toiletflush) flushing money down the toiletand head to a home improvement bigbox. I’m paraphrasing, but you get thepoint. The voice of Donald Sutherland isbetter suited to a fine wine or a perfume,not a low-flow toilet.The end result on the part of the consumerhas to be confusion—it sure is withme. Every time I hear a commercial in thisseries I’m so distracted by the voice mismatchthat I miss the message entirely.While it’s true that Donald Sutherlanddoesn’t personally endorse products, andthere is no mention of his name in commercials,any endorsement is implied byvirtue of how unique and easily recognizablehis voice is. And in this case, his roleis quite pedestrian—in some versions he’sjust a wrap-around voice with other actorsplaying little skits in the middle. Honestly,I think it’s a voice-over job any well-readvoice talent could deliver. It’s a mismatch,and with the utmost respect to everyoneinvolved a waste of star power to hire thisfine performer to deliver lines such asthese. Give him more believable lines todeliver and this marriage could work.At the station level our challenge isquite the opposite. Many a writer or producerfind themselves wishing they hadaccess to “better” (read, more versatile)voice talent to make their station-producedcommercials sound more elaboratethan they really are. We end up witha mismatch of a different kind—a brilliantscript that you don’t have the talentstable to deliver.A better strategy is to write for thevoices you do have, and not for the voicesyou wish you had. Challenge the voicetalent in your stable. Ask them what theythink they do well. And write for exactlytheir skill set.I recently wrote a branding spot for acorporate account by writing for the voiceskills of a particular announcer. I knewexactly how to write for that voice—shortphrases, easy edit points for the producerand copy written the way the announcerwould actually speak.The end result was a commercial thatreally cut through and an advertisinginvestment that increased significantlywhen the client heard the finished product.When it sounds that great, you knowyou’ve got a match made in heaven insteadof a mismatch made elsewhere.This strategy can work well with commercialswritten in a narrative style, or adialogue style. Be sure to write your nextdialogue commercial “short”, giving thetalent time to make it sound natural.If you don’t have particularly strongacting talent, consider casting people inthe commercial who get along well togetherin the halls. Your chances of achievingmore realistic dialogue will improvegreatly. Keep your ear to the ground becauseunique and different voices couldbe hiding anywhere.Even an average writer can create anabove-average sounding commercial withstar-power voice talent. If you write fortalent you don’t have, the end result isfrustration over a potentially brilliantscript that falls flat in the studio.The real test of a writer’s talent is creatingsomething extraordinary fromseemingly ordinary voice talent.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada OCTOBER 2009 23

MAUREEN BULLEYOn the back burnerI’m slowly learning to barbeque, slowlybeing the operative word here.Perhaps I should say I’m learning tobarbeque slowly, because that’s what youmust do to get the best results on thegrill, or so I’ve been told.I’m having a hard time adjusting tolife on the back burner because everythingelse in life moves at such a feverpitch. The fastest, most efficient way toget a task completed or to journey fromAtoBiswhatdrivesmanyofustocompleteour tasks in record speed.Case in point, I found myself writingthis article by hand after a computer malfunctiongrilled my laptop. The requiredwarranty work is only three weeks awayfrom being completed. Imagine the technologywithdrawal I’ll be feeling afterthat exercise!I don’t remember the last time I handwrote725 words, or in fact if I’ve everhand-written anything that long in mylife! But I can type to beat the band, clockingin at about 85 words per minute ona typical day. Clearly all those years ofpiano lessons have finally paid off.Just like barbequing requires thepatience of a saint, the same holds truewith ideas—it is best to just stew ideasover medium heat until they’re done.How do we do that? The trick is thinkingtime. I never thought I had enough thinkingtime, what with all the “doing” time(time to complete the doing of a task,not a jail sentence). That is until I startedto learn how to grill like a guy (or girlwho knows how).Now I’ve got all the time in the worldto think about ideas, because I’m waitingfor the indirect heat to cook my dinner.The only caveat, if you want to try this,is that you’ll have to learn how to writeby hand again. I don’t know about you,but when I get outside in the sunshine Icannot read the screen of my laptop. Iam certain there is a way to make it readablebut, frankly, I’m not interested.Betteryoushouldgazeuptotheclearblue sky, with the grill within view ofcourse, and think. Then, take pen to paper.This tangible action is where the rubberhits the road for many people in themidst of their own personal thinkingtime. If you’re inclined to learn in a tactileway, writing ideas down by handmakes you feel like you’ve really accomplishedsomething.How will you know if you’re thetouchy-feely type? Try this simple test.Write a grocery list. Leave it on the kitchentable. Go to the grocery store. See howmany items from the list you rememberto buy. If you remembered most or all ofthem you don’t need a list in the store—youneedtowritealistdowntogetthetactile sensation that plants it in yourmemory. Then, just leave the list at homebecause you’re good to go.Perhaps you prefer talking to yourself,and who doesn’t like to do that fromtime to time? Recite the grocery list outloud, let it register in your memory, goback to the grocery store and see whathappens this time. If you rememberedeverything on the list your learning styleis auditory. Therefore, instead of pen topaper, you need mouth to mini-pocketrecorder so you can get those ideas downbefore it’s time to put more shrimp onthe grill.You might want to engage your bluetooth technology for this exercise so thatyour hands are free for the all-important,time-sensitive, food-flipping ritual.Then you can record your ideas at easeas you’re engaging in that magical thinkingtime generated by slow-cookingmethods.Whether your preference is for mediumrare or well done on the grill, strivefor well done on the idea front. You havemost of the recipe now—it’s up to you toadd the finishing touches.Bon appétit!Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada JUNE 2009 13

JOHN McGRATHCreativity breeds creativitySo, if marketers are so integral to success,one wonders why—when there are cutbacks—is marketing often an easy place to start.“One of the biggest challenges creativepeople face is being creativeon demand. That’s true of songwriterswho have to come up with a newsong for an upcoming CD, to a writer whohas to meet a publisher’s deadline, topromo producers and creative directorswho have to think of a new way to promotea show by the end of the day.Being creative on demand requiresthat you keep creatively fit. One of thebest ways to do that is to interact andlearn from other creative people. Whetheryou want to call it the quantum physicsfield of creativity, tapping into the collectivemind, or just stealing someone else’sgreat idea from another market. Bottomline is, creativity breeds creativity.“No question about it,” says JonathanBlock-Verk, president of Promax|BDA, theprofessional association for marketing,promotion and design professionalsworking in the entertainment industry.““When you have 3,000 creative peopleget together (as they do each year at thePromax|BDA conference) you’re going tofoster a great cross-pollination of ideas.”The next PROMAX conference is inNew York City, June 16-18. While Block-Verk says the conference may be a highlight,creative types can’t count on it astheir only creative-fostering fix for theyear. In fact, Promax|BDA is making majorchanges of its own to get away from thatmodel and try to inspire promo andmarketing professionals year-round.“(In the past), there was no differentiationbetween the conference and theassociation that puts that conference on,”he says. “We’re changing that. If we’regoing to be a leadership association ofthe most important skill-set in the entertainmentindustry, we better walk the talk.We’re executing well-thought-out strategieson how to make Promax|BDA notonly hyper-relevant to our internationalmembers, but integral to the entertainmentindustry at large.”Among changes at PROMAX are a newweb portal to be unveiled in June withwebinars and interactive content and othervehicles that connect creative people ina realm that fosters learning and sharingof creative ideas and energies with eachother. This is on top of regional creativeclinics, or mini conferences, daily creativenews briefs and other publications.Block-Verk believes PROMAX needsto help foster the creative interaction thatis so important for keeping creatively fit.His passion comes from the belief thatcontent marketers are the most importantpeople in the industry right now and it’sfrom within their ranks that tomorrow’sleaders will come.“In the past (broadcast upper managementhas come from) programming,sales and, for a while, IT. Now it’s marketing.Marketers have emerged as theclear leaders driving success in the entertainmentbusiness. In this environmentwhere there is so much content out there,what differentiates (content) is how it’spackaged and marketed and how viewersfind it. More specifically, how audiencesare aggregated is one thing, but how thatcontent is then monetized and a businessis made out of it is really the fundamentalquestion. And marketers are theones driving that conversation.”He doesn’t let the point rest there.“No programmer is going to succeedwithout a marketing mind or a strongmarketing partner. Even for selling acrossmulti platforms and branded content,it’s the marketers who are going to comeup with the ideas and the framework forthese new advertising paradigms.”So, if marketers are so integral to success,one wonders why—when there arecutbacks—is marketing often an easyplace to start. Of course, from an accountingperspective, the answer can be easy.You can save money by not sending anyoneto PROMAX this year or by havingfewer people become members or, on amore extreme basis, laying people offfrom the marketing department.“The repercussions of cutting marketingbudgets are tremendous,” warnsBlock-Verk. “If (broadcast managementis) cutting marketing budgets, they’resetting a precedent for their clients andsaying ‘you know what, marketing isexpendable.’”There is some truth to that. When yourbusiness model is based on convincingothers to buy time on your station inorder to market their message, it doestake away a bit of your credibility whenyou do the opposite and cut your marketing.It’s sort of like doing as I say andnot as I do.And we all learned by adolescencehow well that works.John McGrath is a Toronto-based writer andvoice-over actor, specializing in promos,imaging, commercials and animation. Hemay be reached by phone at 416-876-3945or by e-mail at info@johnsvoice.com.34 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MAY 2009

MAUREEN BULLEYSpring clean-upThe Radio Marketing Bureau’s CrystalAwards 09 were presented March12 at a gala affair in downtownToronto. From doorknobs to bedbugs, awide range of products and services wereshowcased in radio commercials andstation promotional messages deemedworthy of national attention by a panelof judges who work in a variety of disciplinesacross the country.Lots of great winners again this year,and a rather remarkable performanceby the Toronto cluster of Rogers Radiostations. Three gold medals awarded, fora near sweep in station-based awards: aGold Medal for Station Promo Campaign,Gold Station Commercial Campaign, andGold Station Single.The promo wins were the work of theRogers Radio Imaging Department whichserves the company’s chain from theToronto headquarters. Lead by ImagingDirector Greg Stevens, the departmentboasts award-winning writers DaveCalvert, John Willis and Kris Ferguson.All the promotional and commercialwins were produced by the team led byProduction Director Chris Pottage, andincluded award-winners Craig Gear andRobert Brown.Crystals in the commercial campaigncategory included a gold Crystal for Park‘n Fly created by Damon Papadopoulos.Damon’s work was showcased last yearin this column for the Kooy Brotherscampaign. Writers Melanie Frei, NigelKingsmore and Sandi Knight all hadfinalists or honourable mentions.The really wonderful story here is thewin by Creative Writer Josh Greenway.Josh was never hired to be a writer, buttook it upon himself to begin learninghow a couple of years ago. Clearly aquick study, Josh’s work has advanced toaward-worthy status in a rather shortperiod of time. The commercial craftedfor Ball Hockey Ontario, a client of TheFAN 590, was chosen as Gold Medalistfor Station Single. Josh explains how theaward-winning spot came to be.“The client was looking for an ‘upbeat,exciting and informative’ script. Andthere were a lot of details to cover: BallHockey Ontario’s four locations, theirwebsite, a deal on the rate if you signedup by fall, accessible to all experiencelevels and, of course, that ball hockey isfun for the whole family.“I decided early on that the way toget all those details in was to have a rapidfire conversation between two people;but the challenge with dialogue spots ismaking them sound authentic. I decidedto use an announcer and the character,Bob. The announcer could be the straightman setting out some details while Bobcould be funny while also filling in thelisteners.“Lifting the script off the page wasthe job of Producer Jay Helmus and MatBoniferro, creative witer, the voice of Bobwho loves ball hockey. The producer directedMat deep into the role by havinghim slouch his shoulders and keep hishands in his pockets while he read thelines. This was an attempt to give Bob an‘I don’t care’ sound and a ‘yeah, whatever’attitude. The big challenge was toensure Bob didn’t have perfect dictionwhile keeping all of his lines audible andclear for the listener. Mat provided a lotof great ad libs that added depth to thespot.“The producer then added a specialfinal touch. He had the voice talent comeback to the studio and chew gum for fiveminutes in front of the microphone, andadded those sounds strategically throughoutthe voiceover. Jay and Mat took thescript, gave it a lot of life and took thespot to another level.”There’s a great lesson here for aspiringand accomplished writers and producers.It takes a team effort to get greatresults, and no one person can take creditfor success.Even a mediocre script can be enhancedby good production values. Anda good script becomes great when youencourage creative production: sometimes32 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MAY 2009

Top, left to right:Mat Boniferro and Josh GreenwayBottom:Rogers Toronto Creative Teamthe best instructions are no instructions atall. Just as a writer injects creativity withwords, a producer does that with sound… oftentimes sounds that were neverscripted or even considered by the writer.And let’s not forget the voice talent,essential to your success. Who else willstand behind a microphone, hands inpocket, shoulders shrugged, chewing gumfor five minutes so you can get realisticsound effects?While it’s true that nothing happensuntil somebody sells something, nothinggood happens unless creative and productionwork together with voice talentto create magic. Congrats to all of thisyear’s winners!Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MAY 2009 33

RODGER HARDINGLet the magic flow!Reading Broadcast Dialogue columnshas always provided me with usefulindustry intelligence. I consistentlyfind myself distilling commonthreads and clues to see how the futureof the industry might look.Recent articles discussing change, technologyadvance, ratings, audience requirement,vision in the context of tough times,etc., culminated in Trevor Shand’s impactfularticle The Digital Slaughterhouse (BDFebruary 2009) that underscored the importanceof human excellence in securingthe competitive edge.Shand’s simple message is that a greatbroadcaster will have the guts to ditch thesafe overworked template, and will engagein original, daring and audience-capturingcontent. His refreshingly honest piecetalks about “opening your mind” to innovativethinking and forces readers to assesswhether or not they have an evolvingor static mind-set: “Am I a leader or a follower?”“Do I understand that creativity isnot a word to be mouthed, but rather adecision to put down something that hasnot been done before?”My own work allows me to attest tothe fact that Shand’s approach runs muchdeeper than the appealing dude factorthat inspires young audiences. Creative,free-thinking types are tired of safety andtired of being dumbed-down to the lowestcommon denominator.They are hungry for magic!As co-ordinator of the CanadianWomen in Communications (CWC)Mentorship Program, I have first-handexperience of this reality. The stream ofexcellent women I meet, although hiredfor creative, strategic and visionary excellence,feel they have been thwarted intheir attempts to innovate.If what I hear is correct, tired globalbusiness models are trotted out as the ultimaterationale. Short-term profit trumpscreativity and audience satisfaction.There is perhaps an unwritten beliefthat a workable template can be rolledout ad infinitum… of course with theadded presumption that audiences willbe too stupid to notice. Think, for example,of the plethora of so called “workable”themes we are exposed to in thetelevision world: Medical, legal, forensic,psychic and mind/body-reading downloadsinfiltrate virtually every new offering…just because they worked elsewhere.Perhaps our broadcast and media industriesreally do reflect entire generationsthat have been processed by a worn out“what works” cookie-cutter. Much is madeof the tough global economic times weare now living. Yet how often do we hearany effort made to understand why thiscame about? Is it simplistic to say thatclosed, unthinking business minds blindlyfollowed “what works” until “whatworked” wore out?In Canada we are further beset by thefallacy that U.S. validation of our outputis a sine qua non. Perhaps we should lookto the plucky Australians who have succeededin evolving an independent, yetdistinctly world-class, creative brand.People tend only to adopt innovationwhen given permission to do so.Convergence technology, for example,has been touted for more than a decade,yet it is youth-driven usage and demandthat has forced the technology into mainstreamindustry practice. So much forleadership.Our industry, more than others,should be leading by example, givingaudiences permission to aim for greaterheights across the board. On a flippant,yet relevant, note it seems such a desperatereality that front page media attentionis able to give Obama-endorsed Maple Leafcookies and beaver key chains overnightmust have status, yet does little to empowerfree-thinking and originality.Thank you Trevor Shand for giving usa kick where it was most needed. As yousuggest, via original “fun and compelling”offerings and the use of technology ratheras a means to an end, than an end in itself,our output will come alive. New and distinctways of doing things will not only“knock audiences dead”, but will guaranteeongoing industry relevance.At the end of the day the competivenessof any individual, company or organizationis determined by how it differsfrom others. Does it not then make senseto build that individuality into somethingreally special and magical?Rodger Harding is a business leadershipand corporate intelligence awarenessconsultant. He may be reached by phoneat (416) 962-6700 or by e-mail atstaycool@web.ca.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada APRIL 2009 19

MAUREEN BULLEYWhat is the markettelling you?Ilove straight shooters, and JimTaszarek is one of the best. His nononsenseapproach to broadcast salesmanagement is just what sellers need tokeep them motivated and engaged duringthese challenging economic times.Take one of Jim’s recent electronic newslettersin which he defines the currentbusiness and sales crisis as two separateproblems. And, as only he can, Taz placesblame exactly where he believes it belongsin the sales manager’s office.The current “sales crisis” is the resultof a variety of factors, the biggest of whichis rate integrity. Taz describes it as “a wonderfulconcept for a time long gone”. Hereminds us that it is a throwback fromnewspaper sales. Jim managed the salesstaffs of 16 newspapers at one point in hiscareer, so he should know.Rate integrity started when we wereplaying a vinyl album and typing withcarbon paper. Now, we’re technologicallyadvanced, but continue on this sorrypath of rate integrity and protectionismwhile our competitors clean up.Taz tells a story about one of his heritageclients struggling to keep up withtheir existing $80 ad rate while the competitionwas selling at $25 a spot, and givingaway big screen TVs with a minimumorder. Does the $80 seller have any inventory?Of course they do. So, Taz pointedout that the market is telling his clientthat in today’s economy you’re not worth$80 a spot. Lower the rates until you sellout, and then start the walk back up.Of course many sales managers willhave a list of their own objections to thatconcept such as, “we’re not throwing inthe web for free”, or “if we lower our rates,the walk back up is tougher than thewalk down”.Again, Taz nails it. “You may neverhave the chance to walk back up if youlose many current customers and temptprospects to go with the cheaper advertisingrates.” Lots of talk about “our” ratesand “our” competitors, and no discussionabout advertiser value—no wonder buyersare so scarce.Interestingly, the same rule holds truefor the other kind of direct sales we dowrite advertising copy.It’s a well-known and research-backedfact that commercials that talk to the listenerin words and phrases like “you cando this, you can save that” work betterthan commercials that say “we have stuffthat does this, and we have stuff that willsave that, so come and get some of ourstuff”. Sometimes the difference betweenwhat you’re selling, and what customerswant to buy is non-existent—the differencemay just be the way you present it.Jim’s advice for sellers in this neweconomy are abundant.One good one is find a retail mentor.He points out that retailers are smackdab in the middle of “reality” while manysales people are protected from reality—sales reps don’t have payrolls to make orsuppliers to pay. Retailers do. That’s whyretailers are offering increased value likesales, bogos and promotions. They’ll lowerprices to increase volume and use upexisting inventory. THEN, when supplygoes down, prices go up.His next bit of advice is to listen toyour next stop set. How many of the spotsmention sale, discount, free stuff. Clientsare discounting, but many broadcastersare not. Is there a disconnect here?Jim is very candid about the issueschallenging sellers at this time andpoints out that, rate integrity aside, someof those issues are within the sellers themselvesthose caught resting on their laurelswho now find themselves having to relearnhow to prospect, pitch and close.Workshops are being scheduled. Webinarattendance is up.And, the frequency of the Taz Mediaelectronic newsletters has increased: sometimesbeing transmitted up to five timesa week. Each e-mail encourages the readerto share with “anyone and everyone”.Circulation grew from 3,500 to 5,500readers in the 60 days following the firsteconomic shock of September 2008 andthe growth pattern continues.It’s evident there is a great need forthis type of coaching and mentoring, andmany people offer it. Taz for one, hasresponded appropriately by working harderto help his customers survive. He islistening to what the market is tellinghim. Are you?Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada APRIL 2009 37

MAUREEN BULLEYIt’s OK to be smartThere’s a children’s game called BrainQuest which has a motto of “It’s OKto be smart”. You might want to buya few sets of these flashcards and startpracticing because it’s not only okay tobe smart, it’s apparently hip as well.Yes, smart is the new fabulous, andthe signs are all around us.If you’re lucky, you’re on the guest listfor the next TED event: the Technology,Entertainment, Design Conference is byinvitation only. A gathering of the world’sleading thinkers and doers who meet toshare insights and inspirations. TED is acatalyst for ideas worth spreading. To hearthe latest, check out TEDTalks at www.ted.com. TED is hot.Reading is also increasing in popularity.Book clubs are more popular thanever. In fact, for the first time in a quartercentury, reading of plays, novels, shortstories and poetry is increasing in adults18 and over. As one trend spotter wroterecently, the fascinating new book you’rereading is suddenly a hotter topic thanthe handbag you’re carrying it in.You can even read all about the successesand failures of smart people inOutliers, the latest from author MalcolmGladwell, who also brought us the booksThe Tipping Point and Blink. Read his latestand determine if you’re numericallyor otherwise predisposed to being successful.Politically speaking, America findsitself surrounded by a huge brain trust,from President Obama himself to thearchitect of his victory, David Plouffe,and opponent turned Secretary of State,Hillary Clinton, all of whom extol thevirtues of “smart power”.How do we communicate with “smartfolk”, and convince them that we can offerthem the next big thing? If everyonearound us is bent on being smarter, thatwill most certainly influence purchasingdecisions. The products people buy willchange: continuing education enrolmentis at an all-time high. Bookstores and otherpurveyors of knowledge will continueto perform financially.How do we get our share of that forour clients?Try to weave smart, timely benefits into your copy that are relevant. Present theproduct benefit as family responsibility,which means that by not purchasing theproduct or service, we risk being in thefamily doghouse: not smoking with kidsin the car, not drinking and driving, orforgetting important family events andsituations fall in to this category.Family opportunity will put theconsumer on the hero mantle withinthe family. It is the practical opposite offamily responsibility, and addresses situationswhere giving and/or surprise areinherent in a family or personal context.Opportunity commercials include suchconcepts as spousal or family outings orgifts.Personal comfort or personal controldesires can be addressed if the benefit of aproduct’s use is a release from some lessthan-perfectsituation. Feelings of warmth,relaxation or protection emulate frommessages like these, and they often crossover into providing personal control. Tostate your product offers control, thebenefit is comfort in the face of a tryingsituation: freeing up of time, allowingthe consumer to dictate the solution to aproblem (i.e. multiple ways to purchasea product: in person, on line, via telephone).Information, knowledge and wisdomconveyed as product benefits mean thepurchase is beneficial to the consumer:commercials which do this well provideinformation designed to lead to an obviouspurchase decision. A sense of excellencewith a product also sells well. Thefeeling of involvement with or ownershipof something very special that comes withyour purchase makes it all worthwhile.While membership in TED or Mensaare by invitation only, the rest of us canjoin the movement to “smart” by acknowledgingthis in the clients we sell to, whichof their products we should feature, andthe advertising copy we create to closethe sale. Appeal to the intellect.After all, it’s okay to be smart.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MARCH 2009 9

MAUREEN BULLEYBe a maverick thinkerThe word “maverick” has beenaround longer than you think: itoriginated from a Texas lawyernamed Samuel Maverick, who refused tobrand his cattle. The term maverick hascome to represent people who think forthemselves. If ever there was a time formaverick thinking or new solutions tocurrent challenges, it is now.What exactly is maverick thinking?According to author Daniel Amen it involvesfour traits. They are: independentthinking; not accepting the norm just becauseit is the norm; creativity or thinkingin a way that is different from others; and,a passionate belief that you can make adifference.Amen’s latest book Magnificent Mindat any Age is due to be released this month.A follow-up to his best-selling work ChangeYour Brain, Change Your Life, it offers naturalways to unleash your brain’s maximumpotential.While we need maverick thinking nowmore than ever to overcome the challengeswe’re facing in our business andpersonal worlds, it is a rare trait indeed.Amen says one of the biggest obstacles tomaverick thinking is the need to belong:our brain is hardwired to strive for acceptanceby our peer group.Other inhibitors come from thosearound us: in the workplace, it is managerswho stifle independent thinking bymaking us feel we exist in an environmentof over-control, dependence, anxiety andstress. If a manager demands samenessor blind compliance, they lock the independentmind away and limit everyone’sgrowth. The natural responses are eithercompliance, or anger: you may just be lazyand simply comply, or you get mad andstart actively sabotaging others, or just getthe heck out of Dodge.To overcome this, Amen offers fivestrategies to help you find your voice. Thefirst is keeping your brain healthy. Thebook offers many strategies to keep yourbrain in top working order.Second, work to be happy but also valuethe tough times. The author remindsus that few epiphanies occur during thegood times. Rather, it is the turbulencethat drives new ideas and gives peoplethe emotional drive to put the energyinto change.The third step to maverick thinkinginvolves hope: if you have lost your voice,know that it is possible to find that hiddenmaverick. Look for your maverickvoice and ask yourself what you need todo to get it back.The fourth step in developing maverickthinking is to practice independenceand personal responsibility. Therefore, asyou speak your mind, do it effectively.True mavericks are effective communicators.Amen suggests you take a chance:when you disagree with someone, tellhim, but do so in a smart way: be firmand polite. As Dr. Amen often suggests tohis patients “there are ways to say things,and then there are ways to say things”.Finally, strive to hone your creativeskills. Mavericks see a need that is not beingaddressed and then think of a novelway to deal with it. Creativity is seeingcommon things in an uncommon way.This ability is not a matter of chance.Rather, it is linked to other fundamentalsof thinking such as flexibility, toleranceof ambiguity or unpredictability, and theenjoyment of things not previouslyknown, as innate curiosity.There are many ways to solve problems.To be a maverick, you must take adifferent approach from the standard one,even if it means doing what is difficult.Mavericks are about change, and changerequires some impetus, often pain, to goforward. Amen reminds us that it is oftenturbulence that drives new ideas and givespeople the emotional drive to put theenergy into change.To make a maverick difference, ensureyour brain is physically healthy. Acknowledgethe hidden gem in tough times andtreat them instead as an opportunity toimpart change. Find your maverick voice(again) by refusing to give up.And practice independent thinking.Over half of the people in your workplaceare on autopilot. Choose instead to beengaged, and work with passion to solvethe challenges of the day. Realize there aremany ways to solve problems and whenyou open your mind, new solutions maycome. Maverick solutions. Just in the nickof time.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada FEBRUARY 2009 11

MAUREEN BULLEYIt was a very good yearIf it was a very good year for you as acreative manager, it’s time to put thosethoughts into meaningful feedback forthe people that work with you.Giving feedback to creative people ischallenging. The topic is subjective at best,and what constitutes good on-air performanceor good creative writing really is amatter of opinion. Before you undertakea performance review of an on-air personalityor someone behind the sceneswho writes on-air content (such as features,commercials or station promos),consider the following guidelines.General rules about giving (and receiving)feedback must be observed. Unlessyou are responding to a particular incidentor preparing for a regularly scheduled performancereview, you should only givefeedback when you are asked to do so.Feedback should also be timely. Don’twait four weeks to discuss an air-checkthat was problematic—do it today or tomorrow,but don’t do it when you’reangry. Take time to think, reflect andcalm down. No feedback is really accuratewhen it is given by someone emotionallycharged by a particular incident.Always critique constructively—givethe recipient something to build on.Choose your words carefully: providefeedback in a respectful, not injurious,way. Finally, be specific about your comments—givefeedback people can use andfocus on the behaviour or task, not theperson. It is more constructive to tellsomeone what they’ve done is not smart.Don’t tell them their behaviour is stupid.Treat people the way you want to betreated and comment on what they did,versus who they are as an individual.Give feedback on creative work byestablishing benchmarks and applyingscores to performance. Conduct scoringat regular intervals (perhaps weekly ormonthly) and give people a clear understandingabout what they are doing well,and what needs improvement.Giving feedback on creative writingcan be done by establishing five criteriafor marking. Here are the ones I like touse. I score a commercial or promo outof 10, awarding up to two marks for eachof the following:• Clarity: Is it clear what you want me todo when I hear the commercial/promo?• Writing Style: Is it well written? Does itflow?• Concept: Is it a good idea?• Benefit: Is it clear what’s in it for theconsumer if they respond to theadvertising?• Technique: How well is the writing techniqueexecuted (i.e. dialogue, narrative,storytelling technique used in thewriting of the piece)?Here are the benchmarks developedby Valerie Geller from Geller MediaInternational in New York to evaluateon-air performance.• Is there a visual? What was the “moviein the mind” that you created?• What was the journey the show tookyou on that listeners could not getelsewhere?• What was new for the listener?• What was the authentic self-revelationwhere the listener gets to know you?(Do I know you from your show… orare you an interchangeable talkingDJ/Host?• Were the stories powerful?• Did you care about what you weretalking about (e.g.: did you make ME,the listener, care)?• Did it feel long or not long enough?(We reward brevity, as it is better to erron the side of brevity.)• Was there humour?• Did you prep powerfully, or just coastand hope for the best?Assigning scores may seem difficultat first. If you have trouble, give the firstsample a score of five on every aspect ofperformance or writing. Then, evaluatefuture work on the basis of whether itwas better or worse than the first. Backup your scoring with meaningful commentson how to improve the score assigned.When presenting your thoughts,begin with a positive comment on thework. One “formula” used in human resourcescircles is to structure a performancereview using four steps: first, beginwith something good. Next, identify whatneeds improvement and why, third, saysomething good again, and fourth, summarize.Whatever formula you use, leadwith something positive. Structure yourfeedback session based on what youknow about the individual: personalizeit so it has meaning and application.If you’re on the receiving end of feedback,receive it with self-understanding.Evaluate the comments given knowingwho you are, and what you’re capable of.If you do not understand what you needto change or how to change it, ask formore detail and schedule a follow upmeeting to discuss your progress.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.When you start that search for suitable job candidates, use the combinedBroadcast Dialogue Electronic Briefing and www.broadcastdialogue.com.Call 705/484-0752 for info.56 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada DECEMBER 2008/JANUARY 2009

MAUREEN BULLEYWhose idea was that?Ever had an idea stolen right out fromunder your keyboard? If you’re likemost creative people you’re a prettypossessive individual. Especially whenit comes to your ideas. If someone attemptsto take them from you, you wantdue credit and due compensation regardlessof how unreasonable the idea borrowerthinks your request is.Being in the “idea” business, I wasespecially interested in a story in a recentweekend edition of the Globe and Mailthat reviewed a book entitled The GridlockEconomy: How Too Much Ownership WrecksMarkets, Stops Innovation and Costs Lives.Authored by Michael Heller, the bookgives current and historical examples demonstratingthe concept that hoardingideas slows innovation. And in our littleradio universe, it has a similar effect.Currently the protocol is such that aradio advertiser’s commercial writing andproduction is included with any airtimethey purchase. The commercial is free foruse on that radio station (and brother orsister stations owned by the same parentcompany). Any use of that commercialelsewhere in the market requires payinga fee for the privilege. That fee varies frommarket to market. In some markets nomoney changes hands—in others it canbe a token amount, still others, a largerfee based on what that market will bear.Continuity in advertising (hence itsinherent effectiveness) is compromisedwhen the message lacks continuity withinvarious executions. Instead of lettingideas flow freely, we’ve found our ownway to police inappropriate use of ourideas.We’ve taken to protecting our workby including tones throughout finishedaudio files that make them impossible—or shall I say unsuitable—to air. Most stationsinclude a disclaimer at the bottomof scripts sent out for client review. It wasthat very disclaimer that promoted aphone call to me a few weeks ago. A writingbrother with a different mother calledme up to make sure I knew my scripts hadbeen sent to him to broadcast on theirstation. “No I was not aware”, I repliedand thanked him kindly for the headsup. He said he hoped I would do thesame for him if a similar situation arosein the future. Of course I would—that’sthe first thing you learn after the secrethandshake… protect the work of yourbrother regardless of who his mother is.Professor Heller gives us bigger, moreimportant demonstrations of the gridlockeconomy created by people who at theend of the day simply want credit for theirideas. Oh what a tangled web we weave—apparently a large pharmaceuticalcompany abandoned the launch of apromising Alzheimer’s drug because oneof its competitors “mapped the parts ofthe brain affected by such drugs and thenpatented their findings”, according toGlobe and Mail columnist John Allemang.The article raises another case in point—the “near-death of the BlackBerry in2006”. One single competitor settled for600 million dollars, claiming the “crackberry”creator infringed on their idea(s)in the design of the device.An excerpt from Heller’s book tellsthe story of the “general demoralizationof the entire trade” of aircraft manufacturers.It took a Federal Court of Claimsaction in 1917 to break the gridlockbetween the various owners of patentson airplane design. Instead of those ideasmeshing together to create air travel, theindustry fought with each other and theprospect of flight briefly ground to a halt.I ran across another article the verysame day, where the great idea debate extendedto the world of recipes. Was it stillthe author’s idea if a copycat changed afew things about the original idea andthen called it their own? I didn’t get theimpression that the author so muchminded that the ideas were borrowedand modified, she simply wanted creditwhere credit was due.It is because we take our work so personally—thateach piece we create has alittle bit of our DNA embedded in it—that we’re so protective of it. That is trueregardless of whether you’re making thebest pancakes ever or the newest communicationsdevice. The trick appears to benot over-mixing, and leaving some lumpsin the batter so everyone knows whoseidea it was to make pancakes in the firstplace.Maureen Bulley is President of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada NOVEMBER 2008 29

MAUREEN BULLEYMy bologna has a first nameThe Radio Ad Lab has released PartTwo of A Study of How Radio AffectsConsumer Emotions, the latest inthe ongoing series entitled Radio and theConsumer’s Mind: How Radio Works. And,the bologna with a first name rankedfirst in the study.The highest scoring radio ad of themost recent RAEL study has a first name,a second name, and apparently has everythingelse it needs to perform well withthe consumer. But before we get the scoopon the bologna, we need a little moremeat. Here’s how the latest study wasconducted.Part One employed facial EMG—themeasurement of facial muscle contractionsthrough carefully placed electrodesover specific muscle groups on the surfaceof the skin. Two EMG measures weretaken: the positive zygomatic measure ofthe smile muscle and the negative corrugatormeasure of the brow frown muscle.Researchers also included a more traditionalexcitement or arousal measurebased on skin conductance. This allowedfor the measurement of a positive ornegative emotion (through the smile orfrown); as well as the strength of the emotion,as measured by skin conductance.So, does the ad touch me emotionally?If so, to what degree?Subjects were asked to listen or viewmatching radio and television ads whichwere found to otherwise be comparableby conventional methods of copy testing.The ads were tested in context—respondentswere permitted to select which programmingthe advertising would be partof to ensure they were already emotionallypredisposed to the programming element.They were under the assumptionthey were evaluating the programming,not the advertising it contained.In Part Two, RAEL looked deeper intothe initial results to assess two things: Thecharacteristics of better-performing radiocommercials, and affirmation that the advertisertruly benefits from this emotionalengagement.New findings discuss the EMG scoresand a measure of unaided recall. Thenthe researchers started looking for cluesto success. They admit that some of thesuccessful creative techniques are commonsense, but “the fact is, they’re notalways practiced”. Here are the patternsthey detected.Strong beginnings make a difference.All of the higher-rated commercials boastedan involving point of entry—that issomething that hooked listeners emotionallyfrom the first seconds of the ad.(Some) spoken words are powerful.The use of colourful, sensory languagecaused noteworthy EMG scores in an adfor soup, and another ad for a painreliever.Don’t forget the branding. Of the adstested for the study, some had only twomentions of the brand in 30-seconds. Atthe other extreme, a 60-second ad thatcontained 12 mentions of the brand.The number of brand mentions in thecommercial was directly linked to resultsof unaided recall—the more brand mentions,the higher the recall. But don’t justpepper your scripts with brand nameoverload. You must also create emotionalengagement.Maintain interest throughout theduration of the ad. Already discussed isthe need for a strong beginning. Here, thereminder that sustaining interestthroughout the ad is important. Not surprisingly,the majority of ads in the testgroup fell flat even if they began with abang.Doing it ALL well is powerful. Thehighest scoring radio ad of the study hadhigh EMG scores, and a 61% score in unaidedrecall. Study authors admit thatconsumers were already familiar withthe product and the branding initiativeswhich may explain the unaided recall.But EMG scores cannot be manipulated.All of the higher-rated commercials boastedan involving point of entry—that is somethingthat hooked listeners emotionallyfrom the first seconds of the ad.Either we’re inclined to smile or frownwhen we hear something, and that is anaction we really cannot control.Will you react the same way when youhear the top-scoring commercial? Log onto www.radioadlab.org and you can hearthe commercials and view a panogramwhile listening. It’s a fascinating look athow consumers respond subconsciouslywhen exposed to the advertising. Thepanogram allows you to see exactlywhich parts of the script correspond withhigh or low EMG scores. The addition ofpanograms to the study, as well as theability to audition audio that scored well,make the lessons learned through theresearch, much more user-friendly.And that is NO bologna!Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada OCTOBER 2008 45

MAUREEN BULLEYWhat’s so funny?Iwas perusing a variety of charts, reportsand projections to determinewhat would be top of mind for us atthe office as the return to school andbusiness was underway. And, that waspretty boring.I found nothing new or noteworthy,ground-breaking or jaw-dropping. Theusual suspects expect peak sales duringthe last quarter of the year, and we’llspend our fall and winter writing commercialsfor the same retailers we did lastyear at this time. So, I looked at it from adifferent angle.Whose sales drop dramatically thistime of year? Maybe they would be interestingclients to pitch. Take the localmovie theatre: October will be their worstmonth of the year according to the Top40 Business Survey from The RadioAdvertising Bureau. Other U.S. categoriesabout to feel the pain include jewellerystores, book stores and video stores. InCanada, the slow movers include motorcycles,boats and RVs, and anyone whosells outdoor power equipment. A toughsell perhaps, unless you can find a uniqueway to sell them the airtime, and an evenbetter way to position them on the air.Try tying these clients in to some promotionalor greeting card holiday. Forexample, October is “Positive AttitudeMonth” according to the Radio MarketingBureau’s Promotional Days Calendar for2008. If anyone needs a positive attitudeat this time of year, it is the woe-begottenbusiness owners listed above. It brings tomind a commercial from a colleague ofmine who wrote a spot called “TheBusiness Sucks Sale” for one of her clientswho needed to create some excitementwhen sales had been slow.I also got a good laugh from the factthat “Buy Nothing Day”, and “Salesperson’sDay” both occur on the same day:November 28. Buy Nothing Day is a globalholiday from consumerism which is“celebrated” in the United States on theday after Thanksgiving: typically thebusiest retail day of the year in America.Why in heaven’s name would we chooseto buy nothing, and salute the salespersonon the same day? Pity? Irony? Bothgreat catalysts for humorous commercials.Make me laugh, and maybe I’ll buy.But it better be good! Canadians devoteonly 46 minutes each day to laughter.This according to a survey conductedon behalf of Laughing Cow cheese.Apparently Albertans laugh the most—all the way to the bank perhaps, andBritish Columbians, the least. Must beall that rain.Writer beware, however. Perhaps oneof the most difficult writing techniques,humour is also a high-maintenance style.Humorous commercials tend to burn-outmore quickly and can digress from beingentertaining to annoying if the listener isoverexposed to it.The fundamental rule for writing afunny commercial is to ensure that itstays true to the product. Is the humourrelated to the central theme of the commercial?Does the humour serve to promotethe product and encourage trial?How many times have you been able toremember the joke in a commercial, butwere unable to identify the product orservice advertised?Remember, the job of advertising isto promote the product, not demote it.Known in the industry as parasite adver-tising, humour unrelated to the productsucks the life out of the positive imagethat the product had before that parasiticexecution. Have fun with the product,don’t make fun of the product. Likewise,you shouldn’t laugh at the potential user,you should laugh with them.We can suggest funny ideas or conceptswith phonetics. It’s an old situationcomedy rule that the K or hard C soundis funnier than any other letter. Othersbelieve that words beginning with K or Pare funny, or lend themselves to humorousapplications. Words like chicken,cookie, popcorn, cupcake, pickles, andpetticoats. Other funny words includeartichoke and rutabaga, perhaps becausethey sound odd, or because we don’thear or use them every day.Remember that some humour maybe specific to a target group as well. Ifyour target group finds it funny then itmay be applicable, but be sure thehumour is not too narrow, or is understoodby only a very select group. Youdon’t want to run the risk of disorientingpotential new customers for the advertiser.Learn to write comedy by studyingthe fundamentals of humour. Analyzewhat makes you laugh and share the lovewith your audience.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada SEPTEMBER 2008 29

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUSelling in a changing economyLess than 12 months ago wetalked about selling in astrong economy. Now wefind ourselves in a slightly differentposition.Because the consumer is a moving target,we need to keep on our toes andmodify our approach to selling productsfor our clients based on factors that motivatepeople to open their wallets—andthese are very fluid. No one stops spending,they simply spend differently.Let’s start with breakfast. We’ll stilleat our cereal with milk, but we’ll probablybuy it at a discount food store inbigger quantities that offer a lower priceper gram. Now is the time to approachthe discount grocer in your market, becauseeveryone from the Haves to theHave-nots are shopping there. Savingmoney on grocery basics means there’sRohde & Schwarz Canada Inc.750 Palladium Drive, Suite 102Ottawa, ON K2V 1C7Phone: (613) 592-8000 • Fax: (613) 592-8009Toll Free: (877) 438-2880www.rohde-schwarz.commoney left over to enjoy some of life’slittle luxuries.According to a recent business article,“women will never give up their usualarsenal of lipstick, foundation, mascaraand blush”. The article also points outthat women will always buy shoes andmakeup, regardless of what sacrifices theyneed to make. Now is the time to sell thelocal pharmacy with a cosmetics counter.Encourage them to advertise life’s littleindulgences like a new lipstick, or bubblebath. And, position the copy that way withyour audience—an affordable escape fromrecessionary reality.Sell your local shoe discounters onthe value of your audience, and the realitythat they will continue to buy shoesregardless of the economic climate. Thensell your audience on the fact that theycan buy one, two or three pairs of newshoes at a savings: one for each of thenew outfits they bought from a shopthat re-sells clothing once worn by oncerichand previously famous people; thesame re-sale shop that also needs anadvertising schedule.Will men still buy more shoes?Chances are they’ll re-sole those dressshoes and breathe new life into yourlocal shoe repair store in the process.Sign up the shoe repair guy. If it’s goodenough for a federal cabinet minister,it’s good enough for the rest of us.While you’re at it, sell advertising toanyone who fixes anything! We’re inclinedto fix what’s broken before we buya new one. Convince your audience topatronize these repair-folk by identifyingwhat the benefit can be. Consider thisapproach: “your dress shoes have a lot ofexperience, supporting you through manya successful business deal: they’re yourlucky charm! New heels and new soles,and you’re back in business!”.It is apparent that sales of most newcars are in decline. Your car dealer clientsshould now focus on their service departmentsto help your audience extend thelife of their existing vehicles, and to maintainthe dealer’s own revenue stream.Used cars will also be in more demand,particularly fuel-efficient ones, so adviseyour clients to advertise accordingly.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.Transportation alternatives such aspublic transit, taxis and bicycles will continueto gain in popularity. Sell these byemphasizing the environmental and fitnessbenefits as well as the savings thatthese alternatives provide.History shows us that people becomemore spiritual during tough economictimes, returning to their local places ofworship for perhaps a better appreciationof how much they really do have or tosimply pray for better times. If you’reconsidering a format flip to faith-basedprogramming, the timing is good. Atminimum, consider adding a “feel good”feature to your daily programming, andselling it to the local book or audio-bookstore that sells motivational products.The key to selling in changing economictimes is to think like a consumer.It’s the ideal time to let your audienceknow where to get stuff cheap, where toget stuff repaired, and where to go for arestaurant meal that won’t create heartburnin the wallet.The key to writing copy in recessionarytimes is also thinking like a consumer.Why would you want to save on breakfastcereal? What do those savings provide?What is the real benefit to escapingfrom reality to indulge in a bubble bath?And how great will you feel in a new outfit(even if it’s only new to you), withshoes to match?Embrace the benefits, convey it in advertising,and wallets will once again open—you hold the key that unlocks the vault.14 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada JULY/AUGUST 2008

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBThis happens every three minutesMaureenBulley ispresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.Iwas doing some researchtrying to come up with ideasfor a client who offers somethingevery three minutes. So, Ithought I’d see what else in theworld happened that frequently.The surf cam at Australia’s Dixon Parksurf club is updated every three minutes.Presumably users live very close to thebeach so they can catch that perfect waveonce they spot it on the surf cam.The Bongo Social Swing Club inEdinburgh, Scotland presents Shoe Swing,where you can change dance partnersevery three minutes, every Wednesdaynight.We tell one lie for every three minutesour mouth is open—hence the needto change dance partners so frequently Isuppose, or perhaps the real explanationbehind why someone on earth reportsspotting a UFO every three minutes.Every three minutes over the past 70years, someone has purchased a kit-katclock. You know, that wall clock fashionedafter a black and white cat that tells thetime with its rolling eyes and wagging tail.And that ticking clock reveals somethingelse!Every three minutes the typical officeworker is interrupted by a phone call, e-mail, instant message or other distraction.The problem with that is that it takesabout eight uninterrupted minutes for ourbrains to get into a really creative state.So, while we’re busy being busy, we’remissing great opportunities to be creative.It seems that we don’t do any onething particularly well while we deal withconstant interruption. While we thinkwe’re multitasking and making greatstrides on our to-do-lists we’re actuallynot accomplishing very much at all.Psychiatrist and former HarvardMedical School faculty member EdwardHallowell attributes our lack of productivityto ADT. Not unlike Attention DeficitDisorder, it stands for Attention DeficitTrait: a condition induced by modern lifein which “you’ve become so busy attendingto so many inputs and outputs thatyou become increasingly distracted, irritable,impulsive, restless and, over thelong term, underachieving”.When people’s reservoir of new ideasstarts to run dry, or people spend less freetime socializing or relaxing in favour ofwork, they don’t get the fulfillment thatcomes from creative activity.How do we achieve eight uninterruptedminutes in an environment that createsan interruption every three minutes?Sometimes we have to just get up andwalk away from the situation. One NewYork fund company insists that employeestake several days a month just to think—leave the office and just go off and think,leaving all communications devices behindand making oneself unavailable.If you don’t have free time to dreamand muse and mull, then you are notbeing creative by definition, according toDan Russell, a senior manager at IBM inSan Jose, California. Russell answers e-mail only twice daily and all repliesinclude the phrase: “Join the slow e-mailmovement. Read your mail just twiceeach day. Recapture your life’s time andrelearn to dream.”This from a man who schedules uninterruptedthinking time and keeps theappointment with himself by closing hisoffice door. He admits that he’s makingno headway in the world persuading othersaround him to slow down.I’ve long maintained that in broadcasting,our ideas are our currency. Theperson with the best ideas wins. If youagree with that statement you would placegreat value in the brains of the peopleyou employ and consider them the mostvaluable asset any company has. So, it’stime to stop sacrificing imagination andcreativity in favour of speedy e-mailreplies and instantly-returned telephonecalls.We are apparently busy, but we arenot very thoughtful or full of thoughts.Hallowell describes this as the great seductionof the information age. “One can createthe illusion of doing work and of beingproductive and creative when you’re not.You’re just treading water.”Why tread water when you can actuallyswim? Jump in feet first and swimacross the lake to that rock island forsome well-deserved thinking time. WarrenBuffett spends a great deal of his time ina little office in the middle of nowhere,just thinking. Well, maybe chewing somegum, but thinking, mostly. Seems to methat investment in thinking time hasserved him well. Maybe you should try itfor eight minutes, beginning now.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada JUNE 2008 41

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBBring your walletMaureenBulley ispresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.Afunny thing happenedthe day after the CrystalAwards, the Radio MarketingBureau’s annual salute togreat creative. One of this year’swinners received a congratulatorytelephone call from a colleagueat a competing radiocompany complimenting himon how well-written the awardwinningcommercials were.When he hung up the phone,Damon turned and said to me“but I didn’t write anything—they just happened!”A bit of in-studio magic, a confidentinterviewer and a client with a sense ofhumour combined to create this year’sSilver Award Winner in the category ofStation Campaign. Crafted by DamonPapadopoulos, senior writer at RogersRadio in Toronto, the campaign for KooyBrothers not only performed well at theCrystals, it performed where it matteredmost—at the cash register in the client’splace of business—a sell-out of the advertisedproduct was almost immediate.Damon is an accomplished writer, performer,voice talent who can write anythingand make it sing, but in this casehe “wrote” nothing at all. I thought thiswas worthy of further investigation.Here’s what Damon had to say about thewinning campaign which aired on 680News Toronto.“I told the client, Bill Kooy of KooyBrothers, that he should just come in toour studios. Now, Bill’s a firecracker. He’slow key but has a great sense of humour.I thought he’d be perfect to represent hisbusiness. I know, a client voicing their ownadvertising is usually the kiss of death, butI knew I was bang on. I just had to convincehim it’d work. Kooy Brothers sellslawn and garden equipment, commerciallyand for the home owner. Competitionis the big box stores, so I had to conveythe “quality versus quantity” scenario.“To say Bill was skeptical is an understatement.One on one is one thing; talkinginto a microphone is a different world.It’s funny to see a client out of his element.Okay, it’s not funny funny, but youknow when he’s in his business he’scomfortable. In studio, Bill was nervous.And sweaty.“After 30 minutes, we got out of thetank and just laughed.Yeah, it stunk. Butthe point was we were going somewherewith it. It would work. I just had to get Billto believe in the jokes we were makingby turning them into the commercials.That’s what you get into the business for:you wait for a client to trust you enoughthat nothing is really written down.“The next hurdle was to edit the spotsinto something coherent. It was hard toconvince our producer Robert Brown thatI wanted to keep in all the breaths, coughs,laughs and mistakes. They’re usually thefirst to go, especially when you need time.But again, instinct told me all those pauses,noises and empty spaces were gold.The words? Not so much. It now startedto sound like we were having a conversation,a real conversation, albeit for 30 secondsat a time.“And Bill was on! One of the spotsconcluded with him saying, ‘Some peoplecall us Kooy (COO-ee), others call usKooy (COY), we don’t care so long asyou bring your wallet’. Unsolicited, outof the blue, truth in advertising. ‘Call uswhat you want, just buy something’, waswhat he was saying. And really, that’swhat it comes down to: getting people tocall up, visit the website or walk throughthe door. I’ve never promised anythingmore than that with my commercials.“Now, Bill tells me, people are repeatinglines to him. They pull out their walletwhen they meet him. He says when hisbrothers play hockey; guys ask when thenext round of commercials is coming.Bill, Sandra and the rest of the Kooy clanrun a business; so it’s difficult to come toBloor and Jarvis when they should throwsomething new in the can. When they docome, though, I know at the very least I’llhave had a few laughs.“I have to thank Larry MacInnis whomade the call to congratulate me on theCrystal Award we won for the KooyBrothers campaign. You just know youmade the right decision when a contemporaryagrees. A writer who didn’t writeanything? Huh. Go figure.”BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MAY 2008 15

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBDon’t thank me on the spotMaureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.I’ve heard some very clevercommercials in recentmonths that feature theclient as the main or secondaryvoice in the commercial. Whilethat may sound like an oxymoron,it doesn’t have to be.Here are a few points to keepin mind if you find yourself inan awkward situation caught betweenwhat the client needs andwhat the client wants.The fact is, we may be doing clients adisservice when we allow them to readtheir own commercials. Sure, it is “theclient’s money and they can do whateverthey want with their airtime”. But weowe it to them to get a return on theirinvestment. The best way to do this is tooffer a bit of advice, a couple of alternativeideas, and let them choose.The fact that your client may not getthe results they anticipated could be asmuch due to the way the commercial iswritten, as the way it is read. Any commercialneeds a clear statement of theconsumer benefit. If your client has 150mini-vans on their lot, the consumer willhave plenty of choice. In fact, the mini-vanthey want, with the options they desire,may be sitting there waiting to be drivenhome. But don’t mistake the benefit asthe 150 vehicles available—the benefit isthe ability to drive it home immediately.Execution is the first point we need to clarifywith our clients. The next is delivery.Remember, your job is not to makeclients sound like professional announcers;your job is to make them sound natural.A great producer can do that withappropriate coaching skills. Begin by diplomaticallysuggesting that they adjusttheir delivery according to the directionyou’re giving them. It’s tough telling afast-talking sales person to slow downso their message can be understood. Youhave to be strategic and position the slowerpace as being essential to their achievingresults.The client may say that they get resultsfrom commercials they read themselves.This could simply be the result of a goodairtime schedule. We seem to rememberthings we don’t like, longer (because theyirritate us). So tell the truth: their commercialscould work even better if theytook your advice. Be sure to address bothexecution and delivery issues in this conversationand remember, you don’t sellcars from their showroom, they don’t tellyou how to produce commercials.But what about the ego factor? Everyonewill call your client to say they heardthem. Trust me, this novelty will soonwear off. Try to fast-track that feeling bygradually writing them out of their owncommercial. Begin with a five-second announcerset-up and close, allowing theclient to fill the other 20-seconds. Gradually,you will lengthen the announcerreadportions and shorten the amount ofcopy the client reads. Once they realizethey’re taking time out of their busy dayto read one or two lines, they’ll ask youto do it anyway. Not the quickest route tothe ideal commercial, but when clientscome to that conclusion on their own, ithas more meaning.Another option is to have the clientread their own commercial, then have astaff announcer read it. Play both versionsfor the client and ask them fortheir honest opinion about which onesounds better.One of my favourite techniques is the“good cop, bad cop” routine. The salesrep is the good cop who says he’ll checkwith the PD on station policy. The PDplays the “bad cop” who requires thatevery client audition before they can voicetheir own commercials. If the PD declinesthe client-read piece, the account executivecan convey the information withoutcompromising their relationship with theadvertiser while they blame the evil programdirector.Someone needs to have the last wordon commercials read by the clients themselves.That someone should be outsideof the sales arena. Assign someone to thetask, develop a list of policies, and be firmand consistent with the decisions youmake. Your advertisers may not thank youat the time, but they’ll be grateful afterthe spot runs and generates the desiredoutcome.Rohde & Schwarz’snew SR8000 seriesLPFM transmittersfrom 100 to 2500 watts• A very compact 19" rack format, up to 8RU height.• SFN capability• Digital exciter• Transmitter remote control and monitoringvia SNMP and web interface• State-of-the-art MOSFET technology inpower amplifier• Easy startup and maintenance.Visit us at BoothC1539 & C1933Rohde & Schwarz Canada Inc.750 Palladium Drive, Suite 102Ottawa, ON K2V 1C7Phone: (613) 592-8000Fax: (613) 592-8009Toll Free: (877) 438-2880www.rohde-schwarz.comBROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada APRIL 2008 29

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBLet it snow… really!Maureen Bulley ispresident of THERADIO STORE.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIO or bye-mail at doradio@total.net.Countless Canadians arepacking their bags thismonth to head to warmerclimes for a winter vacation.And thousands of them are travelingfor free, thanks to one ofthe largest travel promotionsever.Radio as an industry is due a collectivepat on the back for the key role itplayed in the promotion’s success. It wasthe primary advertising tool used to informconsumers about the contest.Launched in June last year, the “Let ItSnow” promotion brainchild of iTravel-2000 offered Canadians a chance to bereimbursed for the retail price of theirtravel if it snowed more than five inchesNew Year’s Day 2008. What are thechances of that happening in this, theage of global warming? Pretty good,actually.According to CEO Jonathan Carroll,iTravel 2000 had no idea how snowfallwould play out on January 1—the onlything they knew for certain was that theweather was erratic.Did he have trepidations aboutundertaking a promotion of this size?“Absolutely. I’m allocating 80% of mybudget to a promotion that hasn’tproven itself. No one has done it in themarketplace, and I don’t know if it willor won’t work”. Carroll attributes thisappetite for risk to the culture of thecompany—do what other people won’tdo and take a leap of faith.The risk factor was buffered byhandsome insurance premiums paid toWeatherBill, a weather risk managementservice that allows you to protect yourbusiness against revenue risks associatedwith bad weather. iTravel 2000 paid thelargest single-day weather insurance premiumin history.Snowfall measurement points wereHalifax, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary.Environment Canada and EarthSat datawere used to track snowfall during themeasurable time frame. In the extremeeast and west, there was very little snowfall.Montreal received in excess of fiveinches of snow which resulted in freetrips for thousands of Quebecers.Toronto was a close second with significantNew Year’s day snowfall, but notquite enough to make winners of eligibleOntarians.What kinds of trips did Canadiantravelers book? The destinations you’dexpect—Mexico due to the strong performanceof our currency, and Florida becauseof our love affair with the “eleventhprovince”. Carroll says that up until aboutfive years ago, Canadians were amongthe most predictable travelers in the entireworld. While the destinations of choiceremain the same, the nature of thosetrips is different. Canadians yearn for adventureas well as sun, sand and beach.Eco tours are in demand, and as a peoplewe adapt well and embrace differing cultures—atrait Carroll attributes toCanadians’ multi-cultural existence athome.We’re also pretty savvy shoppers.Most travel is booked Monday throughWednesday, and the most popular departuredays are Friday and Saturday althoughCarroll points out that travelingmid-week can reduce the overall cost ofa vacation. And, we’re doing our homeworkonline. Over three million uniqueCanadian users each month visit theiTravel 2000 site to research and booktravel. Millions more use the websites ofother travel companies to explore theiroptions.Carroll describes the Canadian consumeras “a very sharp traveler”. Add toour keen eye, the current overcapacity inthe marketplace and we’re at a furtheradvantage: prices are down 12 to 18 percentover last year.Carroll said “Let It Snow” was thefocus of conversation for six months leadingup to the day of reckoning.Although I had no stake in the outcomeI have to say that I was glued to theradio to monitor snowfall in the GTA onthe first day of January. I don’t recall everbeing so engaged by a contest I didn’tenter, and I’ve been involved in the creationand execution of countless contestsover the years. This one is a realwinner, and one that Carroll plans toreplicate in the future. It was, he said, “amassive success” and he would do itagain, without hesitation.No doubt radio will play a key role inthe next contest. Carroll has been a hugesupporter of radio for the past sevenyears and intends to continue that relationship.As he puts it, “The one you goto the dance with is the one you gohome with”.May I suggest you keep your dancingshoes handy.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MARCH 2008 41

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBI believe in advertisingMaureenBulley ispresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO orby e-mail atdoradio@total.net.The more ads look andsound the same, the morewe simply let them fadeinto our subconscious. They becomebackground noise andtheir place in the mind—theirmeaning—is reinforced by pastmemories and associations.What if we viewed the information asengaging and credible, designed to deepenand simplify our lives instead of junkingit up? Without this insight, advertisingwill continue to kill itself—or, at the veryleast, take the wind out of its own sails.This, according to Tom Asacker, authorof A Clear Eye For Branding and SandboxWisdom: Revolutionize Your Brand with theGenius of Childhood, and known for hisbranding expertise.According to Asacker, consumers wereat one time predisposed to comprehend,accept, and act upon advertising for oneof several reasons: Our memories of pastrepresentations supported its acceptance.Or, we simply wanted to believe. It feltgood to believe that through marketplaceactivities we could become more successful,desirable, live longer, be happier,etc. But, we’re not buying that argumentanymore.Asacker says that in order for advertisingto become effective in the future, itmust be something truly new. Indeed, itmust be new to capture one’s attentionand engaging to hold onto it. But advertisingcan’t simply stop there. Advertisersneed to create information that consumerstag and store as something other than“advertising”.Advertisers need to make sure theaudience interprets the information asengaging and credible, designed to deepenand simplify our lives instead of junkingit up. He makes a few suggestions,including designing advertising to inspireor encourage people to seek out thatfeeling: to have people proclaim, “Wow.People dancing to their unique play list,while wearing little white earbuds. I wantto experience that mood.”What if advertising was designed toeducate? Or, according to Asacker, it couldbe designed to provoke. Would you rememberadvertising more if it was designedto enhance your desire to connectwith others? Apparently, you would.Advertisers need to make sure the audienceremembers a meaningful messageinstead of tossing it in the recycle bin withother unmemorable events. Consumersmust again believe that advertising, ingeneral, does have a role to play in theirlives.Review current advertising trends inthis country where the motivation behindevery purchase seems to be the saving oftime. Commercials that encourage us towork on the train or the plane so we canrelax later, extol the benefits of multitaskingin order to get the most workdone in the least amount of time beforethe ticking clock tells us it’s time for thatnext appointment.This type of advertising could be moreeffective if it emphasized the preferredactivity of free time after the work is done,instead of promoting it the other wayaround…work, work, work and thenyou’ll have more time to play. Promotethe play time first, and then point theway, the means to an end.Even if you were selling a vacuumcleaner, you could do it in one of twoways. One would be the savings of timethat resulted from your purchase. The second,more meaningful outcome, wouldbe the net benefit of satisfaction—knowingthat your purchase allowed you to succeedby being able to clean thoroughly,by doing the job well instead of doing itmore quickly.Satisfaction of doing a job well wouldbe the winner hands down. If time is savedas an afterthought that’s okay, but it’s notgoing to send us to that store on its own.How would your life or workplacechange if you thought this way? Thinkabout what inspires or engages you, andhow the products and services you use inyour life contribute to that inspiration orthat engagement.Previously, advertising simply neededto connect the dots for the consumerto allow them to make sense of an eventor a sequence of events. Connecting thedots will no longer suffice—we need tofill in the picture in technicolour so consumerssee the full, true impact of theirbuying decisions. That will restore theirbelief in advertising, making our job alittle easier in the process.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada FEBRUARY 2008 27

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUDo you hear what I hear?THIS ARTICLE CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM WWW.BROADCASTDIALOGUE.COMMaureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.Iwanted to spend this columntalking about music inadvertising for a couple ofreasons. One, it works very welland, two, it’s grossly overusedin some product categories.Case in point, advertising for condominiumdevelopers that reworks popular(or unpopular) songs to sell boxes ofair. It must be working because it continuesto be the primary creative tool foradvertising all manner of realestate on radio. Developers’investment in radio advertisinghas been the foundation uponwhich budgets were achievedthis fiscal year. Seems logicalwhen you think that advertisingunbuilt condos on television isdifficult at best due to the lackof product visuals available priorto ground breaking.The way I see it, it’s workingeither because the corny adaptationsare memorable andstimulating to the audience, or the realestate market is just so hot that condoswill sell anyway and advertising has littleto do with robust sales.I thought I’d give the creators of thisadvertising the benefit of the doubt, andtry to figure out why clients continue toinvest so much money in these musicalmakeovers—some well done, others notso much. But I thought it more importantto analyse the effect of these 30- or60-second compositions on the listener.My curiosity was further piqued afterhaving read several stories about musicand the brain. The role music plays inmedical conditions, such as the story ofthe 15-year old prodigy who battledautism at a young age to become anaccomplished jazz pianist. Or the doctorwho was struck by lightning and laterdeveloped a craving for music so intensethat he taught himself piano andbecame a composer. Clearly music is apowerful force we are now only beginningto understand.Music is a valuable creative tool thatmakes advertising more memorable.Commercials that use music as the maincreative tool perform well above theaverage.For a true music commercial to beeffective, the music must be able to carrythe commercial. It forms the bulk of thetime, and is likely the most memorablepart. The music must fit and complimentwhat you are attempting to communicate.It must be able to convey the essenceof the advertising.Even if clients cannot afford customcompositions, we can write commercialsusing stock music from our productionlibrary. We simply need to make thedecision whether the music will be abackdrop adding texture to the overall feelof the commercial; or play a major rolein making the commercial memorable.Custom or stock, these principles apply.To add texture, one should read theircommercial along with the music beforeit is recorded to ensure that both copyand music are complementary. This willalso allow a check of the length of thecopy. If possible, have the announcer listento the music either before or duringthe recording process so they can betterunderstand the mood you are trying toachieve.Another way to use music is to let itbe the key focus of the commercial. Ifyou want to set the scene and put yourlistener somewhere specific at the verybeginning of the commercial, music canhelp you establish that scene. What doesthe music make you think of? Are yourecreating the ambience of an intimateItalian restaurant? A romantic evening ata couples resort? A children’s birthdayparty? Music can take you anywhere youwant to go.Music sells consumers, and makesthem purchase product. I cannot simplifythe neurological rationale for that phenomenonin a few short paragraphs, soI’ll recommend further reading on thesubject. I’ve put a few of these books onmy holiday wish list and you may wishto add them to yours: Musicophilia byOliver Sacks; This Is Your Brain on Musicby Daniel J. Levitin; and, Metallica andPhilosophy edited by William Irwin.Music in advertising works—whether it’s the re-use of aclassic in a manner that disappointspurist fans, or a genuine,compelling original piece createdspecifically to compliment aproduct or service. It’s powerful.And it sticks like glue to thepoint that tunes replay themselvesin our minds even afterwe’re tired of them, not unlikethat Christmas carol you’rehearing over and over and overagain.54 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada DECEMBER 2007/JANUARY 2008

ThecreativitytoolkitBY JOHN McGRATHCreativity on demand. That’s thelife of almost every person in thisbusiness—especially in promo departmentswhere you have to keep saying“look at me, spend time with me, I’mreally great” in some form or another.But you don’t have to do it alone.More and more you can turn to companiessuch as L.A.-based spark creative forwhat amounts to a creativity toolkit.The nice part is it’s not a one-size—orin TV’s case one look—fits all scenario.These creative toolkits, which are used bymajor networks and smaller local stations,are custom-made solutions.While they are all different based ona station’s needs, here’s what a typicaltoolkit may look like.“There’s probably two main parts to atoolkit,” explains Elaine Cantwell, founderand creative director of spark. “There’repieces like the opens and the closes thatwill bookend spots, the lower thirds, thetransitions—all the usual suspects. Butwe also provide toolkit elements that aredesigned to create other elements such as (on-air graphics) for things like billboardsand disclaimers. We’ll give them backgrounds, type samples, etc. We’ll create keyableelements such as logos that can be taken and animated over a background of anotherspot.”Spark recently worked with Astral Media’s Mpix on a toolkit package for theirOnDemand channel.“Spark’s challenge was to communicate the on-demand features in a way that wasvery clear and did not make the spot terminology and technology heavy,” said HeatherSenst, executive creative director of Astral Television Networks and Family Channel.“Spark created a spot that was fun and user-friendly, and also tied back to the lookand feel of the Mpix channel.”Spark’s Cantwell sees the toolkit approach as getting a package filled with creativeDNA elements that a station can pick and choose from to create their own spots andpromo and branding pieces.Of course it’s not quite as simple as getting this magic box in the mail, rubbing itand the creative genie hands you your spot, and you still collect the mega bucks formaking your station look so good. As nice as that may be, it is a toolkit that gives youchoices and is intended to make life a little easier.In the case of spark, they would sit down with a station to see what their needs are,whether it is project-based or long term. They would then come up with various elementsfrom full spots, to portions of spots and graphic elements that could be pulledfrom and used in various places, from on-air, to web to print. Whatever a station wantsin the toolkit to make life easier for often overworked in-house producers, it can be done.“It’s kind of like a jigsaw puzzle, but the pieces are so related to each other thatyou don’t have to use them all,” says Cantwell. “They’re interchangeable. You can cutshorter spots that just have the lower third on it. It’s thinking beyond what the clientis asking for and giving them the elements that might facilitate expressing the brandin any venue.”While a toolkit is a great idea, a natural question is why would management wantto pay an outside firm to develop such a toolbox when in-house people, who knowthe brand intimately, could do it themselves.“It really depends on what resources are available in house. Sometimes it’s overflowwork that they are not able to handle because of the workflow… Sometimes it’sgetting a new perspective—that fresh eye. When you’re not immersed in the day today, sometimes you’ll come at it from a fresh perspective and that changes how theinternal team then starts to look at it.”While spark is not the only company that provides toolkit-type solutions, Cantwelladvises making sure whatever package you buy has built-in flexibility.“You want to have the ability to evolve whatever is developed,” says Cantwell. “It’smore economical to have that flexibility. For us, when we hand over a toolkit, it’s likehanding over the baby and the station is going to nurture it and it’s going to grow there.”John McGrath is a Toronto-based Voice-Over actor, specializing in promos, imaging,commercials and animation. He may be reached by phone at 416-876-3945 or by emailat info@johnsvoice.com.18 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada NOVEMBER 2007

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBAnd the winner is…Ifound it quite intriguing tolearn that the AmazingKreskin performs a ratherunique and spectacular feat duringhis performance. He asksthat his pay cheque for the gigbe hidden, and only if he findsit will he be paid.When he charges upwards of $50,000to perform that’s a significant risk. Onlyonce has he failed to find it. It happenedin New Zealand. The loss was $51,000.He must have an awful lot of confidencein his abilities to take that kind of risk.How about you? Is your payday hidingsomewhere inside one of the scripts you’llwrite this fall? Perhaps.The fact is, the best work you writethis year will happen in the next fewmonths. If you write retail or direct it’syour busiest time of year. How will youmake the most of it? The first step is understandingthat you perform well underpressure, so acknowledge that and runwith it. The earlier the creative brief is inthe hopper known as your head, thegreater your chance of creating a winningidea at crunch time. The secondstep is finding out where the best paydayactually is.There are many awards programs executedon a national and internationallevel: some with large cash prizes, othersoffering elaborate trophies, certificatesand recognition. Here are a few of thecash cows.In Canada, we have The CrystalAwards presented by The Radio MarketingBureau. Held each year in conjunctionwith Canadian Music Week, The Crystalsoffer entrants a chance to be recognizedby their peers in a variety of categories thatinclude agency and radio station entriesjudged sometimes against each other, andsometimes only against their direct peers.The entries are scored by a panel of judgesdrawn from a variety of disciplines includingagencies, production houses, clientsand broadcasters. The payday for the winner?The handsome Platinum Grand Prizeand $10,000.In the United States, of course, thereare many awards programs. Until recentlythe biggest payday was the RadioMercury Awards, now in their 16th year.This past June the winners of a total ofover $170,000 in cash prizes were announced.The smallest cash prizes are$2,500 and several are awarded. The grandprize is $100,000 and was awarded in2007 to Boston-based agency MMB fortheir Subway Restaurants commercialentitled Badonkadonk. Not a bad payday,and a good way to encourage, recognizeand reward excellence in radio creative.New this year, the EAR Awards:Excellence in Advertising on Radio presentedby Clear Channel, which awardsprizes valued at over $1 million (earawards.com).Unlike most awards programs,entering is free.According to Clear Channel President/CEO John Hogan, “…handsomely rewardingthe best-in-class in each of these categories,Clear Channel Radio hopes tospark further creative energy and drawtop talent to the industry.” Categoriesinclude Best Copywriting, which awardsa private, chartered jet to any U.S. destination.Best Use of Humour will earnyou a pair of new Mini Coopers. BestUse of Music winner will drive away anew BMW 3 Series convertible hardtopwith HD radio. The best PSA? A $25,000donation to your charity of choice. BestRadio Station Produced Commercialentitles you to a $20,000 Paris shoppingspree. If your radio spot was the best atdriving consumers to the web, you getMaureen Bulleyis president ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay be reachedat 1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.$50,000 in your Pay Pal account. Best ofShow awards $1 million in advertisingon Clear Channel Radio.Entries are permitted from any countryas long as they aired on U.S. radio.So, maybe the big prize isn’t depositedto your bank account but it can makeyour “brag” account enormous and,before the bribing began, that’s why weentered awards shows. We wanted fameand glory. Adding money or prizes to themix stirs things up a little bit and makesit more fun to enter. Even The Ear Awardswebsite is fun: industry folk talk abouthow they would share the prize withtheir colleagues.If you make a living writing commercialsfor radio, you’re a winner in yourown right. If you get a big cash prize, youwin again. So sharpen your pencils, keepyour head down and write as thoughyour life depended on it. You too are awinner, and an illusionist, just like theAmazing Kreskin.And your next payday is hiding somewherein your creative briefs.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada OCTOBER 2007 19

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBEngaged? Why bother?Engagement, Emotions andthe Power of Radio, thelatest in the Radio AdvertisingEffectiveness Lab’s seriesof studies, is intended to keepradio research current withtrends in other advertising research,as well as to help us betterunderstand how radio worksmore than whether it works.To that end, the study employed facialEMG: the measurement of facial musclecontractions through carefully placed electrodesover specific muscle groups on thesurface of the skin. Two EMG measureswere taken—the positive zygomatic measureof the smile muscle and the negativecorrugator measure of the brow frownmuscle. Researchers also included a moretraditional excitement or arousal measurebased on skin conductance. This allowedfor the measurement of a positive ornegative emotion (through the smile orfrown); as well as the strength of the emotion,as measured by skin conductance.So, does the ad touch me emotionally?If so, to what degree?Recent work in neurophysiology suggestsinformation processing takes placelargely outside of conscious awareness. Assuch, not everything that consumers feelabout advertising can be expressed inwords or pictures. A full understanding ofemotional responses to advertising needsto go beyond what a consumer knows howto explain or illustrate, hence the need tocapture emotional reactions at a deeper,pre-cognitive level.Subjects were asked to listen or viewmatching radio and television ads whichwere found to otherwise be comparableby conventional methods of copy testing.The ads were tested in context: respondentswere permitted to select which programmingthe advertising would be partof to ensure they were already emotionallypredisposed to the programming element.They were under the assumptionthey were evaluating the programming,not the advertising it contained.The study concluded that radio adsdemonstrated positive emotional impactequal to their television counterparts, withan equivalent overall excitement level. Butwhat value is there in achieving emotionalimpact if there’s no benefit to the advertiser?You must trigger emotion to get thesale, but simply stimulating emotiondoesn’t guarantee the sale.The missing link is a measure of theresults—how successful was the advertising?Unfortunately, we’ll probably neverknow. This study is big on the “what happened”,but not the “how”, because theactual creative tested is never revealed. Wasanonymity necessary to gain permissionto use the creative for research purposes?Who would agree to be publicly criticizedfor work that ranked poorly with the consumersit was intended to sway?Otherwise, this begs the question“why bother”?Instead we continue to rely on oldfashionedexperience to guide us. Oneadvertiser that is making the phones lightup like Vegas offers to properly measurea woman before it sells her a bra, thusensuring a proper fit and a potentiallymore flattering look. Is the response becausewe are misled into believing we canachieve a better appearance without therequisite diet and exercise? Or is it becausethis advertiser chose a service elementthat any store could offer, but featuresit prominently, thereby making it theunique selling proposition?Analysing the script, I would say it isworking because of that USP, the benefitsand the optimism that the results areMaureenBulley isPresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO orby e-mailat doradio@total.net.within reach of the average female consumer.Not particularly scientific, but probablycloser to reality than any researchwill ever get us.The research paper suggests thatengagement—that is how radio commercialsaffect consumer emotions—maybecome the new planning metric, complementingand possibly replacing frequencyin media plans. If one considersthat having a magazine subscription doesn’tnecessarily mean I read the magazine,but it is counted anyway, it carries someweight. Similarly, if a station has a largeaudience it doesn’t mean the audience isemotionally engaged.If we can demonstrate engagement aswell as numbers we may have the winningformula advertisers are so desperatelyseeking. Or, we may just be left feelingwarm and fuzzy without ever really knowingwhy.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada SEPTEMBER 2007 37

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBBrainstorming made easierIn broadcasting our productis intangible—ideas are ourcurrency. We are under increasingpressure to come upwith new ideas to do just abouteverything from selling our audienceto advertisers, to improvingthe bottom line.Having trouble generating new ideasquickly? I’d suggest you start by foldinglaundry.Here’s a simplified explanation ofwhy folding laundry works. The left sideof our brain is analytical and helps us toorganize the information we know aboutthe problem we need to solve. Ideas tosolve those problems are generated onthe right side of the brain, which housesour ability to be creative. The rightbrain will continue to work andgenerate ideas even when weare doing left-brained tasks,such as folding laundryor filing papers.So if your rightbrain is a little lethargic,stop trying sohard. Move on to aleft-brained task andlet the creative wheelsstart turning.There are a variety ofthings you can do to kickstarta brainstorming sessionat your office. If you’re like mostcompanies, brainstorming sessions beginas pretty quiet affairs. You can hear a pindrop as participants stare at the floor orat the ceiling, not wanting to be the firstto suggest an idea. Break the ice by playinga silly card game with giant oversizedplaying cards, assembling a jigsaw puzzle,or solving math problems such as “howmany hours are in one million seconds?”.Alternate between left-brained tasks toa series of right-brained brainstormingtechniques such as:Mind-Mapping: Mind-maps are bestcreated on large pieces of paper using acoloured pen or pencil. Draw an “island”in the middle of the paper and write akey word from your creative challenge inthe middle. Create ideas and write themdown on random lines that extend outwardfrom the island. Continue generatingideas and creating your mind mapuntil you are out of either time or ideas.The finished piece will resemble a roadmap, hence the name “Mind Map”. Thisworks because you are recording ideas bywriting all over the place, not in a leftbrained,straight-lined, organized list.Ask A Better Question: Have everyonewear different masks, or eccentric hats,and ask them how their new “character”would handle the creative challenge athand. Convince participants to generatenew ideas by having them behave differently.The Great Idea Wall: This should be apermanent installation in your office.Cover the walls with paper, write the creativechallenge at the top,and provide a variety ofcoloured pens, pencilsand markers.Then passers-bycan write theirideas “graffitistyle” all overthe wall. Inviteeveryoneto jot downideas to theproblem at handas they walk byyour “Great IdeaWall”. This can workfor you 24/7, because it’sanonymous and allows even closet creativethinkers to express themselves quietlywithout the pressure of a formalbrainstorming session.And, ask others what they do to getgood ideas. Here are a few that readershave shared with me:Visit a kindergarten class.Take a long drive.Take a shower.Enjoy the simpler things in life.Create a scrapbook of pictures ormagazine articles.Asking other people a leading question,such as, “If I were marketing directorfor a day, I would....”.Pull weeds from your garden.Maureen Bulley is president of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio @total.net.Dream about it: write the need on apiece of paper and place under your pillow.Sleep on it until you get dreams withanswers to questions.Take a walk.Play hot potato: pass a ball around,and catcher has 10 seconds to say a goodidea.Play solitaire.Eat anything with sugar in it.Discuss the same concept with differentpeople.Ask yourself where you were, whatyou were doing and what other detailssurrounded you the last time you had areally great idea. Then duplicate thoseconditions in your work environment asclosely as company policy permits: lighting,plants, pictures; whatever it takes.Then choose techniques to generate andrecord new ideas that you find enjoyable.Finally, keep in mind the fundamentalrule of brainstorming—no ideas arejudged during the brainstorming sessionitself. Judging is left-brained; creativity isright-brained. So evaluating ideas too earlyin the process puts an end to the freeflow of the session. Then you’re stuckworking on it at home folding towels inthe laundry room.BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada MAY 2007 39

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBThe perfect dateThose who write and producecommercials have becomeaccustomed to thestigma associated with our craft—our work is nothing morethan an interruption of the programmingwhich hosts it.Our industry culture has reinforcedthis as we play the shell game with commercialbreaks, trying to figure out iflonger is better or if shorter breaks reallyare the key to audience retention. If youread the results of a recent research study,you’ll discover all that effort could easilyhave been redirected elsewhere.What Happens When the Spots ComeOn, subtitled The Impact of Commercialson the Radio Audience, is intended to providenew insights into what happens tothe audience when radio stations playcommercials. Conducted by Arbitron,Media Monitors and media research firmColeman, the study is the first in a seriesthat uses the power of passive electronicmeasurement. The study was conductedin Houston, where Arbitron has deployedits Portable People Meter (PPM) servicefor radio ratings as well as for this impactstudy. This new report “provides detailedevidence showing that radio does a remarkablejob of retaining audiencethrough commercial breaks”. They measuredthe audience for the minute priorto the start of each break, and comparedit to the audience still tuned in for eachsubsequent minute of the break.Commercial breaks during morningdrive hold more than 94% of the lead-inaudience. This suggests greater listenerengagement and justifies the premiumplaced on morning drive inventory. Inother day parts, it appears 92% of theaudience stays through the first two minutesof a break, and drops only slightlybetween the third and sixth minute.The study’s authors outlined severalkey points—the most compelling ofwhich is the recommendation that programmersshould focus on buildingstrong brands that generate loyalty, andnot lose sleep over the negative impactof running commercials.In fact, a statistically significant majorityof respondents thought radio ads were“more fun” than newspaper ads in anotherstudy: RAEL 2—The Radio AdvertisingEffectiveness Lab’s second study on Radioand the Consumer’s Mind: How Radio Works.Commercials and fun are not commonlyused in the same sentence. Until now.In addition to the “fun” factor, RAEL2 concludes that radio listeners may beespecially receptive to advertising becausethey are emotionally connected to theirstations (and all aspects of it, programmingand commercials). The audienceexpects advertising on radio to be morerelevant to them and they demonstratemore acceptance of radio advertising.Apparently consumers feel that radioadvertising occupies a unique place intheir mind. They expect radio advertisingto be more local and more targeted. Theyexpect radio ads to “reach the people theywere meant for” and consumers feel thatadvertisers who use radio seem more likelyto care about “reaching me personally”.It’s that personal, emotional connectionthat makes radio so effective. Perhapsit’s because we share so many privatemoments with our audience: we wake upwith them, shower with them, spend theentire day together, escort them to dreamlandand arise to do it all over again.Listeners called radio a companion toother activities, a soundtrack to complimenttheir multi-tasking existence.As a medium, we improve the moodof our audience according to 58% ofMaureenBulley is presidentof THERADIO STORE.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor by e-mail atdoradio@total.net.those surveyed. Other emotions touchedincluded the ability to make you relax, tocomfort you, to help you feel motivatedand help you have a good time.If radio was a date, it would be aspectacular one. And Country music radioappears to have the best relationship ofall. The format-specific breakdowns revealthat Country music radio scored aboveaverage in its ability to allow one to overcomehardships due perhaps to the lyin’,cheatin’ song stereotype, and above averagein its ability to help one have a goodtime, presumably after said stereotypicallyin’ and cheatin’ are over.So, sleep peacefully tonight, youngcopywriters and producers. Your audienceconsiders programming and advertisingto be one; that you offer them a personal,emotional connection. And they’re dedicatedto staying with you through eachcommercial break. You’re a pretty spectaculardate after all!BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada APRIL 2007 15

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBCreating powerful radioApril 2007 marks the releaseof the update toCreating Powerful Radio,the widely-read “bible” of theradio industry penned by NewYork City-based programmingconsultant Valerie Geller.The original and its companion,Creating Powerful Radio Workbook, havebeen translated to several languages.This new release is still weeks away,but I was privileged to receive an advancecopy prior to press time. Well, sort of. Ido have Chapter 24 in its entirety. EntitledCreating Powerful Radio, Sales and Commercials,it contains two dozen pagesjam-packed with advice from experts inmanagement, sales, talent and creative.In a section entitled Break Down theBrick Walls, readers will enjoy an accountof the experiences one station had whensales and on-air personnel changed jobsfor a day. The goal was to improve therelationship between the two entities. Thisbrought back memories of the “BehindThe Scenes Saturdays” programming createdby David Marsden during my tenureat CFNY Toronto/Brampton. Interestednon-air staff were given the opportunityto program their favourite music and bethe on-air host for their designated hour.Thankfully, the “usual” on-air personalityoperated the board as we each learnedvia blood, sweat and tears how hard it isto deliver an hour of live radio.My respect for on-air staff, while alreadysignificant, had increased dramaticallyfollowing that experience. The samewas true following the example given inthe book. We are reminded how on-airpeople thrive on the “yes” factor whilesales people accept “no” as a regular partof their day, and do so with great aplomb.Several pages are dedicated to DavidBaronfeld’s take on what unique opportunitiesthe News/Talk format affordsaccount executives. Here’s an interestingnugget. “Studies show that air talent whospend at least five hours a week with stationsalespeople can equal and sometimesdouble their regular salaries.”Baronfeld suggests that allowing andencouraging talent to earn income fromMaureenBulley ispresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.revenue streams separate from salary area good thing for all parties, includingmanagement at contract renewal time.He also conveys a great story about thelate talk personality Alan Berg with whomBaronfeld made regular sales calls. Asyou may recall, the movie Talkradio wasloosely based on Berg’s life.Pam Lontos is the quintessential salespersonand she shows that throughouther contribution to the piece. Two sectionsI highlighted were: “Redefine rejection.You’re not being rejected, your offeris”. If you’re a creative writer, substitute“script” for “offer”, and you’ll probablyget more sleep tonight.I also like the advice Pam gives aboutpersistence. “Use the power of persistence.Take ‘no’ as a challenge. Learn from childrenhow profitable persistence is.”The balance of Chapter 24 is dedicatedto the now what. “You’ve Made theSale, Now What”, in which we are remindedthat listeners perceive well-producedspots that fit the station’s targetaudience as “new or useful informationabout products or services they may wantto try, or special pricing on an item theymay already use or need”.Geller suggests listeners may actuallypay special attention to such a spot. Andshe reminds us the converse is true. A bador boring spot about an irrelevant productor service, or one that does not conformto the Powerful Radio principlesinvolving health, heart, money or transformationthat neither persuades, entertains,informs nor inspires-will [actually]drive listeners away from your station.Geller says more than a dozen pagessummarize best practices for commercial writingand production, drawn from various booksand training programs I have authored. I includedmany aspects of commercials and theirrole in the overall station programming. Topicsinclude how to maximize each recording sessionto get the best possible commercial readfrom on-air talent, and how to manipulatestop sets so that commercials have the bestchance to succeed.Creating Powerful Radio: Getting, Keepingand Growing Audiences is a labour oflove. It has consumed several years ofValerie Geller’s life, and it contains a lifetimeof wisdom and experience from theauthor and her contemporaries. It will serveas a valuable reminder to professionalsas well as a priceless resource for youngtalent. It should be on your bedside table.MARCH 2007 37

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBHitting a moving targetRadio listeners believetheir station carries advertisingthat has meaningor relevance to them asmembers of the audience. Theydon’t feel the same connectivitywith newspaper or televisionadvertising.This is attributed by the Radio AdvertisingEffectiveness Lab (RAEL) to the factthat radio is more specifically targeted tovarious segments of society versus themass appeal of television or newspaper.It is thought that the personalization ofradio formats carries over to the perceptionof radio ads.According to RAEL, in simple termspeople believe that “my station” carries“my ads”. Due to its more personal connection,radio ads trigger emotional reactionsamong consumers. The RAEL studyencourages advertisers to include an emotionalappeal in advertising to be trulymotivating.This echoes the Canadian researchstudy Radio Power Tools (RPT), whichalso used consumer research to developstrategies to create more effective radioadvertising based on consumer perception.The RPT study identified a varietyof root appeals apparent in commercialswhich scored high with consumers. Thelowest scoring commercials contained nobenefit or root appeal—no compellingreason why the listener should changetheir spending habits or patterns.The RPT study was conducted withCanadian consumers using slightly largersample sizes than the RAEL study conductedin the U.S. Both found consumerswere disinterested in a list of product orservice attributes and benefits void ofemotional appeal.I believe we’re all sophisticated enoughto understand the need for an emotionalappeal in advertising to ensure effectiveness.And some of us are even pretty goodat it. We also know that radio has a legup in this arena because it’s an activemedium that requires listener participationto create images to compliment thesoundscape.What we often overlook is the needfor the entertainment value of radio to beconsistent for 60 minutes of every hour.We have perpetuated the interruption factorof advertising versus programmingwith phrases like “stop sets”, “commercialbreaks” and “commercial-free programming”.We attempt to overcompensatewith highly-produced commercials. Multiplevoices, a barrage of sound effectsand production enhancements will notreplace that meaningful emotional connectivity.A weak script does not becomestronger when it is highly produced—itbecomes weaker.Amateur presentation, high voltageads with rapid voiceovers and high energymusic, and creative frill (unnecessarycreative elements that do more to distractthan engage) were identified as key elementsof commercials that scored poorlyin the RPT study. Similarly, the RAEL studysuggests that “elaborate production maybe less important than having the rightmessage—the right conduit into personalrelevance and emotions”.Both the Canadian and American researchstudies carry important implications.When planning and creating radioadvertising, RAEL recommends that advertisersensure their ads are compatible withtheir surroundings: there is no effectiveone-size-fits-all commercial—being format-specificmatters. Radio ads need tospeak one-to-one to consumers. Radiocan be synergistic with advertising onother media but simply lifting televisionaudio to run on radio is not sufficient.Even if your goal is imagery transfer (usingradio to reinforce images from othermedia) it requires a more personal andrelevant approach.For broadcasters, the reminder thatprogramming and advertising are thesame experience for listeners—they don’tdifferentiate between the two. Thereforewhen ads don’t fit in with programming,listener satisfaction is compromised.Furthermore, if the advertiser fails todeliver on promises, the first call a listenermakes is to the radio station, notthe client. While we accept all advertisingin good faith, we must be aware ofthe consequences of that blind faith.Maureen Bulley is President of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.When seeking out new advertisers,account executives need to consider environmentalcompatibility—don’t sell to advertiserswhose products or messages clashwith listener expectations; have the chutzpahto turn down the dollars or insist thecreative be redesigned with your audiencein mind.Listener expectations should shape theads for each programming atmosphere:so if you operate a multi-station cluster,one piece of creative does not automaticallyfit all formats. This will increase yourworkload in a direct advertising environment,but it will pay you back throughaudience satisfaction. Ads should be justas targeted as the programs which containthem.Finally, appreciate that your audienceis a moving target. What seems personaland relevant today is a function of societal,economic, cultural and personal circumstance.And any one of these factorscould change overnight.NOVEMBER 2006 39

One of the biggest challenges thatoften confronts promo producersis how to put together a spotthat’ll not only resonate with the audience,but also be highly entertaining andstand out from the crowd—all for littleor no money.Everybody finds a way of dealing withthe dilemma, but some seem to do it alittle better and a little more consistently.Take for example CHUM Television,which year after year seems to wintonnes of awards for their creative work.This year alone, they took home 30 trophiesat the industry PROMAX/BDAAwards in New York.So what’s their secret?“The idea comes first, the productioncomes after,” says David Johnson, Directorof Creative Services, CHUM Television.“Always pursue the idea. Great creativecan always be great creative regardless ofbudget.“If you have a low budget, don’t try toemulate something that is high budget.Celebrate the low budget with an ideathat makes a low budget make sense. Dosomething that is going to speak to yourviewers on a personal level. If you can onlyafford to do something that looks homemade,capitalize on that.”Johnson admits today’s technologymakes it easier than ever to put togethertop quality promos at a lower cost, butin the end great creative only happenswhen you allow your creative people tobe creative. That is when magic can happen,which was the case with Much’saward-winning spot on Black HistoryMonth that was produced for an incrediblylow $500 and was featured in a Stateof the Art portion of the PROMAX internationalconference in June highlightingthe industry’s best creative.“A couple of writer/producers fromour Much Creative area who are very passionateabout Urban music, came to usand said ‘look, Black history month iscoming up, I’d love to do a spot,’” explainsJohnson. “They asked for $500, some pizzafor the people helping out and someT-shirts. They did a spot that consisted ofDV footage, graphics, a good sound trackand, above all, a great concept. The budgetin the end was $500 and it won aGold (PROMAX) award. It all starts froma great idea.”The spot, which can be seen on-lineAwardwinningcreativewith nomoneyBY JOHN McGRATHat www.muchmusic.com/video/2006/08/bhm.wvx, is also a great business case fornurturing creative freedom.“When we hire a producer we givethem a lot of freedom,” says Johnson. “Weencourage a sense of ownership (of theend product), which fosters better creative.Some of our producers will go so faras to shoot things themselves. The resultis promos that reflect everything from aquirky indy-feel to a polished networklook when the job calls for it.”“Managing and nurturing people’s creativejuices is ultimately the key to awardwinningcreative on a shoestring budget—or any budget for that matter. Sure, Idon’t know a promo department thatwouldn’t rejoice if they were given a million-dollarbudget. But without a greatconcept, or story to tell, it would be nothingmore than a million dollars of effectson film.“Most of the best creative that we havedone is idea-based rather than blowingpeople away with special effects and hugedollar shoots,” says Johnson, who stressesthe importance of having the right talentin the right place. “It’s important to us thatthe people working on the brands arepassionate about the subject matter surroundingthe brands.”When it comes to the logistics ofbringing creative to life on little budget,Johnson shares this additional piece ofadvice: don’t use a lot of dialogue if youuse amateur actors.“It’s very rare that under tight budgetscenarios one can afford the level of technicaland talent support needed to pull offcredible dialogue,” says Johnson. “That’swhere you make use of voice-over, liveactionwithout dialogue, animation,graphics, stock footage. Or if dialogue isthe preferred option, it can be directed ina way that doesn’t attempt to achieve thesame aesthetic as mainstream high-budgetadvertising.”Johnson says the key to all stationcreative is “the voice and tone has to beconsistent with the overall image of thebrand.”John McGrath is a Toronto-based writer andvoice-over actor, specializing in promos,imaging, commercials and animation. Hemay be reached by phone at 416-876-3945or by email at info@johnsvoice.com or visitwww.johnsvoice.com.OCTOBER 2006 23

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBThe long and the short of itAfriend of mine whoworks in magazine publishinge-mailed me theother day to ask how manywords he should write in his10-second radio scripts, andhow many words should comprisehis 30-second radio script.While the use of a stop-watch winshands down, I suggested 25 words for 10seconds and 75 words for 30 seconds asa reasonable guideline. There are so manyvariables, the word count question is ahard one to answer.Can a meaningful message be conveyedin 10-seconds? How about one second?Spots of one, two or three secondsin length are the latest buzz south ofthe border as Clear Channel struggles tomaintain revenue projections without disorientingtheir audience through longcommercial breaks. A recent article onthe subject suggested the rationale forshorter spots was to provide somethingnew and different to a client.“Blinks” as they have become known,could be an effective way to reinforcebranding of well-established products. Itmay also be an effective way to conducta countdown to an important concert orevent, but would still need the benefit of aregular spot schedule to tell the full story.The hot topic of late seems to be thelength of commercials: should they belonger or should they be shorter? Or isthe real question, should they be better?Programmers believe that 60-secondcommercials make for better radio. Thisassumes that the length of each stop setis fixed, and the number of units fluctuatedepending on inventory sold. OneAmerican radio company takes a completelydifferent approach: they scheduleno more than 10 units in a break, regardlessof how long each unit is. They defineit by number of interruptions, while otherbroadcasters measure breaks based onthe number of minutes used. How doesthe audience feel?Some research suggests that the listener’sperception is that twenty 30-secondcommercials in a break sounds longerthan ten 60-second commercials. Hard toargue with that—it even sounds longerwhen you say it.Clients may feel the same way for differentreasons. It is challenging to createimpact when your commercial is number13 in a 20-unit break. Perhaps clientswould be prepared to pay a premium ifthey knew there were fewer units in thebreak. Others might prefer to pay a premiumto be in one of the top three positionsin the break.A recent e-letter from an Americansales consultant was titled 30s or 60s, whocares? This gentleman made the point, andrightly so, that it matters not how long acommercial is but rather how good it is.He suggests that in the very near future itwill be the quality of the creative and notthe length or rate for a commercial thatwill separate the top billing stationsfrom the rest of the pack.While much time is spent south ofthe border trying to ease into shorter commercials,it seems we’re travelling in theopposite direction here in Canada. Whatmade ours a 30-second universe while inthe United States a 60-second commercialbecame more the norm? Perhaps it is thepricing model used to differentiate between30- and 60-second spots, or simplythe available advertising budget that dictatesthe spot length. This line of thinkingputs the cart before the horse.The decision about which spot lengthto use should be a function of what is beingadvertised. Sometimes even 30 secondsComplete: budgeting, designand turnkey installation“They got us on air the day they promised”“Gary Hooper and his team from HP Services built our new FM station inWoodstock Ontario in record time. From the planning to the purchasing,phones to IT they took care of it all. The install was smooth and looks incredible.They got us on air the day they promised and the signal sounds amazing. If you’reretooling, expanding or building a new radio station, check out HP Services.”Chris Byrnes – President/Owner CIHR-FM Woodstock Ontario• Studio• Office• Podcast• Telephone• LAN IT• Transmitter site• Streaming Video• Digital audio systemsMaureenBulley isPresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO orby e-mailat doradio@total.net.seems too long, and 10-second tags willsuffice. Other times, 90 seconds is neededto really develop the appropriate storyline.Station promotional messages areanother story. I like to use as much timeas it takes to write an effective promotionalmessage. Sometimes, that’s 10 seconds,sometimes it’s 76. If the entertainmentvalue continues throughout the stop set,who cares how long it is?At the end of the day, the key is entertainmentvalue. Strive to create commercialsthat compliment the programmingand feel like a part of it. Avoid commercialsthat give a whole new meaning tothe word interruption.Can you do this with every commercialthat you write for your station?Probably not, but you better try. If thepredictions ring true, it will be the cutting-edgecreative that wins the budget,and not the other way around.Tel. 905 889 3601www.hpservices.cahps2@rogers.comOCTOBER 2006 21

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBBig budget soundEver find yourself wishingyou had access to “better”voice talent, or a custommusic bed to make your stationproducedcommercials soundmore big budget than they reallyare?You can create that big-budget soundwithout spending a dime. Here are a fewtechniques I have tried recently with goodsuccess. You may wish to experiment withthem to overcome what you perceive tobe a lack of resources.I’ve always maintained that it’s fruitlessto write scripts for non-existent voicetalent. The typical example is the “Irishaccent on St. Patrick’s Day” script, whenyou have no voice on staff who offers arealistic impersonation or a genuine Irishaccent. Your expectations (and the client’s)are high, and you wish that your producerscould work their magic to create thatelusive sound. Even the most accomplishedproducer is working with handstied behind their back when the voicetalent cannot perform the way we needthem to. The end result is frustration onthe part of the writer over a potentiallybrilliant script that falls flat in the studio.A better strategy is to write for thevoices you do have, and not for the voicesyou wish you had. Challenge the voicetalent in your building. Ask them whatthey think they do well, whether it’s charactervoices, acting roles in spots, or simplya good solid read. And write for that.Keep your ear to the ground becauseunique and different voices could be hidinganywhere. Recently, I rescued a retailaccount by writing for the voice skills of aparticular announcer. I knew exactly howto write for that voice—short phrases, easyedit points for the producer, and copywritten the way the announcer wouldactually speak. The result was a commercialthat cut through, and an advertisinginvestment that increased significantlyinstead of vanishing completely.This strategy can work well with eithernarrative (single voice) commercials, ordialogue commercials. Be sure to writeyour next dialogue commercial “short”,giving the talent time to make it soundnatural. If you don’t have particularlystrong acting talent, cast two people inthe commercial who have complementarypersonalities, or appear to get alongwell in the halls. Your chances of achievingbetter dialogue will improve greatly.Let the voice talent work with thescript by giving them only the basic copypoints to converse with one another aboutthe advertiser and the product(s) theyhave on sale. Even if your client providesyou with a veritable grocery list of products,select ones that go together and tryto portray them in actual product usagesituations.As with effective narrative commercials,dialogue requires you to write theway that people talk.How do you do that? Record two peoplehaving a conversation, and mimic it.Good dialogue makes the listener feel likethey’re eavesdropping on a private conversation.Another great technique (albeittime consuming) is to keep recordingthroughout the entire session, and editingit together afterwards.Finally, when you’re choosing the announcersto read a multi-voice commercial,be sure their voices are not similar.It’s easy for us to distinguish between thetwo characters because we can see them.The audience doesn’t have the benefit ofthat insight.Create more magic in a commercialby choosing the music first. Then, writearound it. Hit those music posts withprecision when you develop the script—Complete: budgeting, designand turnkey installation“They got us on air the day they promised”“Gary Hooper and his team from HP Services built our new FM station inWoodstock Ontario in record time. From the planning to the purchasing,phones to IT they took care of it all. The install was smooth and looks incredible.They got us on air the day they promised and the signal sounds amazing. If you’reretooling, expanding or building a new radio station, check out HP Services.”Chris Byrnes – President/Owner CIHR-FM Woodstock Ontario• Studio• Office• Podcast• Telephone• LAN IT• Transmitter site• Streaming Video• Digital audio systemsMaureen Bulleyis President ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay be reachedat 1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail at doradio@total.net.capitalize on the crescendo by buildingexcitement in the copy. Or write “lyrics”that are spoken (or sung if you have thetalent) to give the impression that bothwere created together.Writing from “the music up” takesmore time than some of the other techniques,but it can be very effective. Even ifyou’re not musically inclined, you shouldbe able to count the beats and use themas the foundation on which to build yourcopy. Then add “punctuation” by incorporatingsound effects. Think stiletto heelshitting pavement on the downbeat suitablefor a footwear retailer, or the soundsof power tools for a building supplycompany.Even an average writer can create anabove-average commercial when the sky’sthe limit in terms of available budget forvoice and music. The real test of writingtalent is creating something extraordinaryfrom seemingly ordinary talent andmusic.Tel. 905 889 3601www.hpservices.cahps2@rogers.comSEPTEMBER 2006 21

As PROMAX, the industry associationfor media promotion andmarketing professionals, gets setfor its 51st conference June 20-22 in NewYork City, its CEO believes the industryis about to go through a transformation.“There’s a new generation of viewers,a new generation of technology and a newformula for sales and ratings success,” saysJim Chabin, CEO of PROMAX. The key tofuture success, he says, lies in truly understandingwho the new generation of viewersor listeners are.He calls them “content users” whouse media like they do any other householdappliance, connecting to what thePROMAX conference brochure aptly calls“televisual” devices, when and where theywant.“(The audience) is changing (its) rolefrom passive viewers to active users ofcountless media options,” says Chabin.“There’s a new generation that census peopleare calling the Millennial Generation—anyone who is currently between theage of nine and 22. They’re the biggestgeneration since baby boomers. They’revery tech savvy.“Five years from now, this generationwill make up 50% of the population.Needless to say, the way we do things nowwill not be how we will be doing thingsfive years from now.”He’s dead on. This group is not loyalto any one medium, they take multitaskingand technology for granted andare advertiser skeptical. Anybody with a16-year-old can tell you it’s not uncommonfor them to have the TV on whilethey surf the net, send text messages andchat on their cell phones.Now with video iPods, and soon videophones and other portable devices, communicatingwith this group means followingthem where they go no matterwhat platform they are using. So creatingpromos just on your station is no longergood enough. We can no longer justexperiment with multi-platform promotions,we have to actually be there creatingpromos specifically for each mediaplatform instead of a one-promo-fits-allapproach.“I’m told by people at MTV that whenshooting (content), they’ll shoot alternatetakes with close-ups that can be used ona cell or other small screen down theroad. As a 55-year-old guy who startedout in this business at the age of 16 as aThrivingin theBY JOHN McGRATH“televisual”worlddisc jockey at a small radio station inKansas, I’ve never seen anything like this.It is so exciting.”Exciting because it’s fluid. We’re inthe midst of the change so we have tokeep changing with it. In the case ofputting together promos or branding ourselveson these various “televisual” platforms,it may even mean taking a stepbackwards at times.That’s certainly the case with video forcell phones. There’s a lesson to be learnedabout how much content you show on ascreen that’s just slightly larger than apostage stamp. In those cases, only aclose-up will do. No room yet to go nutson production. And graphics—well asJoey said on Friends—“Fah’get about it”.We’re not talking about watching anentire episode of a show on a cell, butthere is room for getting people to tuneto a promo campaign if it’s done right.“The challenge is to come up withcreative content (for each platform),” saysChabin. “The fundamentals have notchanged. We’re still in the business ofstorytelling. There’s a saying that the ‘differencebetween good and great is imagination’.(Promo producers) who tap intothat imagination will achieve excellence.”Excellence is something that will berecognized at the PROMAX conventionas they hand out their annual awards.Promos are judged on the basis of “overallcreativity”, “production quality” and“achievement of objectives” to ultimatelyattract “content users”. As one of thejudges, I found that sometimes moreeffort seemed to go to the first two categoriesthan on the all-important third. Itcan look as cool as you want, but if itdoesn’t grab my attention and speak tome, then it doesn’t matter.Chabin says creating compelling promosboils down to five time-honouredbasics:“Get their attention.Get their interest.Tell a story that engages them.Get them to agree that what you areoffering is relevant to them.Get them to buy into what you areoffering.”John McGrath is a Toronto-based writer andvoice-over actor, specializing in promos,imaging, commercials and animation. Hemay be reached by phone at 416-876-3945or by email at info@johnsvoice.com.JUNE 2006 23

Attention management: want betteron-air promos that will resonatemore with your “audience”? Giveyour promo staff the day off and sendthem to the movies.That’s exactly what Renée Glück, directorof creative services at Teletoon, did—and she feels it was well worth the priceof admission.“Sometimes we can get caught up inthe undertow of all the work that we haveto do and it can be easy for us to forgetwhat our audience actually looks andsounds like,” says Glück. “You might getan audience report, or trends on yourtarget demographic—what they’re doing,what they like, who they are, all of thosekind of things. But that’s still abstract. Sosending staff out to a movie to sit in atheatre—in our case—with kids in our varioustarget age groups, it makes the experiencevery real.”Broadcasters have all spent copiousamounts of money on audience research.Demographic specific profiles are developedalong with a long list of likes anddislikes, viewing habits, purchasing habits,etc. A viewer or listener profile is developed,but how many of us can say exactlywhat our viewer or listener looks likeand what they’d like to do, say, on a date.You can always add that to your listof questions in your research, but it stilldoesn’t REALLY show how your audiencewould act if you took them to a movie.What would make them laugh or cry?What would keep their attention?It would seem like a no-brainer—wantto get to know your audience, spend timewith them.But it’s something not a lot of broadcasterstend to do. But think about it.When we want to get to know someoneon a personal level, we don’t hire a researchfirm to give us information on thatperson and make decisions from there.Internet dating does give you the optionof profiling the type of person you’d liketo meet, but in the end, to know someone,you have to meet and spend timetogether. Not much different to knowyour audience.“Research is great, but it’s only part ofit,” says Glück. “You can get all the dataand information on your target audienceyou want, but it’s always going to be impersonal.Sending producers to the moviesSendyouremployeesBY JOHN McGRATHto themovieswas a way for them to put a face on theviewer and understand them better. Theygot to see when the kids laughed. Whatkids do and don’t find funny.”With popcorn in one hand and anotepad in the other, what the Teletoonpromo producers found is that often theirresearch was accurate, but seeing how thekids reacted put things in context.“For example, you may have thoughtthat your audience would find it funny ifa character (in a promo) did a certainthing. But having seen how the kids reallyreact to a similar situation in a movie,you realize that it may still be funny, butonly in a certain context. Doing somethingjust for the sake of doing it is notalways funny to our audience. So you takethat intelligence and you learn that youhave to work harder on contextualizingyour message to make it resonate withthe audience.”In essence, it becomes a reality checkor a real life verification of what yourresearch has shown.“It’s hanging out with your audience,not just learning about them,” says Glück.“You need to know the people you talkto every day.”That’s really the bottom line. We alltheorize that we’re communicating to oneperson at a time in broadcasting. Butthat’s hard to do if you’ve never spentany time with the person you’re talkingto. In today’s competitive market anythingyou can do to better understandyour audience and relate to them on aone-on-one basis is going to help. Buteven if it doesn’t, for the price of a fewmovie tickets, think about what it doesfor boosting team spirit and overallmorale.“(The promo producers) loved it,” saidGlück. “They had a ball.”They must have learned a thing ortwo as well, considering the numerousawards the Teletoon on-air promo productionteam has won at industry awardscompetitions like PROMAX.So will that be butter with your popcorn?John McGrath is a Toronto-based writer andvoice-over actor, specializing in promos,imaging, commercials and animation. Hemay be reached by phone at 416-876-3945or by email at info@johnsvoice.com.MAY 2006 39

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUIn the interest of time…Maureen Bulley is President of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.Imagine how different itwould be to write a commercialto sell goods or servicesin a country whose obsessionwith time was muchmore relaxed than ours.Cultures that operate on “event time”are more inclined to let events themselvesdrive activity. Restaurants and stores stayopen until the last customer leaves. Andactivities or conversations reach a naturalend instead of operating on a punch card.This “event-time” mind set is predominantin Latin America, the Mediterranean,the Middle East and some African countries,according to Sarah Norgate, authorof Beyond 9 to 5, Your Life In Time (OrionPublishing, 2006). The event time lifestyleis one we only dream of here in our timeobsessedculture. It stands to reason thatwhat motivates people to buy would alsobe different in each of the two cultures.Review current advertising trends inthis country where the motivation behindevery purchase seems to be the saving oftime. Commercials that encourage us towork on the train or the plane so we canrelax later, extol the benefits of multitaskingin order to get the most workdone in the least amount of time beforethe ticking clock tells us it’s time for thatnext appointment.In event-time countries, on the otherhand, an appliance such as a vacuum ismore likely to be sold based on its abilityto thoroughly clean rather than the timesavings which would result from yourpurchase. The emphasis would be on doingthe job well, instead of doing it morequickly. How would your life or workplacechange if you thought this way?The author quotes psychologist StanleyMilgram who showed that in places witha fast pace of life, social responsibility isnot high on the agenda and the needs ofothers receive less attention. This wouldindicate that within a faster pace of lifethere would be fewer signs of helpingbehaviour.How does this influence advertising?Think about the variety of lottery advertisingone hears—the emphasis is lessand less on the cause (i.e. buy a ticketand support this charity) and more onLarche Communications: Hot New Country - KICX FM Kitchener CICZ Midland…everything works beautifully! Paul Larche, President“HP Services did an excellent job at designing and installingour new studios and transmitter facilities in Kitchener. I'mamazed at the level of planning and detail that went intoevery part of the installation. The quality of the work isexcellent and very well documented for follow-up whenneeded. They started with an empty commercial spaceand designed all aspects of the operation from the boardroom to the boards,IT and telephone system…..everything works beautifully! They had us builton schedule and on air when promised. The Media Touch installation andintegration was smooth and painless. It's the attention to detail that setsHP Services apart. I invite anyone to come visit our facilities and see for yourself.”For more information, please call 905 889 3601 or visit www.hpservices.cathe prize itself. Our obsession with overconsumptionis a crash and burn scenario.Apparently if we had frozen ourstandard of living in 1950 and appliedsubsequent productivity gains to reducingour work week instead of increasingour consumption, we would now worktwo days and enjoy a five-day weekend.Would you forfeit your gizmos andcreature comforts for more time to take awalk in the park?And, how will you make the best useof the time you spend writing your nextcommercial? Will you strive to embrace thenew relationship we will have with time?If you want your advertising copy tobe successful, you need to be aware of thegrowing shift in consumer thinking. Oneimportant trend to acknowledge is therelationship we have with work. In theUnited States for example, workers arenow leaning towards more free time evenat the expense of less pay because prioritiesare shifting. Workers are opting outof long hours with nearly a fifth of theU.S. adult population choosing to adapttheir working hours and reduce theirsalaries. We are more inclined to strive forthe ideal of the perfect balance of life andwork. Instead of just getting more done,we get what needs to be done more quickly,allowing more free time for leisure.As our time-driven society shifts towardsmore of an event-driven mentalitywe are more inclined to be mindful ofthe needs of others. We are then morelikely to make purchase decisions basedon the greater good—the environmentalfriendliness factor, or the promise of curingdisease by supporting a charitableorganization.In your lifetime, you have about 2.5billion heartbeats at your disposal. Observehow you and those around youmake use of those heartbeats and youhave a better chance of keeping your fingeron the pulse of the consuming public,and creating advertising that holds personalmeaning for the intended audience.I’ve intentionally left about 50 wordsoff this piece to allow you time to reflecton that. You have about 20 seconds togo… or the rest of your life to ponder it,starting… NOW.40 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUWrong numberMaureenBulley isPresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO orby e-mailat doradio@total.net.There is a fair amount ofresearch that tells us whatconsumers think of radioadvertising and how it affectstheir listening habits.In fact, there’s a new research study Iwant to tell you about. But first, a questionthat I think should be added to thenext study. “Have you ever dialed a wrongnumber in response to a radio commercialbecause you couldn’t remember theright one?”.Pity those people whose telephonenumbers are one or two digits off of thosein mass advertising. I spoke to one suchperson recently. A listener called to sayhe’d been receiving hundreds of calls forlife insurance from what he called “mostlyelderly people”. The actual product wasillness protection insurance and thosespots include a Web address and a telephonenumber.If the listener was correct in his assumptionof the age of the people callinghis cell we could conclude that oldermembers of an audience would prefercalling to logging on to a Web site. Wecould speculate that the Web address washard to remember, and the telephonenumber was quite forgettable too.Regardless of the cause of the wrongnumbers, missed leads are the unfortunateoutcome. While the campaign as awhole works well, it could work evenbetter. What would you suggest? A vanityphone number? No phone number atall? Buying the “wrong” telephone numberto get those leads too? A more memorableWeb address? A singular call toaction?They’re all good answers. As it happens,the incident made it easier to convinceanother client about which way togo with their phone number.A client who does have a vanity telephonenumber wanted to say it twice.First, the word the telephone numberspelled, then the letters the telephonenumber represented. I said, let’s just spellit out. Say the word, then spell the wordbecause that’s what people will remember.Why run the risk of having peoplemisspell and then misdial the number.The same client has transit advertisingwhich gives the word and then thedigits represented. Great for visual advertising—notso great for radio. I’m happyto report I won the debate.What about a singular call to action?Stating only one thing you want the listenerto do when they hear the advertising?Yet another client called to tell mehow their campaign went. They chose toadvertise only an easy-to-remember Webaddress and had enormous success.Fourteen thousand Web hits in a weekmade them very happy; 14,000 telephonecalls in a week would have made themcrazy.A few lessons here. The first is the needto clearly establish an advertising goal.How will an advertiser measure success?Telephone calls? Web site hits? Foot fall?The second, the need to focus on helpingthem achieve that goal by linking itto the call to action. If you want peopleto visit your Web site, then give them theWeb address and nothing more. If all threeoutcomes are desirable (phone, Web andin-store traffic), then craft three pieces ofcopy and insist on a schedule strongenough to support the rotation of threedifferent calls to action.The link between the advertising goaland the call to action is vital to the successof any campaign. Don’t be steamrolledinto watering down the potentialsuccess of a campaign by succumbing toa client’s request to change copy in a waythat is not in their own best interest. Standfirm and tell a few stories from your ownexperience, or borrow these ones if youwish.Oh, and that new research study?Entitled Commercial Copy Turn-Offs,the sample of 466 adults aged 25-54 wereasked a series of questions with thispremise: “Unlike satellite radio whichcharges a monthly subscription fee, AMand FM radio programs are free in exchangefor you listening to commercialsthe stations play”. With that understanding,they rated on a scale of 1 to 5, howthey would react to 11 characteristics ofthose commercials. The big turn-offs? Theannouncer has an irritating voice—morethan half would switch to other audio.Almost half would tune out of a commercialin poor taste. What if “the announceris talking too loudly”, 36.1 per centwould switch stations. I guess the other63.9 per cent knew the location of thevolume button on their radio.18 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUI’m lovin’ it!MaureenBulley isPresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO orby e-mailat doradio@total.net.We blew up our TV recentlybecause it wascreating problems athome. The silence was deafening,so we opted to turn theradio on instead.Typically my daughter’s exposure toradio is in the car, so it was pretty funnyto watch her run from the bedroom tothe living room and back (several times)pointing out to me that the same musicwhich was on the radio in the bedroom,was also playing on the radio in the livingroom. This was an extraordinary novelty!She could dance and sing with equalbravado in either room.She doesn’t exactly know the lyrics tothe songs, so she ad libs those. But sheknows the commercials off by heart. Infact, she’ll sing them whenever the lyricsseem appropriate. Like when we’re playinga board game and she wins she breaksinto a resounding…”badabapapa, I’mlovin’ it!”. And at the tender age of seven,she knows where to buy a new bed (“whybuy a mattress anywhere else?”), and howto “turn up the volume on life”.What is it about these melodies thatmake them so memorable? Is it simplythe media multiplier? We hear the same“song” whether the ad is on TV or radioso we learn it by rote? Or is it easier forus to remember something when it has acatchy tune associated with it? Both, Isuspect.Music is a valuable creative tool thatmakes advertising more memorable.Commercials that use music as the maincreative tool perform well above the average.In fact, if done properly, music canbe your “secret” weapon in the creationof a radio commercial that sells.Here are a few thoughts to keep inmind as you consider the role music willplay in your next commercial.When we are writing commercialswith stock music from our productionlibrary, we need to decide whether themusic will simply add texture to theoverall feel of the commercial; or play amajor role in making the commercialmemorable.To add texture, read your commercialalong with the music before it is recordedto ensure that both copy and musicare complementary. This will also allowyou to check the timing of the copy. Ifpossible, have the announcer listen to themusic either before or during recordingso they can better understand the moodyou are trying to achieve.If you want to set the scene, and putyour listener somewhere specific at thevery beginning of the commercial, musiccan help you establish that scene. Listento the stock music available at your station,and ask yourself what each musictrack makes you think of. If you automaticallythink of an Italian restaurant, aromantic evening or a child’s birthdayparty when you hear a music track, use itfor that type of client.If music is to play a more major role,it must be able to carry the commercial.It forms the bulk of the time, and is likelythe most memorable part. It can becomeeven more memorable when youpunctuate it with sound. Use a walkingsound or beat for a shoe store, or melodicring tones to sell a cellular phone.Writing from “the music up” takesmore time than some of the other techniques,but it can be very effective. Choosemusic that will reinforce the point youare trying to make. Then, you essentiallywrite “lyrics” that are spoken, not sung,to the music. Choose word combinationsthat generate natural rhythm. Even ifyou’re not musically inclined, you shouldbe able to count the beats (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4..or a-one and a-two and a...). Use the beatsas the foundation on which to buildyour copy. This creates the same effect asa custom music bed without the associatedcosts.The same rules apply if you choose tomake sound effects the main focus of thecommercial. Sounds can be predominantor ambient, and their use can create astandout commercial just as easily as amusic-driven piece.Music sells consumers, and even makesthem sing along. That’s why so many bigbudget advertisers manipulate popularsongs to sell their product. And, why ahandful of well-done music-driven commercialsactually become popular songs.And, that’s pretty flattering to the creator.If someone sang along with a commercialI wrote, I think I’d be “lovin’ it!”too!14 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUAsk an expertAdvertising of naturalhealth products on Canadianradio or televisionpresents all broadcasters withopportunities and with challenges.Regulations governingsuch advertising are complexand the category as a whole isin transition.What is a natural health product?Basically anything not categorized as adrug. This includes vitamins, herbs,creams, sprays: any product we mightuse to manage or alter our health.I have heard compliant and noncompliantadvertising for the so-calledNHP category which means one of twothings: either there is confusion aboutthose regulations or there is non-compliance,conscious or otherwise. The endresult is an un-level playing field forbroadcasters and confusion amongstadvertisers about what can or cannot beincluded in advertising.Could this be confusing the consumer?Possibly. There is one such advertisingcampaign for a product whichpromotes the effectiveness of a cream orspray in treating psoriasis. This productlacks a DIN (drug identification number)so it cannot be linked to a medical condition(psoriasis). It could be consideredan NHP and may be well on its regulatoryway to NHP status according to HealthCanada standards, but until that isachieved acceptable advertising is limitedto no-claim copy. That is, very basic advertisingcopy about the name of the product,the price, and where it is available.That includes testimonial advertisingwhich allows satisfied customers to saythey liked the product, but not what theproduct did for them.?It is troubling to me that evenbroadcasters who are not runningthis advertising are receivingcalls from consumersMaureen Bulley is President of THE RADIO about where to purchase theSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DO product. Perhaps it is anRADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total. net. extraordinary treatmentfor people suffering fromthis condition. Perhaps itis not. That grey area isproblematic.It is ultimately up to theadvertiser and the broadcasterto ensure that advertisingcomplies with the laws and regulationsthat apply to drug andNHP advertising. But while it is true weoperate in a self-regulated environment,there are still categories that mustachieve pre-cleared, pre-approval priorto broadcast (advertising directed tochildren and over the counter medication).Of course, prudent broadcastersand advertisers would seek expert opinionsabout compliant copy before theygo to the expense of producing commercialsin complex categories.The first rule of thumb is to rememberthe basis for the spirit of the regulations.They are intended to protect the consumerfrom being misled. Does your copy provideconsumers with all the informationthey need to make an educated decision?This is an important consideration, regardlessof what product is advertised.For now, advertising for Natural HealthProducts without a product license, islimited to no-claim advertising. Effectivein December 2005, clearance services suchas those offered by Advertising StandardsCanada began accepting no-claim advertisingfor Natural Health Products thathave received a Product License ApplicationSubmission Number from theNatural Health Products Directorate.”No-Claim” means that no therapeuticclaims are expressed or implied. Inaddition to the no-claim requirement, thefollowing conditions apply to the reviewof NHP advertising according to www.adstandards.com: The ad cannot identifythe product as a natural health product.It cannot make direct or indirect referenceto the NHP Directorate or toHealth Canada. Nor can it bedirected to children, pregnantwomen or nursing mothers.Once clearance protocolhas been followed, acceptablecopy will be designatedas “Pending” until theadvertiser submits the “asproduced”commercial. Acceptablefinished advertisingwill be designated as “reviewed”by the clearance body,but no approval number will beassigned. Once a product is recognizedby Health Canada via NPN orDIN, advertising copy can be re-evaluatedon that basis. Claims could be permittedin advertising after that point, if thoseclaims can be substantiated. Then actualapproval numbers replace the “reviewed”stamp.This is reminiscent of the time whenalcoholic beverage advertising in Ontariorequired submission to the LLBO (nowAGCO) in script form for preliminaryapproval, and in produced form for finalapproval.As we become more comfortable andknowledgeable about the NHP category,we may find ourselves in a similarly selfregulatedenvironment. Until then, ourobligation continues to be to protect theconsumer from being misled.If you’re feeling lost in a sea of regulations,remember this: Regardless of discipline,the top professionals in any fieldaren’t necessarily subject-matter experts.They’re experts in knowing who to ask.Are you?42 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUSome assembly requiredMaureen Bulleyis President ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay be reachedat 1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.Iarrived at work this morningwith “Ikea elbow”—a severeaching in my right armcaused by installing dozens ofscrews as I endeavoured to assemblemy new storage unit. Ifyou have never been to Ikea,brace yourself. Or at least yourelbow.I have never liked the Ikea shoppingexperience. Never have, never will. Theprospect of being trapped in a retail quagmireof “assembly required” is tough forthose of us even remotely claustrophobic.Is it that feeling of being trapped? Or isit being force-fed a shopping experiencewhen we’re not in the mood?So please make the experience moreefficient. After all, we need to allow timefor assembly, and most weekends havebut two days.Frustration aside, I have to say the experienceas a whole was pretty satisfying.Constructing and creating somethingmeaningful from a series of boxes andlegions of screws and bolts is rather rewardingfor someone who creates the“intangible” all day. Perhaps it is becausethere is a right and wrong way to constructIkea furniture. And the fruits of one’slabour are more obvious and concrete.The distinction between what’s rightand wrong is much less obvious in broadcasting.And we cannot hold the outcomein our hands unless it is expressed throughnumbers or trophies. But was this the realsource of my satisfaction?Perhaps it was the relaxation associatedwith completing a highly logical, leftbrainedtask—particularly for anyone whowracks their right brain all day to generateideas.Call it chicken soup for the creativesoul! “Relaxing” with a left-brained tasksuch as product assembly or refrigeratoralphabetization can be very stimulating.It’s like a mini break for the right brain:something you should try on a daily basisat work.Equivalent to the germination timeessential to the creation of breakthroughideas, using your left brain to do somethinglogical or analytical can actuallystimulate the creativity housed on theright side of your brain. If you find yourselfresenting the administrivial aspectsof your job, frame the tasks differently.Consider them an opportunity to allowideas to percolate and stew, all the whilegiving your boss the impression thatyou’re truly busy.One more observation from my Ikeaexperience.What was the most efficient operatingstrategy for the retailer was the cause ofgreat inconvenience for the customer—the packaging. The boxes were highly organized:labeled 1 of 4, 2 of 4 and so on.But when it came to assembly, there wasno such sequence. The primitive instructionaldrawings called for clearly labelledpieces from box 1, then random unidentifiedpieces from box 2 or 3 to finish thefirst step. This required opening all boxesat the outset and scattering them overa large work area. But I didn’t have a largework area—that’s why I needed the storageunit in the first place. So I tripped andstumbled from box to box trying to identifyunlabelled pieces that were next inthe assembly sequence.This is another great insight into thecompany/customer relationship. Mostemployers applaud ideas that make businessrun more efficiently. But if that isachieved by making it a more challengingexperience for the customer, is it sucha good idea after all? If I resent the retailexperience, it leaves a bitter taste in mymouth that sours the satisfaction gained.The radio creative makes Ikea soundlike fun. While this may be true, the pathfrom A to B is far from direct.Does your company protocol actuallymake it difficult or challenging for a customerto patronize your business? Gaugeall new efficiency ideas against the customerexperience and endeavour to weighthe options with both sides in mind.I have to say there is the thrill of thekill—the bragging rights one enjoys whenguests compliment you on your décor,and the “rush” when you install that finalbolt and have no spare pieces left over.The blood, sweat and tears associated with“assembly required” makes the exercisethat much more awe-inspiring to visitorsand rewarding to creators.The Ikea experience was an eye-opening,flesh-cutting, callous-creating delight.So, I highly recommend the experience—once.However next time I’m optingto buy online with delivery of fullyassembled pieces direct to my door. Beenthere, done that.36 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

BULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUThe beauty of white spaceMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIO or bye-mail at doradio@total.net.Our newfound infatuationwith de-clutteringour lives is more revealingthan first meets the criticaleye. Those people who hiredprofessionals to help themchoose everything they own,wear or sit upon are now hiringneatniks to help them simplifyand rid themselves ofthose same indulgences.It occurred to me that those of us whowrite advertising copy have been doingthis for years. Getting rid of all the fluff,preserving only that which is reallymeaningful.Don’t you just get butterflies at thethought of a client who would let you runhuge amounts of white space in print, orapprove 30-second radio ads comprisedof only 20 words? Clients like this couldbe waiting in your in box right now. Yousee, our newfound infatuation with de-cluttering our lives is an important observationfor marketers to make.Evidently we like things to be cleanand clear of clutter—it stands to reasonthat the same would be true of the advertisingwe notice and respond to. Advertisingthat is short on words speaks volumesabout an advertiser’s confidence. Itdemonstrates a degree of sophisticationand confidence, focus and purpose.Most advertisers wait until their brandis well established and their logo is easilyrecognizable before they set sail amid asea of white space. You may know of severalclients who would benefit from thistype of advertising. But it may be difficultconvincing them that they are ready forthis next step.Begin the process gradually. Build uptheir brand by creating advertising withconsistency—a singular voice for all oftheir audio or video. A common sloganor sell-line for all executions. A jingle, ora music bed that is always identified withtheir product or service. This is a goodstarting point for delivering a messagethat consistently reflects what the productor service means to the consumer. Onceestablished as a leader (or at least a seriousplayer) in their field, your client is readyto revert to fewer words which will actuallyspeak volumes about their business.Alas, this type of advertising is not foreveryone. There are some clients who willnever change. There will be times whenyou just can’t get these concepts by approvaland need to resort to somethingmore conventional. If that’s the case, keepthe following things in mind. These tipswill help you de-clutter copy by simplystreamlining the way you present theinformation.Start by writing short in the first place.Allow some space to make a change orrevision without compromising the piece.Then, start clearing out the clutter. If youcan say something in two words, don’tuse five. The same applies to syllables:edit by syllable. If you can say it in twosyllables, don’t use five.Make things easier to remember bygrouping like things together: productspeople use together, or a variety of circumstancesthat would lead someone tothe same set of services.Use longer sentences that flow naturallyinstead of many abrupt statementsthat appear sequentially: they’re harsh onthe ear and the eye. Storytelling is a powerfulwriting technique.Use only one voice to allow the audienceto focus on one thought. Two voicesare seldom necessary unless you’re writinggood realistic dialogue—writing dialogueis an art in and of itself. Using twovoices for the sake of variety is a completewaste of good advertising time.Use a medium to slow tempo musicbed to accompany lots of copy. This makesthe delivery sound more relaxed than itactually is.Break it into two or more scripts, keepingcommon elements in each for continuity.Make it an ongoing story, but besure each piece has the legs to stand onits own. Don’t rely on a consumer havingseen and remembered the preceding executionor expect them to stay with youfor the next.If you can’t make simple editing decisionsto get 36 seconds of copy down to28, drop it, and clear the cobwebs. Moveon to something else temporarily andcome back to it.It takes time, effort, and consistentbranding to prepare clients for a de-clutteringof their advertising, but it is worththe effort. Remind your clients that theoutcome is a message that demonstratesconfidence, sophistication and alignmentwith current consumer preferences.18 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

BULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUImportance of customer serviceAs many of us approacha new fiscal year we doso optimistically. Budgetforecasts in hand, we hit thestreets with a positive outlookon improving our performanceover last year.How much has changed since thistime last year? Have you increased yoursales force, or trained them to be better atgetting your piece of the local advertiser’sbudget? The stations that will win in therace to make budget are not necessarilythose with the latest sales training or theslickest presentations. Real successcomes to those who look within to ensurethey are providing the best possible serviceto their direct advertisers.Picture this: you hear an ad on yourstation for the local green grocer anddecide to patronize their store on yourDVB-H – two technologies,one market leaderReference equipment forboth sides of the medalTelevision and mobile radio are converging– empowered by Rohde & Schwarz.We’ve been at the forefront of both technologiesfor years. Whether you’re lookingfor DVB-H-capable transmitters, datainserters, test generators or analyzers, alldevices are already here and ready to putyou in front of the field.So it’s easy to stay on the fast lane ofmobile radio technology. Just call us –it’ll be worth your while.Rohde & Schwarz Canada Inc.555 March Rd., Kanata, ON K2K 2M5Phone: (613) 592-8000Fax: (613) 592-8009Toll Free: (877) 438-2880www.rohde-schwarz.comnext lunch hour. You are encouraged bywhat you hear about their fresh produceand friendly service.You head to the store, but alas areunable to find a shopping basket: therack at the front of the store is empty.You browse anyway, and find some niceapples and oranges to buy. There are noplastic bags on the roll to carry your fruitand vegetables, but you persevere. Youhead to the front cash registers and seeone cashier open and a long line of peoplewaiting to pay. Two clerks in the cornerare chatting to each other, offeringno help to the struggling cashier.You have 10 minutes left in your lunchhour. Would you 1) Depart angrily fromthe store empty-handed? 2) Ask the otherclerks to pitch in, 3) stand silently inline, waiting to be served, or 4) shoplift?Regardless of which answer youchose you have had a frustrating experiencein customer service. The advertisingconvinced you this was a good place toshop, but your experience was quite thecontrary, and you probably won’t go back.Now compare this to what happenswith your direct clients? Is the staff insidethe station equipped to handle the existingworkload, as well as an increase innew business? If you automated your programmingand reduced the number ofannouncers, have you made arrangementsto have commercial voice-overs read bysomeone else?These conditions are not an oversight,rather the reality of doing business.However, writers, producers and voicesare essential to service delivery.Begin now to track the number ofcommercials, promos and other workyour team completes. This tracking shouldbe done 52 weeks of the year to assistin planning for appropriate staffing andresources.Chances are your writers are handlingupwards of 75 or 100 commercials perweek in an environment where volumemakes it challenging to create anythingremotely compelling. This figure may increase25% to 50% during peak periods.In addition, the same individuals maybe trafficking national commercials, writingPSAs, even covering the switchboardMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIO or bye-mail at doradio@total.net.at lunch time. In many cases they’re madlyscrambling to address requests of asales staff motivated by commissionbasedcompensation and higher budgetsto get an order on the air tomorrowregardless of who is killed or maimed inthe process.If you are experiencing high clientturnover or disappointing sales, examinewhat your advertisers are getting for theirinvestment.Better customer service does not necessarilymean increasing the number ofstaff: it may require simple changes likeactually adhering to copy deadlines whichare otherwise put aside to accommodatelast-minute business. If you wish to sell ona last-minute basis you must be equippedto service what you are selling.Otherwise change your selling style.Another less obvious but more devastatingspin-off of demanding workloadsis the pride factor and its effect on creativewriters, producers and voice-talent.It’s a challenge to take pride in work thatone must crank out at a fever pitch. Whynot set smaller, more achievable goalslike creating one or two pieces of workyou are proud of every week.Or, find another outlet for your creativity.Your creativity will be stimulatedinstead of stifled and that personal satisfactionmakes the workday grind moretolerable.Begin your quest to improve customerservice by keeping track of the workloadat your station. Get some feedback fromyour clients on the level of service theyreceive and the results they garner. Whenadvertisers get good service, they will continueto spend money with your station.That makes the fiscal year budgets easierto achieve…and surpass!42 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUCalling in the voice policeMaureen Bulley is President of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.Broadcasters should soundthe alarm when clientswish to voice their owncommercials!Research indicates that, as a category,client-voiced commercials tend to scorebelow average with consumers. As programmersand sales managers we strugglewith the issue. Is what’s good for thesales department good for programming?Or is it just one more reason for listenersto tune out?While true that it is the client’s moneyand they can do whatever they want withtheir airtime, we may be doing them agreat disservice by allowing their commercialto air as they intended. We needto offer advice and alternatives and letour clients make an educated decision.The fact that client-voiced commercialsscored low with consumers is asmuch due to execution as it is to delivery.As is the case with any advertising,consumers need to know “what’s in it forme?” when exposed to advertising. Manycommercials that were scored in manydifferent categories using many differentcreative tools were void of consumer benefit;it’s not category-exclusive to client-voiced commercials. But, it was one of thekey elements found to be missing fromthese commercials.We need to work closely with clientson their commercial message to persuadeconsumers in plain English whythey should visit the retailer. This is bestachieved by concentrating on one mainpoint in the commercial. Thus, it is not alaundry list of what services they offer orgoods they sell. Execution is the first pointwe need to clarify with our clients. Thenext is delivery.Great production people are, by definition,great at coaching voice talent. And,they have to pull out all the stops withclients by suggesting diplomatically thatthey adjust their delivery according to thedirection they receive from the producer.But sometimes it’s a tough sell. Try tellinga fast-talking car dealer to slow downand make a relaxed delivery. You have tobe strategic and position it as being essentialto their achieving results from theiradvertising—it can’t be perceived that youare doing it for programming reasons.The reality is that it’s good for both theadvertiser and the broadcaster.The client may say that they get resultsfrom commercials they read themselves.Remember, this could be a simple issueof frequency. If you hit people over thehead with a hammer enough times, they’llsubmit to your demands. It’s your job totell clients that their commercials couldwork even better if they took your advice.Be sure to address both execution anddelivery issues in this conversation andremember, you don’t sell cars from theirshowroom, they don’t tell you how toproduce commercials.Is it an issue of ego? Certainly whena client’s commercial is first broadcast,all of his relatives will call to tell himthey heard him on radio or saw him ontelevision. The novelty will wear off. Youcan fast-track that feeling by graduallywriting them out of their own commercial.Begin with a five-second announcerintro/extro with the client filling the other20-seconds. Then subtly increase thelength of the announcer intro/extro portionsover time, until the client is readingone or two sentences. They’ll become toobusy to take time out to travel to the studioor make the phone call to recordthose lines and they’ll default to you.Another option is to have the clientread their commercial, then have a staffannouncer read it. Play both versions forthe client and ask them for their honestopinion about which sounds better.You could choose the “good cop, badcop” routine. The sales rep is the goodcop who says he’ll check with the programmingdepartment on the policy regardingclient-voiced commercials. Theprogram director is the “bad cop”: makingevery client audition before they canvoice their own commercials. If the PDdoesn’t think they’re up to snuff, theirspots don’t go to air. This allows the salesrep to maintain rapport with the client,and place the “blame” elsewhere for thefact that the client’s voice was not suitablefor broadcast.Regardless of your tactics, somebodyneeds to police the issue of client-voicedcommercials. Assign someone to the task,develop a list of policies, and stick tothem. Serve your advertisers and your listeners.Protect the sound of your station,and be careful out there!TAKEFRIDAY OFF!Everything youneed to know isdelivered onDialogueBROADCASTThe Voice of Broadcasting in CanadaNEWSLETTERGet yours on lineevery week.Subscribe now at30 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

BY JEFF ROSE-MARTLANDIt was called The Breast Christmas Ever contest. Several stationsowned by U.S. media giant Clear Channel Communicationsfound a way to enlarge their fall ’04 ratings. As the nameimplies, female listeners were encouraged to write and explainwhy they deserved free breast enhancement surgery. Hundredsof thousands of entries were received, 13 winners were chosen,and the protesting began.I believe it’s a good thing that we have cosmetic surgery. Manypeople, of both genders, have and will benefit from surgery tocorrect disfigurement resulting from injuries or birth defects orlife-saving medical procedures. There’s nothing wrong with thesurgery. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting to look good.The problem is created when an individual believes that a scalpelcan correct the way they feel about themselves. Instead of gettingmeaningful help to feel better about themselves, they hinge theirhopes on a surgeon.This contest not only encouraged that behaviour, it also capitalizedon it. What’s next? How far down the repugnant spiralwill we go? Will we be running child-porn contests in a few years?I’m sure you can fill in the protest comments all on your own:“demeaning to women”, “sexist”, “encouraging risky and unnecessarymedical procedures”… you get the idea. By now you mayeven be thinking “That’s an American network, that doesn’t happenhere!”Sure it does, perhaps not as blatantly or openly. Just look atthe Canadian ratings for Extreme Makeover or The Swan and youwill see that same offensive behaviour.How many radio stations had thong collecting challengeslast year? Or something similar?I won’t beat a drum and sing the refrains of a politically-correctworld. I won’t compound the offence by shouting thatwomen need to be protected from such piggish behaviour. Ifind this sort of contest demeaning. Not just on behalf ofwomen. On behalf of MEN!The underlying message of each of these ratings grabs—menare stupid and sex-obsessed. All you have to do is mention femaleanatomy, or something that has been in the same hemisphereas part of a woman’s body, and you will have the undividedattention of every male in ear-shot.After all, men want every woman to have big breasts, a tightass, slim waist, and wear lingerie all the time. And if they can’thave that in the real world, then they want to hear about it constantly.Because men are just that dumb. If they can’t see it, orhear it, or hear about it, then men are just going to sit aroundand think about it.So if you want a ratings boost, snap the men out of their sexdaydreams by saying “breast”. As a matter of fact, let’s just repeatthe word over and over, because men have no memories orminds and they’ll listen all day. We’ll call it Radio Free Breast!This may come as a huge news flash to some of you promotionspeople, but most men don’t think that way. Maybeyou do. If so, get some professional help, you have a fixation.Most men think about regular stuff: how do I get to work,what’s the weather like, what is this awful song? They don’tdrive down the expressway grabbing their groin just becauseyou said “boob” on the air. If you want to collect something,why not see how many Slinkies you can get dropped at the station?If you are already thinking like an adolescent, why notcompletely regress to a fun time period? Then, instead of throwingout bags of intimate ladies’ apparel, you could send all thetoys to the local orphanage and do something productive.The next time you are in a promotions meeting and suggestionsare made to have sexy road-show chicks, or a flashingcontest, or a nude-in, consider what message you are sendingto the listener. Not only are you annoying and offending thewomen in your audience, you are also insulting the intelligenceof the men.If you happen to think that crotch-sniffing is funny, stimulating,and a great ratings grab, perhaps you should get back inthe pasture with the rest of the animals. At least stay off the airwaves.The rest of us are busy and you, andyour big pile of underwear, are in the way.Jeff Rose-Martland has gone back to collegeradio and turned freelance writer. He may bereached at (709) 739-1842 or via e-mail atrose_martland@yahoo.ca.THIS ARTICLE CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM WWW.BROADCASTDIALOGUE.COMMAY 2005 21

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULessons from the O.R.Maureen Bulley is President of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.They say a change is asgood as a rest, howeverthe speed with which wemust adapt to successful changeis far from restful.Managing a team requires not onlyrazor-sharp efficiencies with existingW ANNA KNOWW H O G O T HIREDAND WHO GOTFIRED?Get wired into thelatest broadcastnews every weekDialogueBROADCASTThe Voice of Broadcasting in CanadaNEWSLETTERSubscribe now atbroadcastdialogue.comproesses; it requires that new ways ofdoing things be implemented as quicklyas possible. This is challenging—even withthe best team members—as it requiresbreaking deeply ingrained habits as wellas managing newly-created businessrelationships. Who should you select asyour ambassador of change?If you choose team leaders based ontechnical expertise instead of managementskills, you may find yourself fallingbehind as competitors outperform youon every level. A better choice would bea team leader who combines an ability toactively manage the team’s learning effortswith the requisite technical expertise.We’ve all had experience with excellentfront-line performers who fail in themanagement roles to which they werepromoted. Is the problem with the teamleader, or the team members? Or is it ameasure of both?A trio of Harvard Business School academicsundertook a study of change incardiac surgery teams at 16 major medicalcentres. They all learned new medicaltechnology designed to expedite cardiacprocedure. The new technology requiredgreater coordination among team members—adramatic change from the welldefinedhierarchy of traditional cardiacoperations.The company that developed thisnew technology estimated it would takeeight operations before the surgical teamscould perform the new procedure in thesame time frame as conventional surgery.But, even the fastest-learning teams required40 operations to bridge the gap.What distinguished the fast-learning teamsfrom their slower counterparts?The teams that learned the new surgicalprocedures quickly demonstratedthree essential characteristics:• The teams were designed for learning.• Their leaders framed the challenge insuch a way as team members were highlymotivated to learn.• The leaders’ behaviour created anenvironment of psychological safetythat fostered communication and innovation.Team design should be a collaborativeeffort based not only on competence butability to work with others, willingness todeal with new and ambiguous situations,and confidence in offering suggestionsto team members with higher status.Teams need leaders who frame thechallenge as an organizational one versusa technical one. The team needs apositive attitude and a leader who acknowledgesthat the task is difficult andrequires the contribution of each andevery team member to be successful.Psychological safety is created by encouragingteam members to try thingsthat might not work, to point out potentialproblems, and to admit past mistakes.This fosters more successful learning. Bycontrast, if team members feel uneasy behavingthis way, learning is stifled.The most successful surgical teamsengaged in real-time learning—analysingand drawing lessons from the processwhile it was underway. Debriefs and follow-upreports considered instrumentalin learning were not determining factorswithin the groups studied. Educationalbackground and experience of teammembers appeared not to influence theoutcome.Adopting new technologies or processesis highly disruptive. The learningis technical and organizational. The technicalpart is easy. The hard part is thechange in the dynamics of team relationshipsand routines. It takes time for teamsto learn how decisions should be made,and who should talk to whom and when.It takes even longer if people don’t feelcomfortable speaking up.Successful team leaders must manageteams in such a way that they becomelearning units. To set the right tone, leadersmust be accessible, they must createan atmosphere of information-sharingthat encourages input, and must serve asa “fallibility model” by admitting theirmistakes to the team. This gives otherspermission to make mistakes and discussconcerns without fear of punishment.Senior managers need to look beyondtechnical competence and identify teamleaders who can motivate and manageteams of disparate specialists so that theyare able to learn the skills and routinesneeded to succeed.28 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUTeaching customers to buyMaureenBulley isPresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.The goal of advertising isto change consumer behaviour:to teach our audiencea new way to behave in afamiliar situation. Our goal maybe to cause them to switchbrands of a product or servicethey already buy for the new orcompeting brand; or to encouragethem to buy or experiencesomething they’ve never triedbefore.Teaching customers to buy was theproposed learning outcome from mypresentation at the Radio AdvertisingBureau’s 2005 convention in Atlanta. Readon to see if you can connect the dots foryour audience, and for your clients.Can we teach our customers to buy?We are creatures of habit, so the task canbe daunting.Success at teaching new behaviourrequires a closer examination of howpeople learn new things, and how weattempt to teach them. The key is in connectingthe dots between encouragingconsumers to do what WE want them todo, in order to get what THEY want.You have five choices, five differentways to teach according to academics,each with varying results. Your experienceswith teaching are probably limitedto your life as a student, so I’ll refer tosome of those experiences to connect thedots for you.The first is simply to transmit informationfrom the teacher (you as a copywriteror account executive) to the student(the consumer, or the client who youwant to learn new behaviour). You offeran accurate representation of the contentto help the learner accurately reproducethat same content. It’s learning by repetition,and it matters not how persuasiveyour message is: frequency is the key withthis technique.The second is known as apprenticeship—whatwe learn is textured with thecontext and situation within which itwas learned. This is why you recognizethe bank teller in the bank, but not inthe grocery store. The experience is outof your personal context. If you tell meabout your product, but offer no realinvolvement in the advertising, the productis quite forgettable. If you paint a picturein your advertising copy, be sure it isone that the target audience can relate toThe end of an era …… and the beginning of an exciting, new, one!We are pleased to announce that, effective January 1, 2005, NovanetCommunications Limited purchased the MSC Electronics Limited companyand, over the next few months, will be consolidating the combinedoperations in Novanet’s Ajax, ON, facility.MSC’s entire product range will continue to be available while the engineeringandtechnical support services offered will be expanded because ofNovanet’s significant resources and experience in this sector.Joe Uyede, President & C.E.O. NovanetDavid La Frenais, MSCproducts, design, installation and service at www.msc.caThe West: 800-663-0842 • Ontario: 800-268-6851 Quebec: 800-361-0768 • Maritimes: 800-268-6851or one they feel capable of completingon your behalf.The next technique requires that wecare about and challenge the consumerto embrace the new behaviour. Youlearned how to tie your shoes under thewatchful and encouraging eye of yourmother or father. Without their encouragementand your acknowledgement thatuntied laces would cause you to trip, youwould never have learned the task. Thisworks well with investment advertising,for example, where the advertiser acknowledgesthat saving for retirement is importantfor you, that it’s tough to save moneybut they will show you how to do it.The fourth technique requires that thefoundation of your message be in someethical code. This technique requires thatthe new behaviour be undertaken for thegreater good. Many advocacy campaignsstrive to do this. For example, the municipaland provincial governments urge usto report the sale of tobacco products topeople under age. It encourages us to getkids hooked on life, not hooked for life.The campaign demonstrates how easy itis to say “no”, and incorporate this newbehaviour into our lifestyle for the benefitof society as a whole.The final technique is a very practicalapproach to advertising. It helps the consumerbuild a bridge between what theyalready do or know, and the new behaviourwe are asking them to embrace.Known as the developmental technique,it actively involves the consumer in constructingpersonal meaning. If your productor service will save us money,demonstrate what the savings provide.Multiple creative executions identifyinga cross section of outcomes provideappeal to a broad cross section of the targetgroup.Each technique has its strengths andweaknesses. Examine the product or serviceyou are advertising, and the scheduleavailable to create results before you makethe decision about which strategy to use.Figure out how your clients learn newbehaviours and teach them the benefitsof buying your products in the same way.Connect the dots for them, and they’llsign on the dotted line sooner.42 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUService with a smileFor a long time, UnitedAirlines has been encouragingus to “fly the friendlyskies of United”. On a recentflight, I made notes for this articleon a napkin that read“Thank you for flying United.We’re glad you’re here”.Are these meaningless positioningstatements or a true reflection of the customer’sexperience on board? I supposeit could have gone either way, howeverthe lead flight attendant on my planebreathed life into those lines with hisfriendly disposition and concern for everypassenger.Prior to departure we were advisedthat, for our safety, there were two plainclothedsecurity guards on board. Thisinformation was conveyed in a comfortingway, not in a tone that would lead usto second-guess why our flight was chosenfor these extra security measures. Alsoin the pre-flight diatribe, mention thatUnited’s airline reward program wasvoted the Best Business Airline RewardProgram by its travellers—the flight attendantthanked us for making that so.Shortly after the captain turned offthe seatbelt sign, the purser walked fromrow to row addressing random passengersby name, and thanking them for flyingthe friendly skies of United. Initiallypeople appeared startled when they wereaddressed by name. Once they understoodthe purpose of the dialogue, theynodded, breathed a sigh of relief anduttered “you’re welcome”.Later he strolled through the aislestouting coffee… “freshly brewed”, to demonstratethe quality of the offering. Hehad lots of takers. When we landed, heapplauded the cockpit crew for gettingus to our destination early, and thankedthem for a smooth landing.Our taxi to the gate was an extremelylong one. To soften the blow he told uswe landed in Montreal by mistake, andwere driving the plane to Toronto. Thelevel of customer service was such thatno one really minded the extra time ittook to get to the gate. He took everyopportunity to put a positive customerservicespin on every aspect of the flight.It reminded me of a story I once readabout a convenience store that was inundatedby people who came in to ask forchange for the nearby transit station andparking lot. The convenience store wantedno part of this traffic and chose to posta sign that said “No Change Provided”.The book’s author saw this problem froma different perspective. Imagine whatmight happen if the store equipped itselfwith a supply of change and posted alarge sign that said “Change Available”.Many of the people who initially camein to the store looking for change couldhave become regular customers.The experience also underscored theshock I felt when I read “No Studying”on signs posted on the entrances of mylocal coffee shop. We have been lead tobelieve that we always have time for TimHorton’s. Clearly, at this location theyMaureenBulley isPresident ofTHE RADIOSTORE. Shemay bereached at1-888-DORADIO or bye-mail atdoradio@total.net.don’t have time for you, even if you dohave time for them. Since there are manysuch coffee shops on virtually every corner,I can choose another location, andusually do.I’d also prefer to frequent a conveniencestore that welcomes my businessregardless of the nature of that business.What’s more, I am not particularly loyalto any one airline over another. Like mostbusiness travellers, I go for the cheapestflight that gets me from A to B as quicklyas possible. I will still use those benchmarksto schedule air travel, but given achoice between two airlines with essentiallythe same service, I would chooseUnited, hands down.Customer service is the determiningfactor, particularly with parody productslike airline travel, coffee, and conveniencestore items. People will go out of theirway to get good customer service if it is aproduct they can buy virtually anywhere.Is your product so unique and exclusivethat it cannot be had anywhere else? Orare customers passing you by becauseof the level and calibre of service youprovide?The reverse side of the cocktail napkinupon which I made these notes says itall. “Our flight attendants can speak over30 languages and dialects. Chances are,they speak yours”.Well yes, as a matter of fact they do!Speaking to others with courtesy andrespect is a language we can all understand.38 BROADCAST DIALOGUE—The Voice of Broadcasting in Canada

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBWorkplace makeoverAdynamic physical environmentcan greatly increasethe quantity andquality of creative ideas. In spiteof that, the typical office is a collectionof uncomfortable chairs,adequate desks and harsh fluorescentlighting that limits creativepotential. Providing anoffice environment more conduciveto creativity will removethat physical obstacle and fosterthe generation of more andbetter ideas.Here are some insights in to why andhow you should make your office aspringboard for the creation of new conceptsand ideas.H. Gardner’s Creating Minds remindsus that outstanding individuals have beenattracted to major metropolises includingBerlin, New York and Vienna because theyrepresented “remarkable cultural centres,filled with excitement and anticipationof the future”. In his book Creativity andAdult Education, P.J. Edelson discusses theinteraction of environment and humancreativity by pointing out “creative individualswill gravitate to certain cities orinstitutions where they can find positivereinforcement from others who are workingin the same domain”.Modern-day examples in business areexplored in John Kao’s book Jammingwhich identify the link between physicalenvironment and improved creativity withthe establishment of “playgrounds” and“playpens” to provide the psychic spacefor brainstorming. Csikszentmihalyi’sbook Creativity suggests that carefullychosen furniture and accessories allowpeople to focus attention on “mattersthat count”.If you agree that enhanced creativityis a function of your environment, youneed to identify ways to create a morestimulating place to work. Start by introducingcolour in to the office. Brighter,more vivid paint colours should be usedon walls; or posters, prints or muralscould be used to enhance existing colourschemes. For example, red is a warm, dynamiccolour that promotes creativityand enthusiasm. “It symbolizes love andpassion, renders one impulsive and altersone’s breathing”, according to the Rona.caWeb site section entitled “Express yourmood with colour”. Log on to learn moreabout the properties of various coloursused in interior design.Try an alternative seating arrangementin which colleagues face each other in acircle or a u-shape style. This will encourageinteraction and continuous brainstorming.Creativity is more comfortablein a non-structured environment void ofIf you agree that enhanced creativity is afunction of your environment, you need toidentify ways to create a more stimulatingplace to work.rigid, common sense seating arrangements.Desks and chairs themselvescould be examined for their ergonomicproperties, and replaced with more suitabledesigns. Lighting should also bemodified to allow colleagues to adjustthe level of lighting in the office so thatit is suitable to the task at hand. This couldbe accommodated easily by installingdimmer switches in each office. Musiccan also enhance the creative process,and could be introduced into the officeduring group brainstorming sessions orindividual work. Work materials can alsoenhance the creative process. Colouredpaper as well as pencils and markersstimulate creativity, as will non-linearnote taking. Taking notes in an unorganizedway will keep you in touch with theradical right side of the brain whichhouses your creativity.A variety of issues may contribute tothe fact that current work environmentsMaureen Bulley, President of The Radio Store,conducts live workshops and facilitates distance-learning.She may be reached at 1-888-DO RADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.are sterile. Some managers may be indifferentto the problem and believe that ifone has the necessary tools, creativityshould be easy. However, it is more likelythat the majority face budget and timeconstraints that put the issue on the backburner. Consider barter or trade agreementsthat may be as complex as interiordesign or as simple as trade for a fewcans of paint.The plethora of home renovation andmakeover programs on television confirmsour interest in creating a comfortablehome environment—a passion thatcan easily be extended to the workplacesince that is where most of us spend mostof our time.Create an environment that is “supportiveof the individual’s own personalcreative rhythms” as Csikszentmihalyiand others suggest. Adjustments to thecolour, layout, design and lighting ofoffices, and the introduction of music andcoloured stationery and writing instrumentsare essential to enhanced creativityand better outcomes. Our own ingenuityas creative people combined with thesupport of managers will move us from astate of appreciation for the potential ofcreative environments, to a realization ofthe benefits they provide to the companyas a whole.NOVEMBER 2004 23

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBMeaningful creative feedbackGiving feedback to creativepeople is challenging.At best the topic issubjective, and what constitutesgood on-air performance,or good creative writing, reallyis a matter of opinion. Beforeyou undertake a performancereview of an on-air personalityor someone behind the sceneswho writes on-air content, considerthe following guidelines.General rules about giving (and receiving)feedback must be observed. Unlessyou are responding to a particular incidentor preparing for a regularly scheduledperformance review, you should only givefeedback when you are asked to do so.Feedback should also be timely. Don’twait four weeks to discuss an air check: doit today or tomorrow, don’t do it whenyou’re angry. Take time to think, reflectand calm down. No feedback is really accuratewhen it is given by someone emotionallycharged by a particular incident.Always critique constructively: givethe recipient something to build on, andchoose your words carefully: provide feedbackin a respectful, not injurious, way.Finally, be specific about your comments:give feedback people can use andfocus on the behaviour or task, not theperson. It is more constructive to tellsomeone what they’ve done is not smart.Don’t tell them their behaviour is stupid.Treat people the way you want to betreated and comment on what they did,versus who they are as an individual.Give feedback on creative work byestablishing benchmarks and applyingscores to performance. Conduct scoringat regular intervals (perhaps weekly ormonthly) and give people a clear understandingabout what they are doing well,and what needs improvement.Giving feedback on creative writingcan be done by establishing five criteriafor marking. I score a commercial orpromo out of 10, awarding up to twomarks for each of the following:• Clarity: Is it clear what you want me toMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.do when I hear the commercial/promo.• Writing Style: Is it well written? Does itflow?• Concept: Is it a good idea?• Benefit: Is it clear what’s in it for theconsumer if they respond to theadvertising?• Technique: How well is the writing techniqueexecuted? (i.e. dialogue, narrative,storytelling technique used in thewriting of the piece.)Here are the benchmarks developedby Valerie Geller from Geller MediaInternational in New York to evaluateon-air performance.• Is there a visual? What was the “moviein the mind” that you created?• What was the journey the show tookyou on that listeners could not getelsewhere?• What was new for the listener?• What was the authentic self-revelationwhere the listener gets to know you?(Do I know you from your show…orare you an interchangeable talking DJ/Host?)• Were the stories powerful?• Did you care about what you weretalking about? (e.g.: did you make ME,the listener, care?)• Did it feel “long” or not long enough?(We reward brevity, as it is better to erron the side of brevity)• Was there humour?• Did you prep powerfully, or just coastand hope for the best?Assigning scores may seem difficultat first. If you have trouble, give the firstsample a score of five on every aspect ofperformance or writing. Then, evaluatefuture work on whether it was better orworse than the first. Back up your scoringwith meaningful comments on howto improve the score assigned.When presenting your thoughts, beginwith a positive comment on the work.One “formula” used in human resourcescircles is to structure a performance reviewusing four steps: first, begin with somethinggood. Next, identify what needsimprovement and why, third, say somethinggood again, and fourth, summarize.Whatever formula you use, lead withsomething positive. Structure your feedbacksession based on what you knowabout the individual: personalize it so ithas meaning and application.If you’re on the receiving end of feedback,receive it with self-understanding.If you do not understand what you needto change or how to change it, ask formore detail and schedule a follow upmeeting to discuss your progress.SEPTEMBER 2004 41

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBSimply the bestMario is a mild-manneredmechanic who operateshis own automobilerepair shop in Woodbridge,Ontario. He’s a solid and honestindividual who has earnedmy business for life. While Ihave no gauge by which tomeasure his technical skills, Ioffer another benchmark youmay find more meaningful.I took in my 1993 Chrysler to be serviced.I bought the car from a dead guywho had no further use for a car whichwas seven years old at the time, and60,000 kilometres young. For the mostpart it’s been a real workhorse: serving asa second car for a suburban family. Itturns no heads, but it turns corners, mostof the time.Over the winter I noticed a gooky substanceon the floor of my garage. Asspring progressed the car began to groanwhenever the power steering was employedto initiate anything greater than aslight turn of the wheel to the left or theright. Mario was able to identify the sourceof the noise over the telephone followinga brief description of the symptoms.Radical I guess, but it’s what happenedwhen I picked the car up after service,that made the difference.The actual repair bill was triple thebudgeted $250 (my budget, not his estimate),but it was not presented until adetailed explanation was provided aboutthe service conducted on the vehicle. Thatexchange softened the sticker shock significantly.In addition to fixing the powersteering, various other sundry serviceswere performed: oil change, air-conditioningcheck, oh, and “One of your rearwheels could have flown off the car atany moment so I tightened it up. Nowyour car is safe to drive”.My car is safe to drive! What a revelation.I was pleased, comforted, reassuredand grateful. I brought in a noisy car anddrove away a safe car. Now, that’s service!I’m sure he never thought of it thisway, but Mario satisfied a basic humanneed—peace of mind knowing your personalspace is a safe place in which toexist.When we buy something, we do it forthe net effect. We don’t need coffee inthe morning: we need to wake up. If thenet effect of being more alert was achieveddrinking swamp water there’d be apronclad“swamp water agents” selling it infranchised outlets coast to coast. Thesafety, the comfort, fulfilment of responsibilityto self or family, the compliments,the confidence…the list goes on.These are the reasons why we make thepurchase.This is a key concept to understandas you attempt to sway consumer purchasedecisions.How do we apply that knowledge? Useit to re-think the script that promotesceramic tile at 26 cents each. Re-work theidea to sell the net effect. Effects may include,but are not limited to, a good firstimpression when you have visitors in yourhome, or the freeing of personal timebecause the flooring is easy to maintain.Specify the benefit of time saved, andspeculate on alternative uses for that timewhich hold meaning for your target group—this is an important detail that warrantsre-reading this sentence.If you can’t express what happens ifthey do buy it, think about what mayhappen if they don’t buy it. This can be amuch more interesting perspective anda great launching pad for a comedicexecution.I’ll be the first to admit that benefitsare tough to articulate. Get over it. Pickone benefit and drive it home. The pricepoint is support—nothing more than evidencethat the benefits may be realized.You could include the price as an aside,but under most circumstances it simplyis not sufficient to change consumer behaviourwhen price alone is the focus ofthe commercial.Ask yourself what you are really buyingthe next time you open your wallet,and you will fully appreciate the conceptof benefit-selling. It requires that youthink like a consumer, and you are one,so make use of that insight.I didn’t buy repairs to my automobile.MaureenBulley,President ofThe RadioStore, conductsliveworkshopsand facilitatesdistance-learning.She maybe reached at1-888-DORADIO or viawww.theradiostore.com.I paid for the outcome—a car that’s safeto drive. That subtle difference in perspectivehas made me a customer for life.When properly applied, similar insightscould earn you a customer for life.VoicePrintCanadayour 24/7 audio newsstandStoriesWell toldArticles from the country’stop newspapers andmagazines read toyou—everyday.On cable: Newsworld’sSAPOn satellite: Star Choice,ExpressVu, Look TVand SkycableTo find out more, call1-800-567-6755JULY/AUGUST 2004 7

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBThe Stickiness FactorThe Stickiness Factor saysthere are specific ways ofmaking a contagious messagememorable; there are relativelysimple changes in thepresentation and structuring ofinformation that can make a bigdifference in how much of animpact it makes.The Stickiness Factor is one of threerules of The Tipping Point. The others arethe Law of the Few, and the Power ofContext.The Tipping Point: How little things canmake a big difference (Malcolm Gladwell)offers a way of making sense of epidemics.It provides direction for how to go aboutreaching a tipping point: how fashion,crime, or any number of other mysteriouschanges become epidemic.This is a fascinating read that includes,among its case studies, an advertisingeffectiveness showdown between LesterWunderman, legendary direct marketer,and the 1970’s Madison Avenue powerhouse,McCann Erickson. The client wasthe Columbia Record Club: to this day,one of the largest mail order clubs in theworld. Wunderman had handled thedirect marketing of Columbia for 20years. The client hired McCann to createTV ads to support Wunderman’s directmail. At risk of losing his client of 20years, Wunderman proposed a test to seewho should be granted all the business.Both agencies would compete for theColumbia account with a test of the effectivenessof each shop’s television advertisingcampaigns. All 26 markets ran printadvertising created by Wunderman in TVGuide and Parade magazine. Wundermancreated television advertising for 13 ofthose markets, and McCann for theremaining 13.McCann spent four times as much asWunderman on media time. McCann inprime time, Wunderman only on late-Gladwell suggests there may be simple ways to “enhancestickiness and systematically engineer stickiness intoa message”night television. In terms of reach,McCann was way ahead. The responserate was inversely proportionate. TheWunderman markets experienced an 80%(yes, 80%!) increase in response. TheMcCann markets, only 19.5%. The differencewas the stickiness factor.Wunderman’s creative incorporated a“treasure hunt”. Every print ad containeda little gold box in the corner of the ordercoupon. The TV commercials promoted“the secret of the Gold Box”. If viewerscould find the gold box in the print advertising,they could write the name of anyColumbia record on an order form andget the product for free. The gold boxwas the trigger and gave consumers a reasonto seek out the print advertising. Thegold box, Wunderman writes, “made thereader/viewer part of an interactive advertisingsystem. Viewers were not just anaudience but had become participants. Itwas like playing a game…”Gladwell says that conventional advertisershave preconceived ideas about whatmakes an advertisement work: humour,splashy graphics, a celebrity endorser, etc..But direct marketers, by contrast, have tangibleevidence of advertising effectivenessbased on the numbers of coupons redeemed,or calls made to a 1-800 number.He points out that some of the mostintriguing conclusions about how to reachconsumers have come from testing directmarketers have conducted.Another demonstration of this “stickiness”was an experiment conducted bysocial psychologist Howard Levanthal inthe 1960s. Dubbed the “fear experiment”,the goal was to persuade a group of YaleUniversity students to get a tetanus shot.Several versions of a seven-page bookletwere created explaining the dangers oftetanus, the need for inoculation and thefree shots being offered at the campushealth centre. The “high fear” versiondescribed tetanus in an invasive way andincluded frightening colour photographs.The “low fear” version contained noMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.photographs and less threatening language.A follow-up questionnaire had predictableresults. The “high fear” group hadmore knowledge about the dangers oftetanus than did the “low fear” group.But only three percent of the number whoreceived the booklet went for the freetetanus shot. The experiment didn’t stick.One small change increased thevaccination rate to 28%. The difference?A map in the booklet with the campushealth building circled, and times theshots were available listed. The map appearedin both the high and low fear versionsof the booklet. But the “fear factor”was irrelevant. It was the map that madethe difference. The change was subtle, butsignificant. What the students really neededto know was how to fit the tetanusshot into their schedule. Once Levanthalmade the advice practical and personal,it became memorable.The author states there are enormousimplications in each case study abouthow to start, and tip social epidemics.Gladwell suggests there may be simpleways to “enhance stickiness and systematicallyengineer stickiness into a message”.He says some of the best “stickiness”appears in children’s educational televisionincluding Sesame Street, and the morerecent children’s television show it inspired,Blue’s Clues.Curl up in your Blue’s Clues “thinkingchair” with a copy of Gladwell’s book tounderstand the “stickiness factor”, andits role in creating social, political, popcultural epidemics. You’ll be stuck likeglue, cover to cover.JUNE 2004 37

OUGTHOMPSONDOUGTHOMPSONDOUGTHOMPSONDOUGTHOMPSONDOUGTHOMPSONDORMB’s Wray Ellis: The state ofcreativity in Canadian radioDoug Thompson is anaward winning writer/producer/directorbased in Toronto andLos Angeles. He maybe reached at (416)522-6095 or by e-mailat dougt@aci.on.ca.The 2004 Crystals are nowhistory. The winners haveput away their trophiesand are hard at work creatingnext year’s entries.The awards ceremony, held duringCanadian Music Week, started me wonderingabout the creative state of radio inCanada today. To gain some insight, Idropped into the downtown Torontooffices of the Radio Marketing Bureauand spoke with Creative Director WrayEllis. This award-winning, SouthernOntario radio veteran has been with theBureau for the past two years. After someinitial small talk, I popped the question:How are we doing creatively?“Writers in Canada are as good asanywhere in the world. The Crystals areseeing some amazing entries. This yearwas a particularly good year. The ideaswere a little more clever, the writing a littlesmarter.”Smart writing and clever ideas areobviously important, but in tough economictimes creativity sometimes takes aback seat to simply getting the client’sspot on the air. Wray admits that radio,with its ability to adapt fast, has learnedto roll with the punches.“When I was at CFRB (Toronto), therewas one long-term client who called upin a panic. He said ‘I’ve got to completelychange my ad right now.’ We had reallyworked on this campaign, it had beenapproved and everything, but it had tobe changed. So from the time I got thatphone call to the time the revised adwent on the air took exactly 18 minutes.I found out later that there was a powerstruggle going on at the client’s end, andif we hadn’t been able to change the creativewe would have lost the account.That’s just one example where you sometimeshave to jump through hoops.”And how does Wray feel about sponsorswanting to voice their own ads. “Ilike clients who have no business beingin front of a microphone, but they understandthat and allow the creative departmentto have fun with it, sometimeseven poking fun at themselves. Those adsusually get better results than if the clienttries to be an announcer.”While Toronto, Vancouver andMontreal are traditionally thought of asCanada’s creative centers, Ellis thinksWinnipeg should be on that list as well.“It’s a hot bed for creativity. The stuff Isee coming out of Winnipeg radio is justgreat. Those people get it.”As for this years’ Crystals, Wray admitsthere were fewer radio entries than inprevious years. “But there are reasons forthat. There’s been some consolidation,same number of stations, but fewer owners.We did have more entries from agenciesthis year than ever before, but on theradio side, we were a little soft.”One big incentive for entering theCrystals is the recent addition (this is thesecond year) of a $10,000 “Best of Show”.“The way it works is pretty cool. Afterwe’ve picked all the Gold, Silver andBronze winners, we then play all the Goldwinners, both radio station and agency,back to back and choose the Best ofShow. It’s always the most lively part ofthe day.”Target Marketing & Communications’campaign for Irving Mainway ConvenienceStores (Produced by Pirate Radio)was the 2004 winner, but Wray says onestation commercial came very close. “Theradio entry was so excellent, and thishappened last year as well, that I thinkthe line between agency and radio stationcreative is becoming almost nonexistent.Sure the agency can hire big nametalent to voice their ad, but in the end,it’s not about that. It’s about the idea.”And if it’s ideas you’re looking for,the Radio Marketing Bureau has plentyof them on their Web site. Member stations(and 80% of Canadian broadcastersare), can access the database 24 hoursa day.Wray says he spent half a year compilingsome of the world’s best radio creative.“We have 3,000 commercials on thesite from all over the world and successstories in many different categories. Wealso have promotional ideas and scripts.Thousands and thousands of idea starters.”The Radio Marketing Bureau’s Website is www.rmb.ca.22 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBSomethin’ for nothin’Afriend of mine is VP ofFundraising for a mid-sizenational organization thatraises money for research to finda cure for a disease. They seldomproduce PSAs (Public ServiceAnnouncements), because theycan’t get any broadcasters to runthem. They cannot compete withcharities such as those that actuallyhave advertising budgets topromote lotteries awarding millionsof dollars in prizes.Another fundraising event undertakenannually by a big bank’s investment armno longer produces PSAs because theyhave no way to measure whether or notthey get used. They devote their moneyto public relations in an effort to get“above the fold”—a PR term for makingit on the top half of the front page of thenewspaper.There seems to be a disconnect heresomewhere. As broadcasters, we make ourmark by being active members of thecommunity. Somewhere along the line,our “community” has lost their ability toconnect back with us. Eventually it maymake that community question our motivationthe next time we venture out tosupport the cause du jour. Who is the realbenefactor when a broadcaster supportsa worthy cause?Far be it from me to get you all riledup. I’m sure your station does an excellentjob of supporting local charities. Buthow do those charities prove it when theysit around the boardroom table after theirbig fundraiser to determine the next stepsif they didn’t meet their financial objectives?How do they reassign any modestbudget they might have in an effort tomake it work better? Does your stationdemonstrate your support on paper withsome sort of proof of performance?Do you keep accurate records of whatpublic service announcements you broadcast?Do you share that information withthe people who created those messages?Generating a no-charge affidavit takes timeand people power to create, but in thegrand scheme of things is it really thatmuch time?Perhaps you already do this, but theperception (based on comments from twoprominent organizations) is that generallyspeaking, we do not. And perception is,after all, reality. Could you “hire” someonewho volunteers their time to makesure that some documentation is deliveredto the people who shed blood,sweat and tears to promote their cause?Many American state broadcast associationshave turned the dilemma into awin/win situation for broadcasters andnon-profits under the auspices of theNon-Commercial Sustaining Announcements(NCSA) program. NCSA is aFederal Communications Commissionterm indicating that stations receive norevenue for the announcement. Instead,NCSA revenues help fund the broadcasters’statewide trade organization. Memberstations agree to run the commercial messagesof NCSA clients on an “as available”basis and provide affidavits each monthindicating the value of the airtime.Government agencies and non-profitorganizations that normally approachbroadcasters for PSAs are eligible forNCSA airtime. They make a payment offunds to the State association which coordinatestrafficking, distribution and allthe paperwork associated with the programon behalf of its member stations.The cost to government agencies and nonprofitorganizations for participation inthe program is $10,000 per month, andcontracts are usually booked on a 12-month basis. There is a limit of five clientsper year.Do the math, and you’ll see that theNCSA program generates over half a milliondollars a year.How do “clients” like the NCSAprogram? Just ask the Kentucky ArmyNational Guard, who received over$100,000 per month in airtime duringMay, June and July of last year for a$30,000 investment. Not surprisingly,there is a waiting list to join the program.The NCSA program provides a winwinresult for participating broadcasterswhose association grows stronger, andfor the NCSA client whose message isMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.seen and heard statewide in all timeperiods and formats, reaching all demographicgroups.The NCSA initiative is widely used asa means to generate revenue for Statebroadcast associations. The degree of successvaries from state to state dependingon the members’ commitment, and thesales skills of the association’s executivedirector.Could you create such a program inyour company or broadcast association?It might actually pay you to do so, asdemonstrated by the success of the NCSAprogram. It would certainly benefit thecharities, not-for-profits and fundraisingorganizations that are discouraged bytheir current inability to prove that theywere able to “get something for nothing”.DialogueThe Voice of Broadcasting in CanadaBROADCASTIf you’re in the Canadianbroadcasting industry andaren’t getting your own copy ofBroadcast Dialogue magazine,we want to make sure that youdo. Send your name, title,company, address (includethe postal code) and yourphone number to publisher@broadcastdialogue.com.In the subject line, say IWANT MY OWN BD!MAY 2004 39

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBConnecting the dotsThe goal of advertising isto change consumer behaviour:to teach our audiencea new way to behave in afamiliar situation. Our goal maybe to cause them to switchbrands for a new or competingbrand; or to encourage themto buy or experience somethingthey’ve never tried.We are creatures of habit, so the taskcan be a daunting one. If you don’t believeme, just try changing your family’s breakfastcereal or pizza delivery company unannounced,and see how well that goesover.Success at teaching new behaviour requiresa closer examination of how peoplelearn new things, and how we attempt toteach them. The key is in connecting thedots between encouraging consumers todo what WE want them to do, in order toget what THEY want.According to academics, there are fivedifferent ways to teach, each with varyingresults. Your experiences with teachingare probably limited to your life as a student,so I’ll refer to some of those experiencesto connect the dots for you.The first is simply to transmit informationfrom the teacher (you as a copywriter)to the student (the consumer whoyou want to learn new behaviour). Youoffer an accurate representation of thecontent to help the learner accurately reproducethat same content. It’s learningby repetition, and it’s how you learnedyour multiplication tables: repeating themover and over again. It matters not howpersuasive your advertising copy is—frequencyis the key with this technique.The second is known as apprenticeship:what we learn is textured with thecontext and situation within which it waslearned. This is why you recognize thebank teller in the bank, but not in thegrocery store. The experience is out ofyour personal context. As the bank tellerexample demonstrates, the learning isquite forgettable. If you tell me aboutyour product, but offer no real involvementin the advertising, the product isquite forgettable. If you paint a picture inyour advertising copy, be sure it is onethat the target audience can relate to oreven finish the painting on your behalf.The next technique requires that wecare about and challenge the consumer toembrace the new behaviour. You learnedhow to tie your shoes under the watchfuland encouraging eye of your mother orfather. Without their encouragement andyour acknowledgement that untied laceswould cause you to trip, you would neverhave learned the task. This could workwith investment advertising for example,where the advertiser acknowledges thatsaving for retirement is important for you,that it’s tough to save money but theywill show you how to do it.The fourth technique requires that thefoundation of your message be in someethical code. This technique requires thatthe new behaviour be undertaken for thegreater good. A current public servicecampaign for The Rubber Association ofCanada encourages you to check yourtire pressure each month because it willfoster better fuel efficiency and improvetire wear. The campaign demonstrateshow quick and easy it is to incorporatethis new behaviour into a monthly routinethat will benefit society as a whole.The final technique is a practical approachto advertising. It helps the consumerbuild a bridge between what theyalready do or know, and the new behaviourwe are asking them to embrace.Known as the developmental technique,it actively involves the consumer inconstructing personal meaning. If yourproduct or service will save us money,demonstrate what the savings provide.The Toronto Transit Commission employedthis technique when they explained(in a variety of commercials and transitads) that the savings achieved by ridingtransit could allow you to buy a ski vacation,a fishing boat, a home gym, a hottub, a Caribbean vacation, a home theatresystem or tuition for your next universitycredit. Multiple creative executionsidentifying a cross section of outcomesprovide appeal to a broad cross sectionof the target group.Each technique has its strengths andMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.weaknesses. Examine the product or serviceyou are advertising, and the scheduleavailable to create results before youmake the decision about which strategyto use. You can teach an old dog newtricks—it simply requires a closer examinationof how they learned the “oldtricks” in the first place.VoicePrintNews and information heard everywhere!“VoicePrint is soimportant tomyself, to myfamily and to somany other people.Without itwe would surelyhave no othermeans of receivingimportant”voiceprint@nbrscanada.comFEBRUARY APRIL 2004 2004 21 23

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBI’ll get back to you!Maureen Bulley, President of The Radio Store,conducts live workshops and facilitates distance-learning.She may be reached at 1-888-DO RADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.Funny thing, that voice mail!We use it to reach people,and we use it to avoid peopletoo. It adds one more dimensionto the challenge ofselling.It’s difficult to hurdle over both ahuman gatekeeper and a technologicalone too. How can we get the decisionmaker to call us back? Keep an open mind,and check out this book from your publiclibrary, I’ll Get Back To You by RobertShook and Eric Yaverbaum. It includessome very practical, and very funny, techniquesthat can help you break through.If you prefer a mild, straightforwardapproach when attempting to reach seniormanagers of a publicly-traded corporation,try calling your broker first. Buy afew shares of company XXX, then call theCEO and leave a message describing yourselfas a concerned and apprehensiveshareholder who wants to speak to him.John McGill of Tele-Communications inBrook Park, Ohio tried this after numerous“regular” messages had not been returned,and his call was returned the verynext day.An anonymous contributor to thebook now gets through every single timewhen the gatekeeper asks “Who shall Isay is calling”. His reply? “Tell him his sextherapist is on the phone”. The gatekeeperis usually too embarrassed to ask anythingelse.Maybe that isn’t suitable for everyone,but a life insurance salesman in Floridareacts this way: after leaving several messageswith no reply, he calls the assistantfor the correct spelling of Mr. Prospect’sname, because he’s having a plaque engravedwith his name for an award. Theassistant always spells out the name, andasks what the award is for. His reply? Anaward for the most unreturned phonecalls in the last six months. According tothe sales rep, it always gets a laugh—anda returned phone call.The head of a successful PR agency inNew York simply leaves a message thatthis is the “Baroness von Whatever”. Invariably,people are curious to know whythey’re getting a call from Euronobility,and her calls always get returned. Sheclaims that when they find out she’s reallynot nobility, they think it’s hilarious.Joan Rivers (yes, that one!) leaves amessage that says “Congratulations, youhave just won the $10 million lottery.Please call Joan immediately at 999-9999”. A television producer at ABC’s20/20 admitted to being bad at returningphone calls. When even his best friendcouldn’t get through to him, the friendleft a message wanting to check the spellingof his last name, “because I’m makingout my will”. The guilt trip resulted inan immediate return call.A writer had several discussions witha movie producer in Hollywood, butthen started to get the run around. Oncewhen he called, the assistant said theproducer was said to be out of the countryfor several weeks. That, in spite of thefact the writer had seen the movie producerdriving down Wiltshire Boulevardthat morning. In frustration, the writerfinally called the LAPD and filed a missingpersons report on him. The followingday, two police officers showed up at theproducer’s office. He was so astonishedby the concern shown for his well-being,he returned the guy’s call immediately.Finally, a few one-liners from WendyBasil, executive VP of a Los Angeles-basedommunications company:“I have a question concerning the Lottery.”Her follow-up is, “Have you everplayed?”“I need to talk to her today. I also havea call into (competitor’s name), but Iwanted to talk to her first.”“I’m calling because your name cameup in a meeting, and I thought you wouldlike to know what was said about you.”Or, when a receptionist asks why she’scalling, she replies “I’m returning his call,so I don’t know what we’ll be discussing.”“I’ll hold for him. I’m in the emergencyroom.” Once she gets through sheexplains her office is an emergency room.What have you got to lose? Try somethingnew, and don’t be hypnotized byroutine. Spend a little time learning newtelephone skills, and enjoy the payoff. Ifyou have any more phone ideas to share,call me toll-free, and please…leave a messageafter the beep!Visit us atBooth C2532MARCH 2004 7

The state of television –weapon of mass creativity,or not!BY CHRISTIAN SCHOEPKETHIS ARTICLE CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM WWW.BROADCASTDIALOGUE.COMIn case you were wondering why you are staring at a “blank”screen these days, wonder no more! Quality broadcasting hastaken a domestic beating, while budget cuts leave little roomfor the public salvation station.The choice has been a tough one: there are so many realityshows to choose from, but so little time to spare. And as if theboredom of my own life was not enough, I am now to enduremore of other people’s drama and backstabbing, as well as Fox’supcoming Who Wants To Be A Hairdresser! Although I am increasinglyable to associate with my new reality TV friends, the differenceis that the very same problems I cannot cope with areeither left “to be continued”, or find an artificially-induced solutioninstead. One might even declare that our state of mediaappears in stark contrast with the Code of Ethics of the CanadianAssociation of Broadcasters, as I perceive the content presentedto be highly abusive towards my intellectual capacity.So how did we get here? How did we leap from a superiorcurrent affairs coverage and the entertaining feel-good sensationof an Ed Sullivan to ratings-driven newscasts that are just an inchaway from Jerry Springer’s latest bash?Well, the obvious answer is—ratings. More so than ever,broadcasters operate in an industry that is defined by “how manyadvertisers”, “how often”, and “how much”. Hence, the corporatestronghold determines the content, especially if the station nextdoor offers close substitutes that threaten one’s market position.However, the emergence of the Internet presents a new foe.The Web is cheaper, faster and, unless you live in China, givesyou full access, anytime, anywhere. Hence, it is probably the bestmarketing companion TV and radio ever had. But the beast isnot easily tamed, as its idiosyncrasies do not just rub off.Also, with the Internet came the smut—X-rated material inmy inbox on a daily basis. While it has become an acceptableroutine to simply hit the delete button, notions below the beltline that make it on television surely do not raise the amountof critical eyebrows as they used to some 10 years ago.The question is whether I have become better at disassociatingmyself from what I am being served, or have I lost my sensefor the values I once fought for, discarding the Aristotelianvirtues I once respected? So, what about pleasure? Oh yes, thereis lots of pleasure everywhere, at times more than I can handle.Virtue? Unfortunately, we found our first black sheep. There islittle virtue in deliberately stealing your companion’s belongings,nor in testing my faithfulness in front of rolling cameras.Reason? Let’s face it: people have done and will do anything toearn their 15 minutes of fame. True friendship? Well, who willget voted out of the office today?Unfortunately, the counterbalance provided by Canada’spublic broadcaster faces extinction as well. With audiences criticizingthe continuing decline in quality programming, budgetcuts leave little hope for a reversal of this trend, or do they?Last fall, Time-Warner-owned HBO premiered K-Street, a reality-baseddramedy that spotlights the happenings of Washington’spolitical elite. In part produced by George Clooney, the conceptwith a five-day turnaround clearly succeeds in provoking andspurring discussion of issues that are at the heart of every politicalanimal south of the border, and is fun to watch as well. Closerto home, Toronto’s newest addition to the channel line-up, CraigMedia-owned Toronto 1, promises to deliver fresh shows thatdirectly interact with the citizens of Canada’s largest city. Althoughthese are just drops in the ocean of North American TVculture, they point to the core aspect of a programming solutionthat has been there all along, but one we failed to tune into—accountable creativity.Undeniably, it was creativity that got us on our way towardsa media frenzy that never ceases to amaze. Although controversialat times, the first 50 years of network programming wereprobably the best. In line with the respective ideologies, programswere initially driven by visions and a passion for this industry.And while we see glimpses of pioneers making positive broadcasthistory, the motivation behind today’s airwaves is increasinglyquestionable. Carbon-copies of the same concepts dilutethe TV experience, while the rising number of channels diminishesthe accountability of the one. Hence, the role of the CBCto act as Canada’s primary broadcaster takes a hit with other stationscapturimg market share. Whereas before, television wasequated with the CBC: today it is “the industry” that deliverseverything from the Accounting Channel to TV Wonderland.If the quality of overall television programming dwindles,pointing fingers becomes increasingly difficult as the players inthe game are now numerous. On the other side, our expectationsfor what is being served are at an all-time low, being dominatedby the fad of each season. Thus a lack of accountable responsibilityresults obviously in less responsible broadcasting.“Courage should be our Idol” headlined an article in theGlobe and Mail’s Career section (by Tom Bowes, Sept. 19, 2003),and courage is clearly what precedes a creative initiative. Toronto1 started at nil and, therefore, has little to lose when introducingnew show formats. “It takes courage to create,” Bowes writes, andit takes courage, social understanding, and the willingness to beaccountable to create a broadcast product that has value to it.Though I do not expect broadcast institutions to move towardsmore responsible programming, I hope the visions and thedrive of those who know the difference and act upon it, will havea noticeable impact in seasons to come. And while I admit it istricky to generate a ratings-magnet that does not compromise onthe qualitative end, you will have me tuned in once we get there.Christian Schoepke is founder, Creative and Managing Director ofUNRESTRiCTED creations. He may be contacted by phone at (416)358-3934 or by e-mail at Christian@UnrestrictedCreations.com.6 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBGenerate new businesswith good creativeOne of the best toolsfor generating new businessis the “Spec Spot”:a sample commercial intendedto persuade a potential clientto do radio.I introduced the topic several yearsago at a U.S. Radio Advertising BureauConvention, and have been asked to presenta seminar on the same subject matterthis month in Dallas. Why the renewedinterest in this sales technique? As weexamine the essence of what we sell toour clients, it’s the combination of aneffective advertising schedule and the rightadvertising creative. Creative is a powerfulcomponent of any campaign, and dynamitein a sales presentation. Like anysales tool, specs must be used properlyto get the maximum return.1) What’s the real goal?The purpose of spec creative is to bringnew business to the station. Many awriter/producer is disappointed whentheir spec spot needs to be revised.Remind them that the purpose is simplyto bring new business to the station.If the new business is signed,they have succeeded. Of equal importanceis knowing what spec creative isnot intended to do. It should never beused as a substitute for good sales skills.If you can’t get an appointment withouta spec spot, work on your salesskills! Don’t rely on others to get youin the door. Besides, you need to meetwith the client before you present specwork to be sure your commercial is onstrategy.2) Is it on strategy?Know the needs of the client before youbegin to write. Who is their customer,what is the key benefit they offer, howdo they position their product, andhow do they generate business? Havea full understanding of what is mostlikely to press the client’s hot button,and fire away! Your spec spot will requirefewer changes and your closingratio will improve when you conveyprofessionalism and customer servicethrough proper research.3) Use incentivesReward everyone involved in securingnew business: the writer, producer andvoice-over talent should be compensatedfor their contribution to the successfulpitch. It’s fair, and it makes themmore willing to contribute in the future.Encourage friendly competition and rewardthe team that generates the mostnew business.4) Demonstrate it in useInclude station air-check material beforeand after the spot on your demotape so the client can hear the commercialin context. If your station welcomesnew sponsors on-air, includethat in the air-check too. Pitch a promotionalextension more effectivelyby demonstrating the mechanics ofthe contest.5) Assemble by categoryGroup good commercials together bycategory or style, particularly if yourstation is too busy to produce speccommercials with the desired frequency.Prepare a generic spec tape thatwill showcase automotive, lawn andgarden, financial or other categoriesthat have performed well. “Category”spec tapes are also useful if yourstrength is with a particular genre ofcommercial, be it comedy, image orproduction values. Compile a series ofsuccess stories highlighting new businesscampaigns and client testimonials.6) Who owns the ideas?While it seems really obvious, you’d besurprised how many stations don’t doit: properly label spec commercials withstation name and contact information,and be sure it looks professional (notMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.hand-written). Be sure contact informationis on the jewel box or cassettecase, as well as on the CD or tape, becausethe packaging will get separatedfrom its contents in a desk drawer.And cue it up if you’re using tape…otherwise your great lead-in speech willbe lost as everyone sits silently staring atthe walls waiting for the commercial tobegin. If they like it, ask for the sale. Ifthey want changes ask “if I make thosechanges, will you buy?” When they sayyes, get them to sign on the dotted line.Don’t make the changes without asigned contract—they’ll cool off andfind other reasons to say no at the follow-upmeeting. Why put your productiondepartment through unnecessarywork that won’t result in a sale?Finally, don’t leave the audio behind.The prospect will share it with friendsand colleagues, and you won’t be thereto handle objections. Determine inadvance who participates in creativeapproval, and make sure they’re all presentat the meeting.Add a verbal or written disclaimer sothe prospect understands that you ownthe idea until he buys it. This alsoenhances the perceived value of the idea.You could even have fun with the disclaimerby saying ‘If you don’t buy it,we’ll sell it to your competition”– anddo just that! Learn to recycle good ideasuntil you make a sale, and close moredeals in the process!FEBRUARY 2004 41

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUBetter B.S.Maureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learningtohelp create moreeffective broadcastadvertisingcreative. Shemay be reachedat 1-888-DO RADIO (1-888-367-2346), or bye-mail at doradio@total.net.Some people will do justabout anything to get agreat idea. But why did Ihave to finish grocery shoppingand safely soak my fine washablesbefore I could sit downand write this article?It’s all part of what you know aboutyourself, and what stimulates your creativity.It’s how you can succeed at writingaccount-winning sales proposals, andaward-winning creative. It’s how you cancreate better B.S. (brainstorming).This insight is essential. We’re sometimesoverwhelmed by our long list ofpriorities that we don’t have time to waitfor a great idea to present itself. We haveto concentrate on being creative, now!Whether your challenge is to motivatea sales team or increase your audience,you need a creative edge. You need toknow what makes YOU tick. Now, I’m notsuggesting you break open the Wooliteor head to the corner market... unless it’sbeen motivational in the past.The division of labour between rightand left brain activities explains why someof the most creative people you knowappear to be the most disorganized. Thismight also explain why some accountantsaren’t much fun at parties.The Logical Left side of the brain takescare of things like sequence, numbers andorder. The Radical Right is responsiblefor daydreaming, colour and creativity, toname just a few of its delightful qualities.How then do we manipulate theRadical Right side of the brain when weneed ideas? Ignore the left, or at least dealwith the unanswered correspondence onyour desk if you think the sight of it willbe distracting.Next, address the right side’s need forcolour and stimulation. Jot ideas downdiagonally on a piece of unruled paper.Use coloured pens. Tony Buzan’s Mind-Mapping techniques are great. Extend linesoutward from the central image and builda network of thoughts and ideas on thoselines. The result is literally a road map ofyour mind.Germination time is also essential tocreativity. This requires absorbing all thefacts and actually “sleeping on it”. Whileyou’re preoccupied with other tasks, thesubconscious mind continues to work onyour behalf.Just as warming up is essential to physicalactivity, it is helpful with mental activityas well. Richard Lederer has pennedseveral books that are great for stimulatingthe brain, including Crazy English and ThePlay Of Words.Make your business office as comfortableas your home office. Try indirectlighting and pleasing music. And be sureto include some personal items. Seashellsor tacky souvenirs from memorable vacationscould stimulate the relaxation escapethat spawns your next great idea. Justbe sure to change them regularly to keepthings interesting.Next, ask yourself where you werewhen you got your last great idea, andduplicate those circumstances. Is it speedingdown the highway with the windowscranked down and the stereo cranked up?Then buckle up and start your engine!While deadlines can impose negativestress, they can also create positive energy.Use self-imposed deadlines if you must,particularly if you perform best under pressure.Know the time of day when you’remost creative and plan to tackle creativechallenges during those hours.Whether your application of creativityis to write better scripts and presentationsor to develop new promotions and marketingstrategies, you need to tap yourcreativity promptly. If you’re like me, thatmeans getting that grocery shopping andlaundry out of the way, and waiting untilthe deadline looms over your head like abad haircut.World-Class Lens Technology.Local Canadian Factory Support.For more info: Call 905-795-2012lenses@canada.canon.com • www.canonbroadcast.com20 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBI don’t knowShould we use a female announcerwhen selling productsto women? How abouta man selling products to othermen? Could the key be in thewording of the message, andnot who the presenter is?Chapter One of a book entitled Talkingfrom 9 to 5 (D. Tannen, 1994, WilliamMorrow & Company Inc.) discusses womenand men talking on the job, andcontemplates the ritual nature of conversationand the potential for misunderstandingwhen these rituals are not sharedor recognized as rituals.For example, men commonly useopposition-like banter, joking, teasingand playful put-downs “expending effortto avoid the one-down position in theinteraction”. Women, on the other hand,strive to maintain equality, giving considerationto the effect of the conversationon the other person. Women typicallydownplay their own authority to get thejob done “without flexing their musclesin an obvious way”.The author points out that both men’sand women’s conversational styles makesense and are “equally valid in themselves”,but that the difference in stylescan cause trouble in interaction.This “one-down position” that mentry so hard to avoid apparently explainswhy they would never ask for directionsif lost. While women know how muchtime it would save by asking for directions,men justify not doing so by believingthat they will learn a lot about aneighbourhood and about navigation bydriving around to find their own way.This is tantamount to being afraid toadmit that “I don’t know”.Can we then conclude that regardlessof who is delivering a message to an intendedmale target group, the use of banter,jokes, teasing and playful putdownswill be effective? Apparently a womancould not effectively deliver a messagelike this due to society’s perception ofwhat is the “right way” for women tobehave in conversation.According to researchers, girls willpenalize and even ostracize a girl whoseems too sure she’s right. AnthropologistMarjorie Harness Goodwin found thatgirls criticize other girls who stand outby saying “She thinks she’s cute”, or “Shethinks she’s on to something”. Talking inways that display self confidence are notapproved for girls. Boys on the other hand,are expected to play by different rules.Giving orders and telling others what todo are ways of getting and keeping thatone-upmanship so important to males.Tannen reminds us that men who arenot very aggressive are called “wimps”,and women who are not very aggressiveare thought of as feminine. Men who areaggressive are go-getters who push the“arrogant” envelope. Women, on theother hand, who are thought to be overlyaggressive are labelled “bitch”.When you talk to someone whosestyle is similar to yours, you can fairlywell predict the response you are goingto get. But when you talk to someonewhose style is different, you can’t predict,and often can’t make sense of theresponse.In other words, if you’re talking tosomeone who is the same sex as you, it’sfairly easy to communicate. Alas, the realtest is whether or not the cash registerrings when people are exposed to advertisingin which women speak to womenand men to men, and what conversationalritual is employed.I would suggest putting on your consumerhat, and asking yourself if youMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.would buy something from a wimpy guy,an arrogant guy, a feminine woman, or abitch. Or, should people in commercialsjust say what people expect them to say,in a way we expect them to say it?The real question may be whether ornot you want your message to stand outfrom the others, or simply go with theflow.The moral of the story is flexibility.Not that men should immediately changeand train themselves to ask for directionswhen they’re in doubt, any more thanwomen should immediately stop askingdirections and start honing their navigationalskills by finding their way on theirown. Sticking to habit in the face of allchallenges is not particularly smart.So, should women read messages towomen, and should men read commercialsgeared to a male target audience? Ican, with great confidence, reply that Isimply don’t know!NOVEMBER 2003 35

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBWe’ll be right back…Arecent article on the televisionindustry outlinedstrategies to keep viewerswatching through the commercialbreaks so they would bethere when programming resumes.The proposal called for“candy coating” the commercialbreaks by placing smaller, shortformprograms within the breakitself that would compel theviewer to stay tuned.The concept boils down to continuingthe entertainment value through 60 minutesof every hour: a concept that manybroadcasters fail to grasp. Programmingexecutives have the self-serving aim ofboosting or maintaining audience. Thereis never any mention of keeping viewerstuned throughout breaks so they are exposedto advertising, perhaps persuadedto buy products and assist the industryin proving that advertising works. Insteadcommercials are viewed as some kind ofpariah: an evil necessity that is tolerated,but by and large overlooked.Why spend money on creating shortformentertainment to run in commercialbreaks? A less costly (and more intelligent)solution would be to make the commercialsthemselves better. Do you washyour hands of the whole thing and broadcastand/or create commercials that causethe tune-out in the first place because“that’s what the client wants”? A commercialthat nobody sees or hears benefits noone: the consumer, the advertiser, and thebroadcaster lose when that happens.When we are granted a license tobroadcast in Canada, we accept responsibilityfor every minute of every hour. Infact, from a legal perspective it is thebroadcaster’s responsibility to ensure thatadvertising they broadcast adheres to theCode of Advertising Standards and a hostof other laws related to misleading orotherwise inappropriate advertising. Ourresponsibility seems to stop there. Perhapsthe guidelines should be augmented toprohibit the broadcast of annoying, poorlycreated scream-fests that create consumertune-out.There is potential within the currentframework to make improvements. Theconcept of “bookend” commercials (two15-second commercials designed to runwithin one commercial break) is a goodone. However, they need to be createdand scheduled properly. Use the first 15-seconds to tease the consumer and thesecond 15-seconds to tell the rest of thestory. Then be sure they are properlyscheduled.“Bookends” are intended to hold thecommercial break together: one in the firstposition and one in the last position.How many times have you seen the same15-second commercial aired twice in arow to fill a 30-second unit? You’re sofocussed on the debate between whetheryou’re experiencing déjà vu or “a senior’smoment” that you forget what was beingadvertised. This is poor execution of anotherwise good technique that can beeffective on radio or television.If you have no desire to improve thequality of the advertising you run, at leastgive thought to its placement. Empoweryour traffic manager to stack a commercialbreak in an entertaining way versus arandom, computer-generated sequencethat doesn’t acknowledge the content oroverall tone of the advertising. Take theinitiative to review tomorrow’s programlog and work with the traffic manager toadjust the placement and sequence ofcommercials to make it as entertaining(or unobtrusive) as possible.Yes it requires reconciliation to overridethe computer placement of commercials,but your job is not to keep the computerprogram (or its operator) happy—it is to ensure that the audience is entertained,and the advertisers get results.Here’s another idea. If your stationpromos are more entertaining than therest of the commercials, run them first inthe break so the audience is compelledto stay tuned. You could even run contestclues within the commercial cluster. Contestslike these are designed to force tuning,so why not “force” them to listen tothose evil commercials?It would also serve you to listen orwatch when in the hour your competitionairs their commercials. If every radio stationruns commercials at the same time,the radio goes off and the CD goes on.Entertain your audience while the restof the market is “annoying the hell outof them” for a few minutes and they maythank you by spending more time withyour station.Modular Broadcast BoothsTextured Functional Panels (TFPs)Acoustic Solutionsfor the Broadcast IndustryQuality engineered acoustic treatmentthat combines functionality and aesthetics.Maureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store,conducts liveworkshops andfacilitates distance-learning.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIOor via www.theradiostore.com.ECKEL Industries of Canada Limited15 Allison Avenue, Morrisburg ON, Canada, K0C 1X0Tel: (613) 543.2967, (800) 563-3574 N.America Fax: (613)534.4173E-Mail: eckel@eckel.ca Web Page: www.eckel.caOCTOBER 2003 17

ESTJAMIEWESTJAMIEWESTJAMIEWESTJAMIEWESTJAMIEWESTJAMIEWESTJAMIEWESTJAMIIn a bit of a rut?Jamie West is Executive Producer atHamilton-based Westpro News Media Inc.He may be reached by phone at (905) 541-0127 or by e-mail at Westpro@sympatico.ca.Is there never enough moneyin the budget to do the jobyou want to do, creativelyspeaking? Or is it that you’vejust become a little stale? Haveyou’ve fallen into the formulatrap? Are you beginning to looklike a one-trick pony?If you answered yes to any or all ofthe above, fear not. We’ve all been there.Stacks of projects and too little time sometimesforces you to stick with the triedand true and avoid the pressure of havingto spend time thinking outside the box(I really do think that cliché is soundinga little stale, too!).The first thing you need to understandis that it’s a good thing (oops sorryanother cliché, this time Martha style)that you’re able to recognize that you’rebecoming a little stale. Those are healthythoughts, indicative of a person whostrives to be the best they can be creatively.After all what’s creativity withoutsome fear, frustration and the odd fizzle?Now, take a look at the last oh…say… six projects and really considerhow they are similar and how they differ.Look at things like the writing style ofthe script, the voice-over style, the graphicsused and, most importantly to me,the music. Music is so important to creatinga feel or the mood of a piece. Itgenerally sets the pace. In my experience,the music is the number one considerationafter the story thread itself. I’ve hadclients repeatedly comment on the qualityof the music long before they’ve evennoticed the exceptional dolly shot or jibmove. That isn’t to say that the visual elementsaren’t important. Of course theyare! It’s just that combined with a greattrack, those visual elements will literallysing to your client.Choosing the right music can be arduouswith all of the possibilities out there.Do you use stock music from the myriadsof libraries available out there or doyou have a great audio house composesome original material for you? As alwaysit’s down to the client’s desires and thebudget available but don’t ever let themoney issue serve as an excuse to turn insub-standard work.As I mentioned there are some greatstock libraries available, some better thanothers but all of them reasonably priced.The tracks range from okay to awesome,with more okay than awesome generally.That’s why it’s advantageous to havemore than a few music libraries in yourbuilding.Choosing the right track for your projectwill take time. Don’t settle for thevery first thing that sounds like it mightfit. Be careful. Remember this is a criticallyimportant part of the production.Listen to several, dozens of tracks if that’swhat it takes and then roll them underneathsome voice over or visuals to see ifthe track works. Believe me, you’ll knowwhen it does work because you feel thehair on the back of your neck stand up.When that happens then the music selectionprocess is complete. Do not settle formusic that doesn’t “sing” to you becausechances are it won’t with the client either.Another trap to avoid is trying to plugthe same music track into several differentprojects just because you happen tolike that piece of music. This is where youwill run the risk of looking like a onetrickpony. C’mon, you’re supposed to becreative. Your reel is going to look prettybland with every piece sounding thesame, don’t you think? Try to find somethingunique for each individual project.Creatively you will work harder, but you’llbe far less frustrated and clients will appreciatethat you’re treating them likethey are special.Try to remember that ideas comefrom inside of you and all around you. Ifyou’re in a bit of a rut try watching somethingnew or listening to or readingsomething unfamiliar. Try having a fewfriends over for some conversation (andsome cocktails) about things unrelatedto your business or project. Sometimesthat’s just what stimulates the creativemind to break away from formula thinkingand opens up the possibilities for thenew way of doing things.40 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBWho’s your Belfour?By now hockey fans haveforgotten the Leafs’ embarrassinggame sevenagainst the Philadelphia Flyersin the Stanley Cup playoffs.While I’m a fair-weather hockeyfan at best, I did cheer on theBuds. I also made some observationsabout the disintegrationof the team, and the behaviourof the team’s goalie.In that ill-fated game seven, Leafgoalie Ed Belfour got two penalties, a rarityeven in playoff hockey: goaltendersseldom lash out at the opposition andnever actually serve the penalties they aregiven. What an interesting dynamic.I watched the replay of Belfour’s firstpenalty. My response was “who couldblame him?” He had displayed exemplarynetminding in the series, despite alack of support in keeping Philadelphiaplayers out of the goal crease. The Leafdefence, repeatedly criticized for beingineffective, was particularly weak in gameseven. Belfour took it upon himself touse his stick and slash an oppositionplayer across the back to get the playerout of his way. There was no blue andwhite jersey in sight to do the job.A great player snaps, frustrated bywaning collegiality. Doesn’t it make youthink how you would react if you wereBelfour, or how you would handle thesituation as a coach?Best to plan a little face time with theBelfours on your team who continuallygo the distance. Do you give them the supportthey need, or have you been asleepbehind the bench? How would you handleit if their frustration led them toextreme behaviour such as that demonstratedby the goalie in game seven?Certainly you don’t want a situationto become that unmanageable. Here aresome strategies that may prevent an outbreak.Think of these as they relate to yourteam as a whole and the smaller “teams”or departments in your company.One of the first issues is who belongsto the team. It’s difficult to create a strongunit when the team is constantly changing,sometimes without prior notice orexplanation. This creates discomfort withall members of the team, particularly ifthe topics being discussed are sensitive,confidential, or personal in nature. It istherefore important to clarify who is permitted(or required) to be on the team toavoid confusion and conflict.Does the team have synergy? Definedas the combined effect of parts that exceedstheir individual effects, group synergyis “working together without trippingover your own or other people’s baggage”.Special things can happen when a groupworks synergistically: crises may resultwhen they do not.According to the authors of The Zenof Groups (Fisher Books, 1995), “Synergyis about tapping into group energy so thatthe group members are able to accomplishmore than they thought possible”.Tapping in to this group energy greatlyincreases the rate at which group actionoccurs, and can make an enormous differencein the effectiveness and profitabilityof your business. The Zen of Groupsidentifies seven signposts to group synergyas follows:• Purpose: The group has clear purposeand members are committed to it.• Vision: A powerful vision is developedby the group. Building and recording itin some way serves as ongoing inspirationwhen the going gets tough.• Clarity: The group clarifies roles andcommitments.Maureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearning.She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.• Projects: The group invents projects toachieve its purpose with clear accountabilitiesand action plans.• Identity: There is a strong group identity.Trust is developed. Members honourone another and allow for eachother’s baggage.• Communication: The group agrees onways to work through conflict ratherthan avoiding it.• Learning: Increased effectiveness resultsfrom identifying lessons learned viaproject monitoring and evaluation.There are no hard and fast rules todeveloping synergy: it cannot be forcedor struggled for. “Force will produce theopposite to synergy—separateness and therigid taking and defending of positions.”What occurred in the Leafs’ gameseven was “the rigid taking and defendingof positions”, and we all know theoutcome. It pays to take care of your teamplayers. Facilitate group synergy to avoidcostly mistakes that could ruin moraleand sabotage success.JUNE 2003 27

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBCreative work environmentsMany theories that existabout the need for creativityin the workplacefocus on the techniques used tostimulate creativity, overlookingthe importance of providing adynamic physical environment.The typical office is a collection of uncomfortablechairs, adequate desks andharsh fluorescent lighting that limits creativepotential. Providing an office environmentmore conducive to creativity willfoster the generation of ideas. Examplesin the business world demonstrate the impactof creative environments, and shouldencourage business leaders to make thetypical office more of a catalyst in thecreation of new concepts and ideas.Historical examples of the allure ofstimulating environments are abundant.In his book Creativity and Adult Education,P. J. Edelson discusses the interaction ofenvironment and human creativity bypointing out “creative individuals willgravitate to certain cities or institutionswhere they can find positive reinforcementfrom others who are working inthe same domain”. H. Gardner’s CreatingMinds recounts a study of outstandingindividuals attracted to major metropolisesincluding Berlin, New York andVienna because they were “remarkablecultural centres, filled with excitementand anticipation of the future”.Modern day examples in business areexplored in John Kao’s book Jamming,which identifies the link between physicalenvironment and improved creativitywith the establishment of “playgrounds”and “playpens” to provide the psychicspace for brainstorming.The impact of the absence of such anenvironment is demonstrated in JohnSpayde’s Utne Reader contribution, TheMiracle of Mediocrity. Spayde encouragedhis spouse to unwind by abandoning thestrict commercial artist standards she usedduring the workday. They relaxed by creating“bad art” in the creation of freeformcollages, paintings and drawings. This“Bad Art Night” originated in their diningroom, and returned there after a move toa commercial space dampened the creativespirit that had been established in thehome environment.Appreciating that enhanced creativityis a function of our environment, we needto identify ways to create a more stimulatingplace to work. The starting pointshould be the introduction of colour.Bright, vivid colours should be used onwalls; or posters, prints or murals could beused to enhance existing colour schemes.We should encourage alternative seatingarrangements to encourage interaction.Desks and chairs could be examined fortheir ergonomic properties, and replacedwith more suitable designs. Lightingshould also be modified so it is suitableto the task at hand. Music can also enhancethe creative process, as can workmaterials. Coloured paper as well as pencilsand markers stimulate creativity, asdoes non-linear note taking, which willkeep colleagues in touch with the radicalright side of the brain which houses theircreativity.A variety of issues may contribute tothe fact that current work environmentsare sterile. Some managers may be indifferentto the problem and believe that ifone has the necessary tools, creativityshould be easy. However, it is more likelythat the majority face budget and timeconstraints that put the issue on the backburner. Given the opportunity, yourclients may enter into a barter agreementthat may be as complex as interiordesign or as simple as trade for a fewcans of paint. In the course of regularMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearningto help producemore effectivebroadcast advertisingcreative. She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.property maintenance, managers couldconsult with staff regarding colour selectionand office design when offices arere-painted or updated. Any increase incost would be limited to the differencebetween “builder beige” and azure bluepaint, and dimming light switches versusthe on/off variety: increases that wouldbe minimal at best in light of the potentialreturn.It is time to eliminate the discrepancybetween what we know and whatwe practice. Adjustments to the colour,layout, design and lighting of offices, andthe introduction of music and colouredstationery and writing instruments areessential to enhanced creativity and betteroutcomes. Our own ingenuity as creativepeople, combined with the supportof managers, will move us from a state ofappreciation for the potential of creativeenvironments, to a realization of thebenefits they provide to the company asa whole.APRIL 2003 29

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBSnail mail is alive and wellLast fall I received at leastsix direct mail pieces fromdifferent radio stations.Many were full-colour productionsencouraging listening, loggingon, or entering a contestawarding wonderful prizes.What an interesting tactic for broadcasters!I was curious to learn more, whichI did at the CMA’s (Canadian MarketingAssociation) third annual Direct Mail conferenceheld late last year. Aptly namedTried, Tested and True, the agenda was filledwith case studies and tracking methodologiesto fine tune the art and science ofdirect mail.Snail mail it seems, is alive and well.Advertising Age magazine reported it wasthe number one medium for advertisingexpenditures in the U.S. in 2001. And directmail continues to be a key component ofany integrated marketing campaign.The morning keynote was from JohnWright, Executive Vice President, RetailMarketing, of SourceLink, whose directmarketing clients include Eddie Bauer,Victoria’s Secret, The Limited, Bath andBody Works, and DKNY.According to Wright, the secrets to ahigher return on investment from yourdirect marketing spend include awardwinningcreative, a compelling offer, precisedatabase segmentation, and mindreadingwhat the customer will buy.His clients combine direct mail, e-mailand telemarketing, allowing the consumerto choose the medium from which tobuy the featured product(s). SourceLinkutilizes Planet Track: a bar code system theU.S. postal service reads using SourceLink’sown software. This enables them to tracethe path of each direct mail piece right tothe day of home delivery. Knowing exactlywhen an offer is going to land in the consumer’smailbox gives SourceLink controlof the post office. It allows them to proactivelymanage crises such as time-limitedoffers that arrive after the coupon has expired,by alerting the telephone or Webbasedorder desks to honour the expiredoffer to callers from the problem location.The real bonus of knowing when thedirect mail will land at the consumer’sdoor is the opportunity to send an e-mailreminder about the delivery, the sameday. Tests have shown that when the consumerreceives an e-mail and a directmail piece on the same day, the responserate is 13% higher, and the average saleis significantly (20%) higher. If your database includes only street addresses, or telephonenumbers or e-mail addresses, youneed all three to maximize the return onyour direct marketing investment.Imagine collecting all that informationfrom a listener. You could send them directmail advising of a contest, an e-mail aboutthe printed piece, and a voice-mail aboutupcoming programming. If your responserate grew the audience 13% during theprescribed time period and they listened20% longer, you’d be a superstar.You may already have more detail inyour database than you know. Talk to the“numbers people”, as CMA lunchtime keynoteJoel Sobelson suggested. Sobelsonis executive vice president and chief creativeofficer of Wunderman New York. Hemotivates 135 creative people to creategreat solutions with data-driven ideas. Theoutcome is more responsible, more relevant,more entertaining. They ask their“data folk” to provide creatives withinsights they can run with. Practising “datathink” allows them to take the target andmake it 3-D. They use the numbers torecreate a day in the life of the prospect.The outcome? Better and more effectivecreative delivered through more channels.Maureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearningto help producemore effectivebroadcast advertisingcreative. She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.If you prefer a different creative approach,try the Grey Worldwide agency’smethod as explained by Toronto VicePresident and Creative Director BrendaMcNeilly. Grey’s “War Room” philosophyis an attempt to control the creativeprocess. They actually have a “war room”for each of the clients on their roster. Thebattleground is a very competitive landscapefilled with examples of what thecompetition is doing. Enter the war room,and live in the client’s world.The outcome is simple, focussed creativeideas in a competitive environment.When “the war is over”, they use a12-step creative review to scrutinize theoutcome.The tell-all question? If it was yourmoney, would you buy this creative?Answer that question when designingor approving your own direct mail, orcompeting against direct mail advocatesfor a larger share of your client’s advertisingpie.MARCH 2003 15

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBThe largest radio creativedepartment in the worldGWR Group has moreradio licences and alarger audience than anyother UK commercial radiobroadcaster. They operate threenational stations, 32 local stations,the classicfm.com andkoko.com Internet services, isthe majority shareholder inDigital One, the sole commercialnational digital radio multiplexcompany, and holds 16digital radio licences. The Groupalso has interests in stationsin Australia, Austria, Bulgaria,Finland, Holland, Hungary andSouth Africa.The company that is now GWR Groupplc started in 1982 as a single commercialradio station—Wiltshire Radio—broadcasting to a potential audience of630,000 people—coincidentally, the stationcost £630,000 to set up.From that management built the companyinto the GWR Group, with a marketvalue of more than £850 million anda coverage area of more than 10 millionpeople. From the original 28 employees,the Group now has more than 900 staff:despite this exponential growth, many ofthe senior management of the Group dateback to the original Wiltshire Radio.GWR Creative is the commercial productiondivision, which provides a dedicatedservice to over 30 radio stations andthousands of direct clients and advertisingagencies across the UK. It is the largestoperation of its kind in the world withover 40 full time copywriters, many freelancewriters, six producers, two audio distributionstaff, numerous administrativeand support staff and five state-of-the-artdigital production studios. Producing upwardsof 70 commercials a day, GWRCreative’s mission is to raise the thresholdof radio creativity on national, regionaland local levels.Writers are on-site at many GWR radiostations, while production is centralizedin one location. A good IT infrastructureconnects all 37 sites. A database was modifiedand developed in-house to providefor GWR’s specific needs. All writers usethe database as a word processor, andadditionally complete fields of informationthat update the rest of the networkwithin 15 minutes. As a result, the productioncentre can see quickly what needsproducing. Likewise, the writers can seewhich producer is creating their commercial,see when it is made, and when it isdistributed to the station.Most of the stations have writers onsitewho maintain direct and ongoingcontact with clients. In fact, according toCreative Special Projects Manager SimonRushton, their best and highest spendingclients have close relationships with thewriters.Producers have little involvement withclients. Local advertisers are spread acrossthe country, very few willing to travel toattend recording sessions. As well, currentEquity rates demand increased paymentfor a voice-over if the client is in attendanceat the recording session. GWR hasa stable of about 100 regularly used voices.Most voice-over talent has a home studioset-up linked to GWR Creative throughISDN lines. On-air presenters are rarelyused to voice commercials: if they do, itusually runs outside of their home market.According to Rushton, “we tend tofind the skill sets (of voice-over talentand on-air presenters) are different”.So, how does GWR finance the use ofprofessional voice-over talent in over15,000 commercials produced each year?Production is an additional charge overand above the airtime. “We charge aroundMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearningto help producemore effectivebroadcast advertisingcreative. She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.£200 and upwards for a commercial. Wegive the clients the opportunity to buythings like famous voices and speciallycomposed music. How do you upsell aclient if the production is included? Whatvalue do they then put on the creativeelement, which can be the most timeconsumingpart of the whole package?”Paying for creative is the norm in theUK, but advertisers aren’t obligated tohave their ad produced by the station. Iasked if clients have a problem payingfor production in addition to airtime.“The cost of production is only a problemwith the client if the campaign hasn’tbeen sold properly,” said Simon, “or thewhole process and setup hasn’t beenexplained to them. Otherwise they understandthey are getting a professional serviceat a reasonable price.”The company’s creative standards arevery high. In fact, Canada’s own CertifiedRadio Copywriter program is requiredtraining for all GWR Creative staff. If youhave already earned your Canadian CRCdesignation, and would like to apply forcurrent vacancies at GWR, send a CVand covering letter to recruitment@gwrcreative.com.FEBRUARY 2003 37

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBIs it time to butt in?Although the number ofCanadians who smokehas been dropping steadilyfor years, teens are one groupthat has bucked the trend. Manypublic health groups say that isbecause Canada’s anti-smokingadvertising is too lame and tame,and as a result isn’t working.In mid-August of this year, an openletter was sent to Health Minister AnneMcLellan by a coalition of health groupsthat included the Canadian Cancer Society,the Heart and Stroke Foundation andthe Canadian Medical Association. Thisletter, published in The Globe and Mail,dealt specifically with the creative focusof anti-smoking advertising commissionedby Health Canada. The advertising campaign,which cost $28 million, is describedas being “ineffective”. Perhaps you sawsome of the television creative featuringElvis Stojko and Josée Choinard sayingthey had chosen not to smoke.The coalition suggests that HealthCanada adopt a similar strategy to thatused successfully in California, Floridaand Massachusetts. According to theirletter: “All employed what is calledtobacco-industry denormalization strategies.”It is simply telling the truth abouttobacco industry behaviour, portrayingthem as money-hungry types who targetyoung people with deceptive tactics toget them addicted for life. Focus groupsshowed the ads to be highly successfulwith teenagers because this group is sensitiveto being manipulated. It is thoughtthat the transfer of blame from the individualto public policy and tobaccomanufacturers will be more effective.The creative used by Health Canadaand the creative suggested by publichealth groups differs only slightly. TheStojko/Choinard ads say they chose notto smoke. The American ads suggest thatteens choose not to be manipulated: inother words, they should make their ownchoice, given “the truth, unfiltered”. Whilethe Canadian creative was directed specificallyat a young target group, the “denormalization”tactic is aimed at smokers andnon-smokers of all ages in an effort tovilify the tobacco industry and supportlegislation to restrict smoking and accessto tobacco.A recent report commissioned byHealth Canada from Anne Lavack, aleading expert on marketing, concludedthat “it is important to target the entirepopulation with anti-tobacco messages,and not limit the focus to youth as a targetgroup. This ensures that smokingbecomes socially unacceptable for everyone,not just youth”.Lavack also said that when only teensare targeted, it sends the message thatsmoking is okay for adults and thereforepositioned as a rite of adulthood.Similarly, the letter to the Health Ministersaid that: “When young people are theobvious target of a media campaign, theyfeel that someone—usually an adult—ispreaching to them. Of course, if adultstell kids—directly or indirectly—not todo something, that forbidden fruit suddenlylooks very tasty”.The experts conclude that any antismokingmessage will be more effectiveif it is targeted to the population as awhole. The creative must tell the truthabout the monetary motives of the tobaccoindustry, as well as the manipulative tacticsused to create nicotine addicts.I believe that we as broadcasters needto put our creative heads together andcome up with advertising that can run asa public service to our audience. Createanti-smoking campaigns to help yourMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearningto help producemore effectivebroadcast advertisingcreative. She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.audience butt out, or better yet, never getstarted smoking in the first place.I have made it my professional mandateto ensure any type of advertising orpublic service creative is as effective aspossible. This subject hits very close tohome with me. My father died a prematuredeath from lung cancer due to cigarettesmoking, and I continue to strugglewith nicotine addiction in spite of the factmy four-year-old daughter urges me to“quit smoking Mommy, I don’t want youto die”. I think we all know someone whocould use some help to quit smoking.Please e-mail me if you believe it istime for the broadcasting community tobutt in and put an end to the prematuredeath of 45,000 Canadians every year.I’ll find a way to showcase your creativeand, with your permission, share it withall Canadian broadcasters for the healthand well-being of this and future generations.If we can stop even one young personfrom starting, we’ve saved a life.NOVEMBER 2002 43

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBHow much is too much?Providing good customerservice is a challenge regardlessof your marketsize. Customer service goes beyondselling the right scheduleat the right price to help yourclients grow. It’s delivering thegoods: a solid commercial thatwill achieve the desired results.Every radio station needs to deliverall three: 1. the right schedule,2. good value, and 3. effectivecreative. Most of us are goodat the first two, and struggleevery day to provide the thirdcritical element of customerservice.This is particularly problematic insmall markets, or stations of any size thatrely heavily on direct business to helpthem meet their bottom line. That problemis volume. How many commercialsare we writing and producing every week?And, how much is too much? Here aresome guidelines that will help you evaluatewhether or not you are equipped toservice the business that you sell.Begin by measuring output. Create atally sheet that can be filled in by handto record the number of commercials, stationpromos, weather sponsorship lines,traffic sponsorship lines, etc., that yourstation handles in one week. Here’s whatit should look like:Create eight headings horizontallyacross the top of the 11-inch side of astandard piece of paper. Label the firstheading “Task”, then make one headingfor each day of the week, Monday throughFriday, a heading entitled “Weekly Total”,and the final heading “% (percentage) ofweekly work.Under the “Task” heading, create alist vertically that includes the followingheadings:• We write and produce• Supplied script we produce• Supplied fully produced• Tags, live or recorded• Other (i.e. Weather or Traffic sell lines)• Daily TotalsThis grid will be used to record theamount of work completed each weekby your station. Be sure to record eachpiece of work you do. For example, ifyou write one commercial and do threeupdates of it, you count four commercials.Likewise, if you create one commercialand pre-record three differenttags, you count four commercials.Each person that writes scripts destinedfor production should complete atally every week. The more detail youhave available, the better equipped youare to assess the situation. In this scenario,the production studio also keeps atally to record tasks that originate outsideof the sales arena, specifically programming,music or promotions.Evaluating the numbers:Add up the weekly totals of Task 1 and2. (We write and produce, plus suppliedscript we produce). This total is knownas “DIRECT”.Add up the weekly totals of Tasks 3through 5 inclusive. This total is knownas “SUPPLIED”.In a good situation, each of six writersshould generate 37 “Direct” and 12“Supplied” commercials per week. Thisresults in a total 1,176 tasks per month.Your production studio needs to operate15 hours a day, five days a week to accommodatethis volume. Do it with two shiftsdaily: 6 am to 2pm and 1pm to 9 pm forbest results.Incidentally, the definition of “writer”is someone who spends 100% of theirtime writing commercials, promos andimaging pieces. If your sellers are spendinghalf their time writing, you need 12sellers/writers who generate about 18“Direct” and six “Supplied” commercialsper week to make the numbers work.Any more volume than this creates apressure cooker where tempers flare andcustomer service is a distant second togetting the job done and getting the heckout of the office. You may argue that ittakes less time than I suggest to get thejob done. But, there’s a big differencebetween doing the job, and doing thejob well. If account turnover and clientsatisfaction (not to mention employeeburnout) are problems at your organiza-Maureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearningto help producemore effectivebroadcast advertisingcreative. She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.tion, the source of the problem could bevolume.What’s more, these issues may be theroot of your struggle to continually meetsales budgets. The easy solution to salesbudget dilemmas is putting more pressureon account executives to sell more, thereincompounding the real problem. A goodmanager acknowledges that a problemexists, and takes a more holistic approachto identify and remedy the real cause.I strongly recommend that you keepa work tally 52 weeks of the year. Youwill gain valuable insight into everythingfrom scheduling staff to ordering supplies.And, you will be better equippedto handle the most challenging part ofthe customer service equation: servicingwhat you sell.OCTOBER 2002 7

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBLessons from Lovesick LakeWhen I was a kid, wespent our summerscamping at LovesickLake near Lakefield, Ontario.We did a lot of bad things there,including pouring ketchup onour t-shirts to feign an attack bythe “enemies” at a nearby campground;but there’s another incidentI remember more. It’s onein which I expressed my jealousyat the fact that there was a“new girl” in camp that we hadn’tseen before. I was certain shewas moving in on my turf.My response? I decided to yell a lessthan flattering comment to make fun ofthe way she walked. In the presence of myfriends from Lovesick, I shouted “Hey! Isthat a wiggle, or a broken hip?”. Of course,all my friends laughed and I was a star,having once again come up with a funnyline to suit the situation. Imagine myhorror when I discovered that the younggirl was slightly disabled and walkedwith “a wiggle” because she had to. I felthollow in the gut, and flush with guilt.I felt that way again a few weeks agowhen I heard a radio station promo in mymarket. This station’s weekly routine is totake clips from their Listener TelephoneLine and edit them into promos that waxpoetic about how valuable the station isto their audience. It’s a pretty pedestriantechnique that gets the job done, but oneparticular version left me feeling hollowand embarrassed for the listener who tookthe time to call the station.The clip extracted and used in thepromo was the following question. “…Iwas wondering, could you tell me whatthe population of London, Ontario was?”.The promo announcer sarcastically replied“When?”. Pause for effect, and then continued:“If you’d like to comment on our programming,call the CXXX Listener Line at555-1212”. Who in their right mind wouldcall now that you’ve made the last guy outto be an idiot? Obviously said caller relieson the station and considers them an accuratesource of news and information. Notonly was his trust in the station betrayed,he was ridiculed in public.The on-air hosts came out of the breakwith a little chuckle and nod to the promothey just heard. No doubt it was the jokedu jour in the production studio as everybodycommented about how lame thelistener was for thinking that the stationwould have the answer to that question.Just like I yelled out “Is that a wiggleor a broken hip” to look good in the eyesof my friends, the station staff constructeda promo that was a laugh riot to them,behind the scenes. To say that the promobreaks a few fundamental rules of goodcopywriting is an understatement.The first is the “buffoon consumer”.Poking fun at the expense of people toallow the advertiser or station to shine.Or, presenting the consumer as a lowintellect, possibly one who might disagreewith the message. This may soundobvious, but I just gave you one examplefrom a major market radio station. It happensall the time. It could be happeningright now, on your station.The second is “inside jokes”. The writingof inside humour is a common mistake.We assume that if it makes everyonein our office laugh, it will have the sameeffect on the audience. Be sure that theMaureen Bulley,President of TheRadio Store, conductslive workshops andfacilitates distancelearningto help producemore effectivebroadcast advertisingcreative. She may bereached at 1-888-DORADIO or via www.theradiostore.com.humour has broad appeal, and everyonein the target group can relate to it.Poking fun at the expense of others issomething kids do. Try instead to laughwith your audience, not at them.Creating work for our peers withoutthought for others (i.e. the listener or theclient) is equally as juvenile. Review yourstation promos and advertising copy forthese fatal, and common, mistakes. Thinktwice before you run it, and make a fewsubtle changes to make it acceptable tothe audience. Remember, the goal of yourstation promo is to promote the stationto current and potential new listeners,because more listeners mean more revenue.I’m not sure insulting them is thebest tactic.SEPTEMBER 2002 23

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUPro-motion – the sequelLast column we learnedthere are two things youneed to know to create asuccessful promotional message.You need a well-executedCreative Tool, and the properRoot Appeal. Creative Tools werecovered at length in our last installment.This time the focusis on Root Appeal, otherwiseknown as consumer benefit or“what’s in it for me?”,Root Appeal is an essential componentof a promo that works. The top fivein terms of usage are: 1. Enjoyment orFun; 2. Win Something; 3. Information;4. Limited Opportunity; and, 5. Giving.Surprisingly, 20% of all station promoscontain no root appeal—no reason to buy,participate or attend. That’s why one in fivepromos are destined to fail, the consumeris not motivated by a strong benefit.We’re left to deal with “Contest Junkies”,or “Event Groupies” who participate orattend regardless of how poorly the promotion.Clearly the goal of a promotionor event is to increase attendance or audience.Write with that goal in mind, andyou will achieve the desired result.Of those promotional messages thatdo include a Root Appeal, the most popularis Enjoyment or Fun. That is, themain reason why consumers should participateis that they’ll have fun. Fun isgood: just convey that to a broad crosssectionof the target group versus a smallsegment of your audience.By design, the Root Appeal of “WinningSomething” is the foundation of about20% of station promos. The key is todemonstrate what winning provides. If theconsumer can win a pair of tickets to asold-out concert, the benefit is not winningtickets...it’s bragging rights: the opportunityto be popular with friends asthe winner makes a decision about whowill accompany them to the concert. Lookat the material you’re airing. Chances are,you’re mirroring the industry statistics ofone in five station promos containing noroot appeal: no reason to play the contest.Other benefits are powerful in the formof open-ended questions: “What are yougoing to wear?”, or “Imagine telling themat work!”, or “Who will you take?”.If the objective of the promo is to increaseaudience, you can use the RootAppeal of “Information”. For example,“CXXX has weather reports every 10 minutesin the morning show, so you’ll hearthe latest forecast when you need it.” Thisconveys the facts (weather every 10 minutes)and the advantages (hearing thelatest forecast when you need it). But it’smissing the benefit or the Root Appeal:What’s in it for me? The benefit is thevalue of the information, such as knowingwhether to grab an umbrella on yourway out the door. Use the FAB (Fact,Advantage, Benefit) test when you evaluateany station promo to ensure the bestpossible product goes to air.Another test of your promo’s potentialis what I call the “Stop ‘n Go” test.Every time you talk about how great yourstation is, you “Stop”; every time you talkabout what’s in it for the audience, you“Go”. This is a classic mistake. “We giveyou 24 chances to win every day, becausewe have 24 trips for two to the MolsonIndy, and we are great!”. Simply changethe wording to “You can enter to win everyhour and win the trip that puts you trackside”.Change “We” to “You” for dramaticallybetter response rates.An overview of station promotionsalso shows we get carried away with “creativefrill”: unnecessary creative elementsthat distract from the Root Appeal.Creative Frill is a byproduct of producingpromos for our own enjoyment, or thatof our peers. Work that may win industryawards is not appreciated by the peoplethat really count—the audience.Remember, your station promos mustinclude a properly executed Creative Tooland a well-chosen Root Appeal to work.Sometimes it takes only a subtle changeto the work we’re doing in order to makestation promos perform above average.Apply these Promotional Power Tools,and you will achieve the desired results.Maureen Bulley is President of THE RADIOSTORE. She may be reached at 1-888-DORADIO or by e-mail at doradio@total.net.10 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBPro-motionWould it surprise you toknow that one in fivestation promos don’tmotivate the listener to do whatwe want them to do? Ironically,these are the productions thatstation staff enjoy most. Afterall, “we are the client” so we cando virtually anything we want.Let’s learn how to do it moreeffectively.There are two things you need to knowto create a successful promotional message.You need a good, well-executed creativetool; and the proper root appeal.Apply these two principles and you’llmake even weak promotional ideas work.The first important element of a stationpromo that will motivate your audienceis proper use of a creative tool.Almost half of station promos use voiceoveras their main creative tool—simplyan announcer over a music bed. Overuseof this production technique is often afunction of tight deadlines, there simplyisn’t time to consider a more creativeapproach using alternative techniques.Next in terms of popularity is humour.We use empathy to craft about one in 10of our promotional messages, and thenrely on either a testimonial approach orwhat is commonly referred to as “tellinga story”.In light of the fact so many stationpromos rely on voice-over execution,above-average results can be achieved justby doing something different. Use humouras the basis of your promotional message,but only if that humour is directlyrelated to the consumer benefit: everyjoke, every nuance needs to reinforce themain point of the message. Otherwisethe humour acts as a pirate of the mainmessage, sending listeners off on someunrelated tangent that does nothing tomake them tune in longer, pick up thephone to enter a contest, or attend a stationevent. Humour must reinforce thepromo’s main point, appeal to a largecross-section of the target group, and containsome grain of truth or exaggerationof truth. Many station promos are rifewith inside jokes that mean nothing tothe audience.If you lack the confidence to write apromo using humour, consider Telling aStory. This is a dramatic and under-usedcreative tool that keeps listeners tuned into the end of the message to literally“hear how the story ends”. Begin by writingthe story out in full, using as manywords as it takes. Then eliminate anywords, phrases or details that don’t advancethe story. Script sound effects ormusic strategically to advance the storyline, and you’ll have time left over to conveythe information in a relaxed tone thatallows listeners to absorb the key pointsof the promo and plan their response.Empathy can be a big winner as a creativetool. To properly execute an empathypromo you must probe the listeners’inner feelings. Quite often, you’re presentingtear-jerkers or magic moments toconnect with your audience. Involve animportant aspect of life either from thelisteners’ perspective, or a general humanperspective. It must be believable andperceived to be relevant. This is a particularlygood tool when there is a charitableor public service aspect to your promotion.Remember, empathy doesn’t alwayshave to relate to a negative or bad experience.It’s simply that “I’ve been there,I’ve done that, and I can relate to you”feeling as you connect with the listener.Testimonials are usually a combinationof audio clips from listeners or contestwinners edited together in a whirl-Maureen Bulley is aBroadcast CreativeConsultant, andPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by e-mail atdoradio@total.netor on line at www.theradiostore.com.wind production intended to generateenergy and excitement about your stationor event. Select those audio clips carefully:be sure that they’re relevant to the audienceas a whole, and not just to the individualwho waxed poetic about how yourstation changed their lives forever.And, if you must use the announcervoice-over technique, keep these tips inmind: proper use of this creative tool requiresdiscipline; convey a benefit; don’texaggerate the truth; don’t use too manywords; and, ban “junk radio”—attemptingto fit every last detail of a promotionin 60-seconds.The right creative tool, well executed,is one half of the Pro-Motion equation.The second half is choosing the right rootappeal—otherwise known as the consumerbenefit, or “What’s in it for me?”Root appeal is an essential componentto a promo that will actually work. Savethis article, and look for more on Pro-Motion and consumer benefits in thesummer edition of Broadcast Dialogue.JUNE 2002 33

Become amagnet forcreativeideasBY INGRID CHRISTENSENOne of my all-time favourite Christmas movies is Miracleon 34th Street. In one scene, the little girl, disappointedabout not getting her wish, continually repeats, “If atfirst you don’t succeed, try, try again.”In our world, however—as fast-moving as it is – this formulaspells disaster. We all must do more in less time. Budgets aremuch trimmer. We have more responsibility and fewer resources.Combine these elements and the requirement for creativeidea generation becomes even more fundamental. We must beon the lookout for new and creative solutions to theproblems and challenges we face—no matterour role within an organization; no matterin which department we work.That’s all fine and dandy, I hear yousay, but how do I get to be a magnet forcreative ideas?Be curiousAsk lots of questions. Remember whenyou were a very young child and drove yourparents crazy with all your questions aboutwhy the sky is blue? Maybe it’s payback time and your childrenare now doing it to you. I mention that because as we grow olderwe tend to lose our propensity to question. Now, that could befor any number of reasons including others perceiving us to beknowledgeable, so we don’t ask, or because we’ve been trainednot to ask questions because we don’t want tolook stupid or vulnerable. Get over it. Whenyou’re the new kid on the block, or in thecompany, don’t be afraid to ask lots ofquestions. Believe it or not, you’re actuallyperforming a vital service. By askingwhy? questions, you force answers whichhelp people come to grips with thingstaken for granted. Having to provideanswers forces each of us to rethink whatwe’re doing. Give yourself permission to notknow everything. The next time you hesitate to ask questionsduring a business meeting, think of Ronald Coase who won theNobel Prize in economics by asking (and later answering) thequestion: “Why do firms exist?”Visit a client’s place of businessWhat do we know about the car dealership, restaurant,clothing store, radio or television station? We have come to relyso much on e-mail and the telephone that for the sake of expediencywe neglect to visit the client’s place of business. Put newimpressions into your brain: observe people buying a car, apiece of jewelry. Observe employees. Get a sense of theatmosphere—what makes this place special?Creating new impressions and new perspectivesis like a workout for your brain.BrainstormLet your mind run free. Shoot forquantity. Don’t try to be practical. Turnon the tap—list all the thoughts and ideas,even the silly ones. Work as fast as you can.Don’t get distracted by wanting to examinethe ideas on paper right then and there. Onceyour mental waterfall has run dry, do some “oppositethinking” where you try to determine ways to achieve theopposite objective. These ideas may lead to breakthroughsbecause radically different thoughts are explored. Only onceyou have all your ideas on paper should you begin evaluatingthem. Focus on how you could make it work, how you can findthe budget. When you brainstorm with a group of people, ittakes tremendous discipline to keep everyone focussed on generatingideas. Coax the group along with three, five, or 10 moreideas. Once you have an exhaustive list, get into the clarificationstage and discussion of ideas. Refuse to accept negativecomments about new ideas. Suggest that people think of atleast three ways to implement a new idea before they try toreject it.40 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

HeartstormCreativity is quite often not so much about what peoplethink, but about what people feel. Concentrate on identifyingfeelings associated with your problem.Celebrate the beginning of a projectA few years back, I was charged with the introduction of thenew BMW 740 to Canada; to employees, to dealers and to customers.My team celebrated the beginning of this project witha very large ice cream cake that sported the BMW logo (whichwas not exactly the right blue according to our strict companyguidelines—but we ate the evidence). Every employeeat BMW’s head office in Canada was invited to attend. Weasked them to use big flip chart papers strategically placedaround the room to give us their ideas on how to makethis the best launch ever. The creativity that flowed duringthat half-hour was astounding! More importantly, everybodyknew what we were working on and supplied further ideas,assistance and support during the succeeding months.Celebrate the end of a successful project or other success storiesWhen a project is unsuccessful, you can count on plenty ofanalysis on why it crashed. Frequently, though, successful projectsor campaigns aren’t analysed at all. Analysison why/how we got it right is essential. Get thepeople who were involved in the projecttogether and analyse your success ad nauseam.You want to figure out what’s workingand why, so that successes can be duplicatedand transferred into other situations. Capture—in a document—all the reasons for successso you’ll have it for future reference.Include othersDon’t try to do it alone. You need other pointsof view. There are many opportunities for othersto supply creative input and different perspectivesto resolve issues.• Use a brainstorm board. Post flip chart paperwith the issue, problem, question or theme in acentral area, such as the lunch room, and encourageeverybody to use it to brainstorm ideas. Supplycolour markers to provide visual stimuli.• Form a creativity circle. Invite volunteers from different departmentsto participate in a one-time brain- and heart-stormingsession. The goal should be to collect and discuss variousideas. You’ll be surprised at the richness of ideas supplied!• Let’s do lunch. There are people you admire for their businesssavvy. They may be part of your industry, or they may not.Suggest a lunch to engage in some creative thinking. Themost important thing is that you’re not there to justify yourideas, but rather to let people have their say. Listen withoutresistance and suspend your own assumptions and beliefs.• Start a peer group. Become the instigator and driver of a peergroup of like-minded individuals who get together once ortwice a year to share and hear about common issues of a noncompetitivenature and to exchange ideas.presentations (and let’s not forget thebreaks), you can get a breadth of informationbeyond reading or what you can learnin your own “cocoon”.Go fishingForget about the Internet. One of the most impressiveplaces to go fishing for different perspectives and ideas is thelibrary, especially if a large reference library is nearby.Cast your line in the magazine section and you’llsoon discover that there’s something on virtuallyany topic, any industry. Browse throughthem, get inspired by visuals, absorb information.You’ll walk away with lots of food forthought. Then continue to the comedy section.What makes some things so incredibly funnyis the honing-in on a certain perspective, thenthe exaggeration of it. Are there ideas that can beborrowed for your next campaign? Have a chat with the librarianand find out if there’s empirical research available on yourparticular issue or subject. Information, analysis and researchare key tools for the creative person. Information is to the brainis what food is to the body. Make sure you periodically refuel.The little “idea book”What do you do when an idea literally roars into yourbrain? There are multiple ways to record your ideas. You cancapture them on scraps of paper or napkins and put them inyour “ideas” file folder. Or, they can find their way into an electronicfile. Some people leave voice-mail messages for themselves,reminding them of ideas. I personally prefer to have alittle “idea book” that fits in my purse or coat jacket. Becauseit’s portable, it’s always with me and when the lightning boltstrikes, the idea can be recorded right then and there(my best ideas come when I feel minimal stress —probably outside the office). It’s important to payattention to the preservation of ideas, even if theydon’t seem that valuable at the moment. This system,while not failsafe, ensures you’ve got a ream of ideasto choose from—or modify—when you need them.Listen to your customersOne of the best sources of ideas is your customers. Tuneinto what they’re saying. How often do you see them face toface? How often do you talk to them? Is there a formalizedprocess to pass information on to the right people? Do youreceive that information?Forget your problemExhausted? Too many demands on your time? Before you’retempted to go for second-best, set everything aside and dosomething else. Take a walk to replenish your oxygen level. Nap.Recharge your batteries. Okay, it’s hard to do when a deadlinelooms above you like a Damocles sword, yet it’s an importantpart of the process. Your brain subconsciously keeps on working,sifting through and organizing all the information. Youmay have your best ideas when you least expect them.Go to industry conferencesKey reasons to attend include getting new perspectives,to be better informed about industry developments, and toschmooze. Since you can talk to people during and afterIngrid Christensen is the idea generator for Broadcast Dialogue. Herfrequent “I have an idea” exclamations are often dreaded becausethey always mean work for everyone. She may be reached attvradio@interlog.com.JUNE 2002 41

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBJunk advertisingShame on you if you justhanded your creative teama newspaper ad and said“here’s your copy information,you’ve got 30-seconds”. Shameon you also if you’re a creativeperson and you’re actually tryingto fit all that print copyinto the prescribed spot lengthbecause “that’s what the clientwants”.This, my friends, is junk advertising.It doesn’t work. It sounds bad, it looksbad, and it makes your audience lookelsewhere by dial-hopping their way toyour competition.Whose fault is it that our clients don’tunderstand the strengths of our mediums?Radio’s ability to conjure up emotionand close the sale: television’s ability todemonstrate the benefits your clients provide?It certainly isn’t the client’s fault:they’re the experts at selling shoes, or cars,or blue plate specials. And frankly, theydon’t know any better. They probablyoffer you their newspaper ad as copyinformation because they began as printadvertisers, and are accustomed to havingevery detail included in every ad theypay for. While it’s true that some clientswill never change, it’s our responsibilityas broadcasters to point out that radio andtelevision work differently than newspaperadvertising, and need to be crafted ina different way.Conduct a little test with them. Playsomeone else’s “junk commercial”, andask them how much they remember.Give them a stopwatch and ask them toread their print ad aloud, in 30 seconds.Or ask them if they really believe that hittingsomeone over the head loud enoughand long enough, will actually convincethem to buy the product.For those clients who will never changetheir habits, a few suggestions that willhelp make the messages more palatableand more effective.Mental Art Direction: Edit your copyand take out all unnecessary words. Thereis no need to write in complete sentences:write the way people speak, and use slangwhere appropriate. Then, allow soundeffects or music to provide a form of mentalart direction. Sound or music will takethe audience where they need to be, muchmore quickly than the words required todescribe the scene to them.Focus: Focus on one main thing in thecopy. Even if the local grocery store wantsyou to put all their flyer items in theiradvertising, you still need focus. Demonstratethe products in use, and your audiencewill grasp the concept much moreeasily. Group all lunch items together andcreate an efficient commercial that conveysprices and new menu ideas. “Try aGranny Smith apple instead: they’re just59 cents a pound this week, and savour asandwich of spicy salami at $1.50 per 100grams on deli rye bread: featured at $1.20a loaf. Brighten up your brown bag lunchwith this week’s featured items fromPiggly Wiggly Mart”. You get the picture.Try this tactic with specials from the healthand beauty aisles, the garden centre, orany other section of the store.Change the Tone: Even if your copy isa little bit long, you can still make itsound civilized. Have the announcer workon the tone of their delivery: skilled voicetalent can deliver lots of copy in a relaxedtone that makes it sound like the pace ismuch slower than it actually is. Slow itdown even more by using slow-tempomusic. The net result is a commercialpacked full of information that’s deliveredin such a way that we can actuallyunderstand and digest it.Maureen Bulley is aBroadcast CreativeConsultant, andPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by e-mail atdoradio@total.netor on line at www.theradiostore.com.Daypart the information: if yourclient is a restaurant that wants moretraffic for breakfast, lunch and dinner,you need a different piece of creative foreach meal, and you need to daypart itaccordingly. Radio, in particular, is heardclosest to the point of purchase, and issuper effective at getting people to changetheir buying behaviour. If your clientclaims they don’t have the budget todeliver their message like this, sell themshorter spots (bookend 15s or weathersponsorship), alternate days, or flight thebroadcast weeks.McDonalds is the king of crafting creativethat suits the daypart and drivestraffic. They’re also keen negotiators fortightened rotations at ROS rates.Share some of the secrets of successthat big advertisers use. Scale down thestrategy, edit down the message, andeliminate junk advertising—your audiencewill thank you and your clients willget results.MAY 2002 21

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBWhy advertise now...and how?ferent reasons. We’re also buying differentthings. Some businesses will fade in tougheconomic times, while others will thrive.Watch for junk food sales to soar,and for dessert sales in restaurants, cafesand bakeries to increase. Survivors in therestaurant category will serve familiarfoods such as macaroni or meatloaf, andbig helpings of camaraderie. And, cookbooksand housewares will sell as wereturn to the dinner table to rebuild familiesand reconnect with loved ones.Personal safety is increasingly important,and may have driven the huge increasein truck sales. Big vehicles and SUVsare selling well in spite of their high ticketprice and fuel consumption ratings. Zeropercentfinancing and manufacturers’ rebateshave also fuelled this growth.Remember, creativity springs from nothaving it all, so sell people on the alternatives.Monopoly was invented by CharlesDarrow in the depression. Darrow wasinspired by the dreams of fame and fortunethat eluded him, and Monopoly remainsthe world’s best selling board game.Who else do you need to add to yourclient list? Anyone who helps us repairor recycle to save or generate cash,including auctioneers.Give Fort Builders a way to renovate,and they will. All home improvementitems including paint, design services, andgeneral contracting are expecting goodsales this year.And remember, just because consumerscan’t afford to buy it doesn’t meanthey won’t “consume”, at least for theshort term. Why buy when you can renta high-end automobile, or power toolsthat you’ll use only once? You can evenrent artwork, jewelry and clothing: aviable alternative for people who wantor need the look, without the expense.Unfortunately, another growth categoryin slower economic times is counselling.A reduction in the availability ofmoney means that you cannot do whatyou want to do. People feel their freedomhas been impinged upon, and they tendMaureen Bulley is aBroadcast CreativeConsultant, andPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by e-mail atdoradio@total.net.People are becoming mediajunkies because of theirneed to be on top of worldevents. Media consumption isup, particularly for news-basedformats. The same schedule purchasedtoday versus six monthsago will deliver higher GRPs. Aswell, many companies are cuttingback on their advertisingbudgets to achieve bottom-lineobjectives. Reduced demand maymean better value for the advertiser.Finally, advertising whenyour competition is pulling backis a great way to make inroads.There are many reasons “why” now isa great time to advertise. But, knowing“how” is a much more complex issue.Trend spotter Shirley Roberts (marketdrivensolutions.com)summarizes today’sconsumer as being a Fort Builder—focussed on protecting health, home, jobsand investments. Today’s consumer wantscontrol and comfort. They are risk-adverseindividuals with a “back-to-basics” mentalitywho will remain so until such timeas we gain a strong upper hand on terrorism,and the economy recovers.Fort Builders will avoid any purchasethat involves a degree of risk. Their firstchoice will be brands and companies theyare most comfortable with. So it is relevantfor your clients to mention the factthey’ve been in business 25 years at thecorner of First and Second.Consumers will also become astutebargain hunters. The opportunity to saveis a good reason to spend—and makethem feel like they’re in charge of theirpurchase decision. Now is the time topromote the flexibility of purchasing online,by telephone or at retail because ofthe control these options provide.Consumer behaviour overall haschanged. So we’re buying things for diftogo to extremes in an effort to deal withthat reality. Promote the availability ofservices that can help people cope.If you want to succeed in challengingeconomic times, you need to help yourclients and your customers. Do it withadvertising that is safe, secure and predictable.Fort Builders will open theirwallets providing you keep the messagerelevant. Remember, if Time SpentListening is up, copy updates need to bemore frequent to avoid creative burnout.DialogueBROADCASTas printed in theSummer edition ofBroadcast Dialoguemagazine, is availablein database format(Excel).Call (416) 782-6482to arrange deliveryvia e-mail.APRIL 2002 7THEDirect

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBTurn a tiny spend intoa megabudget monsterEver wonder why Cadburydoesn’t make their Eastercreme eggs available yearround.If they’re so darn good,why can’t we buy them any timewe want? Precisely the point!The fact that we can’t have themmakes us want them even more.Exclusivity is just one of the five basicprinciples of Retromarketing as outlinedby Stephen Brown, professor of marketingresearch at the University of Ulster inNorthern Ireland. Brown has written adozen books on marketing, the latest entitledMarketing, The Retro Revolution. Theauthor summarized the basic principlesof Retromarketing in a recent issue of theHarvard Business Review. If you’re incharge of marketing, pay attention becauseyou’ve got it all wrong.Brown is convinced that marketingmanagers have fallen for their own line.“They actually believe that if you love thecustomer enough, the customer will loveyou back. That is complete nonsense”.Retromarketing deliberately contradictsmodern marketing practice by intentionallyholding back supplies. Whohasn’t been sucked into buying productsbecause they believed supply was limited.A relieved Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld even madethe news recently because she bypassedthe waiting list to get a sought-after handbagfrom a swishy Manhattan retailer.Playing hard to get delays gratification,and does not serve demand. Instead, it createsdemand. It worked for the good girlsin highschool and plays out just as wellat retail.Next is secrecy. Case in point, HarryPotter Day, and the book launch shroudedin so much secrecy that copies were displayedin locked cages, no author interviewswere granted prior to release, andinformation as basic as the book’s titleand price were not revealed in advance.Retro loves mystery. Keep your customersguessing, and you’ll generate sales. Brownidentifies the secret of successful secrecyis obvious: that the existence of the secretmust never be kept secret.If you don’t have a Potter-esque budget,you must deploy principle NumberThree—Amplify. Ensure that the hot ticketor cool item is talked about, and evenmore important: that the talking about istalked about. Whenever possible, use outrageto attract attention. It will turn a smallad spend into a monster success.And, never underestimate the powerof Surprise. Principle Number Four, dosomething unexpected and send shockwaves through the media. Brown cites theTaco Bell promotion: a free taco to everyonein America if the Mir satellite hit afloating target placed near the anticipatedsplash down site.The Fifth important principle is Entertainment.Does your marketing engage,amuse, divert or distract? It must, in orderto work. Scrutinize the next commercialbreak on your station. Me-too propositions?Meaningless cliché? Cluster buster, indeed!Finally, the need for Tricksterism.Brown cautions that being a trickster isnot the same as being a downright cheater.It requires panache, exaggeration andchutzpah that makes the unacceptable,acceptable.Ergo, Tango: a popular fruit juice sodain the UK and their public serviceannouncement warning that some roguesupermarkets and convenience stores wereselling a knockoff of the brand. Howcould one tell? The Tango imposter wasnot fizzy, so the company asked consumersto report non-fizzy drinks to atoll-free hotline. Some 30,000 concernedcitizens did so, only to learn they’d been“tango’d” as part of the company’s launchof a new, noncarbonated version of thedrink. Did Tango get their wrists slapped?Indeed, and they also created a productlaunch that underscored the brand’salready irreverent image. It brings backfond memories of the Mosquito Repellantfirst launched in 1982 by CFNYBrampton/Toronto. How did we transmitMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIO,by e-mail atdoradio@total.netor through www.theradiostore.com.that high-frequency tone; to the humanear inaudible, but to the female mosquito,intolerable? Our high-frequency antimosquitotone was famous the worldover, and is still copied 20 years hence.Stephen Brown hates the Four P’s ofmarketing, preferring instead to use puretease. “Retromarketing is based on exclusivity,secrecy, amplification, entertainmentand tricksterism. Not an acronymunless of course, the sequence is reversed”.Is your marketing neutered, defangedand Disneyfied? The author prescribes alittle Retro. “Retromarketing puts the markinto marketing, the con into concept, thecuss into customers”. So for God’s sake,get the Cadbury Creme Eggs while supplieslast, and rescue Snow White beforeDisney puts her back in the vault. Thenhunker down and create a little marketinghistory of your own.DialogueBROADCASTas printed in theSummer edition ofBroadcast Dialoguemagazine, is available indatabase format (Excel).Call (416) 782-6482to arrange deliveryvia e-mail.MARCH 2002 41THEDirect

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBGenerate new businesswith good creativeThe first time I presentedspec creative to a prospect,I had to stop the tapebecause he was smiling atcommercials that were clearlynot funny. So, why was theprospect laughing? He wasthrilled! Absolutely delightedto hear how great a radio commercialfor his product couldsound. The twinkle in his eyeand the crackle in his voice convincedme of the power of thissales tool. But spec creative is atool that must properly beused to realize its full potential.Here’s how to maximizethe results:1. UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE:A) The purpose is to bring new businessto the station. Many a writer/producer is disappointed whentheir spec spot needs to be revised.Remind them that the purpose issimply to bring in new business. Ifthe new business is signed, theyhave succeeded.B) Spec creative should never be usedas a substitute for good sales skills.If you can’t get an appointmentwithout a spec spot, work on yoursales skills. Besides, you need tomeet with the client before youpresent spec work to be sure yourcommercial is on strategy.2. BE “ON STRATEGY”:Know the needs of the client beforeyou begin to write. Who are their customers,what is their USP (unique sellingproposition), how do they positiontheir product, and how do they generatebusiness? Have a full understandingof what is most likely to press theclient’s hot button. Your spec spot willrequire fewer changes and your closingratio will improve when you conveyprofessionalism and customerservice through proper research.3. REWARD EFFORTSOF EVERYONE INVOLVED:The writer, producer and voice-overtalent should be compensated as wellas sales reps for their contribution. It’sfair, and it makes them more willingto contribute in the future. Encouragefriendly competition and reward theteam that generates the most new businesseach quarter.4. PUT IT IN CONTEXT:Include station air-check materialbefore and after the spot on your demotape so the client can hear the commercialin context. If your station welcomesnew sponsors on-air, includethat too. Pitch a promotional extensionmore effectively by letting themhear how their product will be givenaway on-air.5. ASSEMBLE “CATEGORY” SPEC TAPES:Group good commercials together bycategory or style. Prepare a genericspec tape spotlighting categories thathave performed well. “Category” spectapes are also useful if your strength iswith a particular genre of commercial.Compile a series of “audio successstories” highlighting new businesscampaigns and client testimonials tounderscore the power of radio advertising.Consult the Radio MarketingBureau for the success stories theyhave on file.Use the downtime that’s typical inJanuary to assemble “category specs”.Your production department is probablycleaning house, so it’s the perfectopportunity to audition last year’s workto assemble your “best of” collection.6. PROTECT YOUR IDEAS:While this seems really obvious, you’dMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIO,by e-mail atdoradio@total.netor through www.theradiostore.com.be surprised how many don’t do it:label the spec commercial with stationname and contact information,and be sure it looks professional. Besure contact information is on thejewel box or cassette case, as well ason the CD or tape, because the packagingwill get separated from its contentsin a desk drawer.And cue it up if you’re using tape…otherwise your great lead-in speechwill be lost as everyone sits silentlywaiting for the commercial to begin.If they like it, ask for the sale. If theywant changes ask, “if I make thosechanges, will you buy?”. When theysay yes, get them to sign. Then go backto the station and make the changes.Don’t make the changes without asigned contract—they’ll cool off andfind other reasons to say no at the follow-upmeeting, and you’ll put yourproduction department through unnecessarywork that won’t result in a sale.Finally don’t leave the audiobehind at the client’s office. Theprospect will share it with friends andcolleagues, and you won’t be there tohandle objections. Determine inadvance who participates in creativeapproval, and make sure they’re allpresent at the meeting.Add a verbal or written disclaimerso the prospect understands that youown the idea until he buys it. Thisalso enhances the perceived value ofthe idea. Learn to recycle good ideasuntil you make a sale, and raise revenuewith effective specs.DECEMBER 2001/JANUARY 2002 35

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBMake me laugh, please!They say laughter is thebest medicine, and it’shigh time we all had adose. Humour in advertisingcan be effective, but advertisingthat makes consumers laughand pony up at the cash registeris difficult to create.Humour is one of the most popularcreative tools not only with consumers,but with advertising copywriters. The mostcommon mistakes made by copywritersattempting humour are as follows.Fast-paced dialogue or lots of wordscrammed in to the allotted 30 or 60 seconds,is the biggest problem. This usuallyhappens because it takes so long to tellthe joke we are forced to cram in somesell lines to get the product name mentioned.All comedic dialogue should notonly advance the story, it should positionthe product in a positive way.Writing “inside jokes” is a commonmistake. We assume that if it makes everyonein our office laugh, it will have thesame effect on the audience. Be sure thatthe humour has broad appeal, and everyonein the target group can relate to it.If we also write humour extraneousto the main point of the commercial, itcan act as a pirate of the main message.Be sure that the humour contains somegrain of truth, juxtaposition or exaggerationof the truth.The fundamental rule for writing afunny commercial is making sure it staystrue to the product. We’ve all seen orheard commercials that really made uslaugh, but made us scratch our headsabout what brand or product it was selling.If you want to make me laugh andbuy, be sure you do it in such a way as topromote the product, and encourage meto try it. And, be cautious about parasiteadvertising: humour unrelated to theproduct that sucks the life out of theproduct’s positive image.Here’s a simple way to begin writingcomedy. Write out a joke you can remember,and examine what makes it funny.Try to edit it down without compromisingthe “funny” factor. Then wait patientlyfor a client whose product will fit intothat funny situation. “Fit” is the operative...don’t force humour into a commercialif it doesn’t reinforce the main point, if itdoesn’t have broad appeal, or if it isextraneous to the main point.The premise of “I’ve been there, I’vedone that” is a great foundation uponwhich to build comedy. If the humour isbased on the human condition, we canrelate to it. If the product or service canget me out of this embarrassingdilemma, I’m sold.Put two things together that don’tbelong, and you also have a good foundationfor a script. Robert Goulet readingthe blackboard writings of BartSimpson is a perfect example. This radioexecution is several years old, but wasrecently resurrected to promote re-runsof The Simpsons on CFMT-TV Toronto.Blowing a situation out of proportion,or hyperminimalizing it, can alsomake for memorable comedy, (as canmaking up words like hyperminimalization,that don’t really exist). Achieveexaggeration through words, images,characters, sounds or your choice ofmusic. Itemize things that naturallybelong in the commercial, and choosethe polar opposite.You can also launch a comedic bitwith a pun or a double-entendre. This“double-meaning” usually results fromsome type of misunderstanding eitherby a character in the commercial, or bythe viewer or listener.Finally, don’t under-estimate theEnglish language. It’s filled with funnysounding words that seem odd becausewe don’t use or hear them every day: artichokeand rutabaga to name a few. It’san old rule of situation comedy writingthat the letter K or the hard sounding Cis funnier than any other letter. Othersthink that K or P words are funny:cacophony or pomegranate, cupcakes orpickles. Pay close attention the next timesomething makes you laugh, andanalyse why.Humour is perhaps one of the mostdifficult writing techniques to master.Funny commercials also burn out morequickly—they go from the source oflaughter to an annoying interruption afterMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIO,by e-mail atdoradio@total.netor through www.theradiostore.com.only a few exposures. And humour ishigh-maintenance. Be sure you have a fewfollow-up executions ready to add to therotation on short notice. Have fun withthe product—don’t make fun of theproduct. Never laugh at a potential useror make them the butt of the joke becausethey aren’t a user. Don’t laugh at them…laugh with them, and your client willbe laughing all the way to the bank.NOVEMBER 2001 23

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUAn A+ at Back to SchoolMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIO,by e-mail atdoradio@total.netor through www.theradiostore.com.By now those new shoesare scuffed and the notebooksare dog-eared.The back-to-school retail bonanzais about over, but thejury is still out on who willemerge the winner in the bigboxschool supply category.In the city where I live, there are threebig office-supply/school-supply retailers.By sheer number of locations and size ofadvertising budget, the leader in awarenessis Staples/Business Depot. Just priorto the back-to-school season, the retailerunderwent a name change from BusinessDepot to the new Staples/Business Depotbanner in Ontario. They’ve been knownas Staples everywhere else since their inception.The timing of the name changewas such that their advertising spend diddouble duty: advising the public of thename change, and creating top of mindawareness just prior to the busy preschoolseason.When the school-supply advertisingbegan, it continued the company’s longstandingtradition of using humour asthe primary creative tool to demonstratethe savings or the selection the chainprovides. They utilized a variety of radioexecutions and the memorable televisionspot that saw Mom and Dadstrolling down the aisles of the storesinging that Christmas classic, It’s themost wonderful time of the year.Who could argue with the empathythat Staples/Business Depot demonstratedwith joyful parents and distraught childreneverywhere? Like any humour, it’sgreat the first time you hear it, but ittends to wear a little thin after a while.Humour is a high-maintenance creativetool that requires a solid strategy andconstant changes or updates to keep itfresh. This campaign needs a change fornext year.I’m sure that Grand & Toy, by virtueof their tenure in the marketplace, does arespectable back-to-school business.Their retail outlets are in malls, whereyou were going anyway to buy the otheritems on that long back-to-school listlike clothes and shoes. There’s a lot to besaid for convenience. No separate outingis required to get the school supplies.Wisely, Grand & Toy has never attemptedto outspend the competition:that would be a mammoth task. Theyhave chosen instead to outsmart the bigbox stores by developing strategic promotionswith broadcast partners targetedat the ‘tween or teen consumer.Good on them for finding a way to succeedthat relies more on good ideas thanan enormous budget.I believe the best advertising forback-to-school came from the “other”big box retailer, Office Place. Their storesaren’t nearly as sexy as Staples/BusinessDepot, but Office Place has the goods,and their selection is a little different,hence a little more interesting, than thecompetition. And when the big guys“zigged”, they “zagged”.Office Place ran creative for back-toschoolthat encouraged listeners to “dosomething great for your kids’ school”. Awarm and empathetic female announcerexplains how Office Place will donatefive per cent of your purchase to theschool of your choice to help them buyart supplies, copy paper and the like.While it’s a sorry reminder of the state ofpublic education, the concept is a brilliantone. The very first commercialbegan something like this: “What wouldyou call someone who used a portionof their salary to buy supplies just sothey could do their job?…a teacher”.Pass the tissue please! The updates continuedalong a similar path reminding usthat by shopping at Office Place forschool supplies, “Everybody wins, especiallykids.”.This a great strategy for a couple ofreasons. It uses the root appeal of familyand/or societal responsibility to motivateus to shop there. The encouragementto “do good” is one of the mostcompelling and under-used root appealsor motivators to attract consumers. And,it’s a completely different approach toback-to-school shopping. It’s that “zig”when everyone else “zagged” that setsOffice Place apart from the competition.The execution is strictly one announcervoice over music. It’s solid copy with nocreative frill: no multiple voices, nohigh-priced voice talent. All the morebudget for the media spend. A+ forOffice Place.Now, if they’d only continue to donatea portion of sales to schoolsthroughout the year, we could buy ouroffice supplies, and our school supplies,there too.34 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUSuccess leaves cluesMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STOREINTERNATIONAL.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIO or byE-mail at doradio@total.net.You’d expect a man with 38years experience as marketingdirector to know athing or two about advertising.In his capacity as Director ofMarketing, Howard Kitchen hashelped the Kitchen family businesssurvive the invasion of bigbox home improvement storesin Toronto. Over 36 retail homeimprovement operations closedin the Greater Toronto Areawhen big box moved in, andtoday the only survivor isLansing Buildall. As Howardsays “we’ve done somethingright with strategic planningand differentiation, setting ourselvesapart”.Howard’s brother, Bill Kitchen, startedWillowdale Builders Supplies in 1951, andsoon after changed the name to LansingBuilding Supply. The business began witha 1,200 square foot store and three employees.Several years ago Lansing mergedwith Revelstoke, a well-known home improvementchain in Western Canada andthe retail arm of West Frasier Timber. InToronto alone, the new company boastedeight Lansing locations and four Revy locationswith 1,600 employees.In the spring of this year West Frasierbowed out of retailing to return to theircore business of forest and lumber managementand production. The newlyformed company, Revy Home Centres Inc.,was sold in mid-July 2001 to Quebec’sRona Inc.Unlike West Frasier, which becamegun-shy at the start-up costs of $22 millionper big box store; Rona is in an expansionmode. Rona considers itself “thenew Canadian powerhouse in home improvement”.Annual sales of $2.857 billionis expected this year from 539 storesthat employ 16,000 people.In Ontario, the store names willchange to Rona Lansing, Rona Cashway,and Rona Home and Garden (from RevyHome and Garden). Western Canadastores will retain the Revy name. A teamof integration specialists is now workingwith all divisions of all companies to determinethe next steps, including whetherto centralize advertising and marketing.In 2001, Lansing and Revy inToronto booked about $1.2million on radio. Successto date has been with acombination of radioand flyers. They average270 GRPs perweek with a 60%reach and 4.5 frequencyamong thetarget group. Thetarget skews 60%male in the 35-64 demographic.Says Howard,“It’s really quiteeasy to buy radioonce you get thehang of the terminologyand how todo it”...obvious fromthe ease with whichradio-speak rolls off histongue!Howard offers this advice toradio account executives: “If youwant to sell me on radio...know my business,know my customers, and make avery strong pitch that you can get thataudience for me. If there was somethingunique your station could do to partnerwith me to draw attention to mybusiness, then I want to hear about thatas well.”What advice does he offer to thosebuying radio? “If you can’t afford all thestations, pick one with big numbers andtry to have a bit of dominance on thatone station. If you use a small stationwith small numbers, you’re not going toget results. There’s just not enough peopleto support your business. Buy onewith big numbers and consolidate yourbuy. If you buy 18-22 weeks a year, peoplesay ‘you’re always on the radio’. Buyheavy weight, but watch the creativeyou’re using. It’s a very fine balancing actbecause if the commercial becomes obnoxious(people will) tune it out.”What creative has Lansing used?Testimonial commercials with the sametheme as their flyer. “For years we haveused a testimonial format, and these arereal live contractors or buyers or otherstaff as well as retail customers,”says Kitchen. “Nothing is everscripted...you’re just askedto talk”.Lansing has alsoused a variety of sellingstatements. Inthe 80s, it was “YesWe Wood”, and“The Yes We WoodPeople”. In theearly 1990s theywere “Built byknowing; Built byknowing a thingor two about renovations”.Morerecently, Lansingused “You’d expecta family namedKitchen to know athing or two aboutrenovations”. Howardsays, “we’ve used radio topromote our selling statements.When you get one, you stickwith it for a decade because it takes thatlong before it’s cemented in people’sminds”.Howard Kitchen is the last remainingKitchen involved in the company, and heis set to retire this November. What willthe new sell line be? Only time will tell,but radio should be an integral part ofthe Canadian success story that beganwith three employees, and now boastsover 16,000.22 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

independent radio stations online operatedby up-and-coming radio personalities.They may only have a handful oflisteners but it doesn’t matter. The bottomline is that they are on the air. Iwould have traded my Sandy Koufax andMickey Mantle baseball cards to be ableto broadcast anywhere outside of mybedroom. Adam Loiselle, Chief Technicianand Engineer at Medianet Communications,runs his personal eclectic mix ofmusic on his own radio station over theInternet. He figures that since he has totest other radio and streaming issues, hemight as well create some content ratherthan simply patch in to a feed. He usesWinamp to stream, Shoutcast as hisvenue, and his own music just as thousandsof others do on Web sites such aswww.live365.com. This is today’s radio.Many colleges and universities havelicences which put them in direct competitionwith commercial stations—andthere are dozens of community stationsthat offer opportunities for people startingin radio and broadcasting. Betweenthem and the Internet, they’re perfectentry points for anyone starting their career.I’m confident that the students oftoday have the proper skills to propeltheir talents. As Todd pointed out in hisletter, technological change must nevercome at the expense of the industry as awhole and the people that create thecontent. The key is to never stop learningor developing skills and continually seeknew opportunities for growth.Marc ChambersMediaTech GroupTorontoGot a point of view you’vebeen wanting to make?Broadcast Dialoguewelcomes your letters.Whether you have acomment on something you’veread in BD or whether youhave something elseentirely in mind, share itwith us. ‘Dialogue’ withCanadian broadcasters.E-mail your letter to:broadcastdiaglogue@home.comor fax (416) 782-9993.or mail to:414 St. Germain Avenue,Toronto, ON M5M 1W7.ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBU“No change provided”Maureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STOREINTERNATIONAL.She may bereached at 1-888-DO RADIO or by E-mail at doradio@total.net.If you are selling your servicesdirectly to owners ofmedium or small business,it’s beneficial to walk a mile intheir shoes. Take the time toread publications relevant totheir industry, and take the timeto read the business booksthey’re reading: it will give youincredible insight into whatthey think their business needsto take them to the next level.My current read is a book of marketingtips for small- to medium-sized businesses.One of the case studies talksabout a convenience store that was inundatedby people who came in to ask forchange for the nearby transit station andparking lot. The convenience store wantedno part of this traffic and chose to post asign that said “No Change Provided”. Thebook’s author saw this problem from adifferent perspective. Imagine what mighthappen, he asked, if the store equippeditself with a supply of change and posteda large sign that said “Change Available”.Many of the people who initially camein to the store looking for change couldhave become regular customers.It reminded me of a media strategy Iattempted to execute with a potentialclient. It was an opportunity to bring newrevenue to broadcasting from a print advertiser,but it required my suppliers topackage and sell their product in a differentway than they were used to. “Wedon’t sell that way”, was a response thatI heard over and over again.Those who did try to accommodatemy request attached pricing models fromthe “old way” to these new ideas thatmade the whole project cost-prohibitivefrom the client’s perspective. Needless tosay, the budget stayed in print becausethere was “No Change Provided”.The same goes for advertising copy.We continue to put “newspapers” onradio or television by succumbing to therequests of our clients (who, incidentally,also use newspaper and probably spendmore of their advertising budget thatway because “it works”). The result is along list of prices and items that create atune-out factor for our audience, anddon’t generate the results that they couldfor the client. I suggested a new approachto copywriters for a campaign they wereworking on. “That’s great”, they said, butour clients want to put newspaper copyon our station so that is what we do—”No Change Provided”.Take the time to educate your morevaluable clients on how to maximize theirinvestment. If you were buying a product,and the person selling it to you offeredyou ways to make the productwork better without spending any moremoney, wouldn’t you welcome it? Yourclients would, if you offered it to them.Everyone is under increasing pressureto produce better results than the last adcampaign, or the last quarter, or the lastfiscal. Doing things the “old way” justwon’t cut it. And we all know the firstsign of insanity is repeating an actionover and over and over again and expectingdifferent results. Are lunatics runningyour asylum?If you want to succeed, you need adifferent perspective. Look outside of yourown industry for examples of fresh ideas.Take the time to learn something new,even if it’s “Successful Bass Fishing”, or“Wine Appreciation” (actual courses offeredat a Community College near you!).Read a book, attend a seminar, and removethe phrase “that’s how we do itaround here” from your vocabulary.Imagine what might happen if youchanged the sign in your window from“No Change Provided” to “Change Available”.You never know what good fortunemight come your way, if you just give it achance.6 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

ENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBBrainstormingOur product is intangible,our ideas are ourcurrency. We’re underincreasing pressure to come upwith new ideas to do justabout everything. If you’re havingtrouble getting new ideas,I’d suggest you start by foldinglaundry.I asked 100 Hawaiian broadcasters todo just that, and the ideas flowed fasterthan free cocktails on an eight-hour flight,and this was a tough crowd! Hawaiiansare very reserved by nature. As one GSMexplained to me, “you just can’t be ‘NewYork’ in Honolulu”. The silence on theother end of the phone when I requested“200 clean hotel towels, unfolded” in mymeeting room should have tipped meoff. So, I had to pull out all the stops toget them talking and creating as groups.Here’s a simplified explanation of whyfolding the laundry worked. The left sideof our brain is analytical and helps us organizethe information we know aboutthe problem we need to solve. Ideas tosolve those problems are generated onthe right side of the brain, which housesour ability to be creative. The right brainwill continue to work and generate ideaseven when we are doing left-brain taskslike folding laundry or balancing ourcheque books. So if your right brain is alittle lethargic, stop trying so hard! Moveon to a left-brained task and let the creativewheels start turning.There are a variety of things you cando to kick-start brainstorming sessions,which usually begin as pretty quiet affairs.You can usually hear a pin drop asparticipants stare at the floor or ceiling,not wanting to be the first to suggest anidea. Break the ice by playing a silly cardgame with giant oversized playing cards,assembling a jigsaw puzzle, or solvingmath problems like “how many hours arein one million seconds?”.Alternate between such left-brainedtasks to a series of right-brained brainstormingtechniques like:Mind-Mapping: Mind-maps are bestcreated on large pieces of paper using acoloured pen or pencil. Draw an “island”in the middle of the paper and write akey word from your creative challenge inthe middle. Write ideas on random linesthat extend outward from the island.Continue generating ideas and creatingyour mind map until you are out of eithertime or ideas. The finished piece will resemblea road map, hence the name. Thisworks because you are recording ideas bywriting all over the place, not in a leftbrained,straight-lined, organized list.Ask A Better Question: I had all theHawaiian broadcasters put on a varietyof masks, asking them to pose as everythingfrom a king to a butterfly, and thinkabout how their new “character” wouldhandle the creative challenge at hand.Goofy hats will force people to generatenew ideas by behaving differently.The Great Idea Wall: This was thehands-down favourite. We covered thewalls with paper, wrote the creative challengeat the top, and provided a varietyof coloured pens, pencils and markers.They wrote their ideas “graffiti style” allover the wall. Do this at your station,and invite everyone to jot ideas to theproblem at hand as they walk by your“Great Idea Wall”. This can work for you24/7, because it’s anonymous and allowseven closet creative thinkers to expressthemselves quietly without the pressureof a formal brainstorming session.And, ask others what they do to getgood ideas. Here are a few I’ve gatheredfrom recent participants in my brainstormingsessions:Lock yourself in a small room anddon’t let yourself out until you come upwith a good idea; take a long drive; takea shower; create a scrapbook of picturesand little articles from magazines; askother people a leading question, i.e. “If Iwere Marketing Director for a day, Iwould...”; pull weeds from your garden;dream about it: write the need on a pieceof paper and place under your pillow;sleep on it until you get dreams with answersto questions; take a walk; play HotPotato: pass a ball around, and the catcherhas 10 seconds to say a good idea; playSolitaire; and discuss the same conceptwith different people.Maureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE.She may bereached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.Regardless of the techniques you use,remember—the fundamental rule ofbrainstorming is that no ideas are judgedduring the session itself: judging is leftbrained;creativity is right-brained. And,share your brainstorming techniques withothers. I’d love to hear yours, so sendthem to doradio@total.net and I’ll sendyou one of mine.JUNE 2001 35

NBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBUDamn right, I’m bitter!Maureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.One of my favourite stationpromos was writtenby Renaud Timson,now with the Rogers Radiogroup in Ottawa. In this morningshow promo, Renaud TalksAbout portrays the morningshow team as a simple pair whoowe all their fame and glory toTELEMEDIA RADIO INC.Claude Beaudoin, CEOof Telemedia RadioInc., is pleased to announcethe appointmentof Mario Cecchinias Executive VicePresident, OntarioRegion.Mr. Cecchini will takeonresponsibility for thedirection and management of all activitiesin Telemedia Radio’s Ontario region.He will provide leadership to a growingdivision of 24 radio stations withinOntario, that includes 10 stations in theSouthern Ontario market, 12 stations inNorthern Ontario and 2 Torontostations including Canada’s first all-sportsstation The Fan AM590 and EZ Rock97.3 FM. Thisappointment will serve to positionTelemedia Radio and its management toseize key opportunities in the evolvingbroadcasting and media industry.Mr. Cecchini began his career atTelemedia in 1984 and in 1994 becameNational Sales Director of the Quebecbroadcasting division and Director ofResearch Services. In 1999, as VicePresident of Sales, Research andMarketing, Mr. Cecchini assumed responsibilityfor providing strategic directionand support to the Company’s nationalRenaud, the behind-the-scenesmorning show writer who neverreceives due credit for his contributionto their success.“Hi. Do you know me? Of course not!That’s because I’m the writer for the Geoff& Jim Morning Show. See, while theseguys are on the radio 5:30 to 9 every weekdaymorning, I’m busy working away—writing for these two guys. I stay in thebackground, they get all the credit. Heck,these guys wouldn’t even know what tosay if it wasn’t for me. Do I sound bitter?DAMN RIGHT, I’M BITTER!”A Radio Impact Award winner in 1995,this promo received a high COR (orConsumer Opinion Ratings) score of70—the average score was 57—fromconsumers who rated it on a variety oflevels related to performance. In additionto a Canadian “Certificate of Merit”in the Radio Station-Only promotioncategory, it also received U.S. accolades:a RAP (Radio And Production) Award asfirst place in Medium Market Promos forRenaud and producer Craig Jackman.I’ve played this promo in a live setting—relayed the high score—and asked theaudience of broadcasters why they thoughtit scored so high. One reason could bebecause it gives the listener a glimpse behindthe scenes at what they perceive tobe a glamorous, show-biz environment.Not unlike Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,it gives the average Joe a sneak peak atwhat it’s really like to be on the radio.It does run the risk of being insidehumour, which makes the message meaninglessto the audience. Renaud told mea consultant said it was “too inside”, butRenaud knew better. “It’s exactly becauseof empathy that everyone can make theconnection,” he said. It’s the “everymansyndrome”. Perhaps average consumerscan relate because being over-worked andunder-appreciated is a phenomenon notexclusive to creative writers.While this promo is several years old,it strikes a chord today even more so thanit did back then. Here’s why. I called twoformer radio writers who were recentlyrestructured out of their jobs for mathematicalreasons; a study of their talentswould show both excel in their craft. Inlight of their skills, I recommended themfor some job openings I knew of andcalled to give the contact info. Both weregrateful but said they had decided theydidn’t want to work in radio any more.Their attitude developed over a periodof years where the importance of a strongcreative team providing valued client servicegradually fell off the radar screen infavour of bottom line balancing.Here are some strategies for eliminatingbitterness and helping teams rekindletheir love of the craft:• Find out how much work they actuallydo, and help them manage it duringbusy times.• Provide a proper creative environmentthat includes the basics necessaryto do the job.• Add new hires that compliment theskills of existing staff for well-roundedclient service.• Let them work when they work best,whether 7:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m.• Compliment your selling style: If yousay you can have a client on the air tomorrow,structure your station so youcan deliver a good product in a shortperiod of time.• Communicate upcoming sales andprogramming packages or strategiesand provide rationale.• Establish measurable benchmarks forthe quality of work, and evaluatequarterly.• When criticizing work, don’t ruinmorale. State your point of view,demonstrate your faith in their abilities,and provide the motivation towork smarter.• Be sensitive to personal issues. Knowwhen to be sympathetic and when tobe tough.• Encourage people to treat the glass ashalf-full, not half-empty.• Train them more.• Pay them better.• Remember their birthday.Finally, re-write Renaud’s script, fromthe original text provided above. Conveyhim as happy, motivated and inspired bythose around him. Oh, and, get it on theair by 5:00 o’clock!12 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

MAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUWhat’s your problem?As Advertising Sales Executives,we are face-to-faceon a daily basis withclients who have a problem.That problem could be anythingfrom reducing inventoryto putting more bums in seats,and we do an excellent jobconvincing said clients thatbroadcast advertising will solvetheir problems. That’s usuallywhen we drop the ball. We sella great schedule with just theright blend of reach and frequency,then move on to thenext client with a problem.The most important part of the advertisingsales process is crafting a messagethat will solve the client’s problem.We do that by identifying the consumer’sproblem. Give them a compelling reasonwhy they would want to help yourclient reduce inventory or fill a concerthall. Here’s how.I call this my Copy Navigator: a seriesof seven questions you need to answer towrite good copy, fast! The first thing youneed to know is the Marketing Goal.What does the client expect to achieveover a specified period of time. Answersmight be increase awareness, or increasesales 10% over last quarter.Next is the Advertising Goal. This isdifferent from the Marketing Goal becauseit’s something Clients can actuallymeasure. It is the goal of this particularcampaign, and it is very specific. We shyaway from this one because we neverguarantee results to our clients; so wetend to avoid the question altogether.What we need to do is work with theclient to develop realistic advertisinggoals that can be measured. Be specific!If the goal is to reduce inventory, state byhow much, and when you want thosesales to occur. (If your client really wantsmore business on Mondays and Tuesdaysthis is critical copy information). If thegoal is to put more bums in seats, howmany bums do we need, and how willthey actually buy the tickets?Now we need a target. “Best PotentialCustomer” is a detailed description ofthe prospect for the commercial. Definingthis as “people who like live music” istoo vague. Classical music fans whodrive imports, make lots of money, havea large classical CD collection and maybe known to conduct symphonies in theirliving room; who would take the time tosee a live performance if they felt it wasworth their while, and would probablymake a night of it that includes a nicedinner with expensive wine; is much moreaccurate. You can never know too muchabout your best potential customer.Next, answer the question “What’s InIt For Me?”. Also known as the consumerbenefit, it is easily understood when weask the question “What is the problem Iam trying to solve with this advertising?”.Remember, this is the consumer’s problem,not the client’s problem. To state inadvertising that a car dealer is overstockedso there’s a big sale, is conveying theclient’s problem: who cares? Connect thedots for the consumer. Tell me I can getthe car I want in the colour I want withthe options I want, at a price I can livewith, and tell me I won’t have to wait eightweeks for delivery...now I’m motivated.Here’s the real test in question numberfive: “Why should I believe you?”Known as support for the benefit, it backsup the “What’s In It For Me?” statementwith reasons why the consumer shouldbelieve what we say. This is where we statethat there are 150 brand new vehicles onthe lot including one just right for you.Now, “How should it look/sound?”This requires you to describe the tone ormanner of the copy, the same way youwould describe the product’s personality.Use words like “a sense of humour”, or“a serious information piece”.Finally “Things to include in eachspot”. This could be a jingle, a specificvoice or a slogan. It is not necessarily “Inbusiness for 25 years at the corner of 1stand 2nd”, unless this is relevant to thecontent of the copy. Remember, we’retrying to solve a consumer’s problemwith this advertising: unless there are integrityissues with other suppliers, the25-year benchmark may not be relevant.Maureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.The key to writing good copy, fast isanswering these seven questions. Use thisCopy Navigator to chart your course toan effective script. It will help you writeit, and scrutinize it before you send it offfor approval. Then ask yourself the mostimportant question of all: “Have I solveda problem with this advertising?” Solvethe consumer’s problem, and you automaticallysolve the client’s problem. Thatis what you set out to do in the first place.FEBRUARY 2001 41

MAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUH..E..double hockey sticksNow, here’s a broadcasters’convention that’s exactlythe same as everyother one you’ve been too—andexactly the opposite too!In fact, Christian Radio in the UnitedStates holds upwards of half a dozenevents for members of its “congregation”each year. I had the pleasure of joiningbroadcasters in the AC format at theBBCM (Brad Burkhart Christian Media)AC 2000 Conference in Atlanta. BBCMalso held one for the CHR format just twoweeks earlier in the same hotel with aslightly different offering of guest speakers.Brad Burkhart is a programming consultantand research expert in the field ofChristian media. All of his events aresponsored by suppliers to the industry,the most visiblebeing record labels.Design consultantsare used to transformhotel ballroomsinto ambient spaceswhere performerspraise God and singtheir hearts out. And the bag of swag youreceive after each elegantly catered mealor event is substantial.To say that this group is passionateabout what they do is a gross understatement.These folks are dedicated to theirfaith, and their purpose: to spread God’sword to the masses. They do so in a varietyof formats with music that couldtechnically play on any mainstream station,providing you didn’t listen closelyto the lyrics. Here’s the real difference:every word coming out of an announcer’smouth is positive and uplifting withspiritual overtones.They even promote their stations thisway. In fact, one of the tactics used tolaunch a new Christian morning show ischallenging other stations in the marketto provide a minimum of one-hour of“cuss-free” radio: if you’re a Howard Sternstation, this could be tough!They do some other clever promotionstoo. They do trade with church bulletinswho run their print advertising inexchange for featuring a 30-second com-What other station knowswhere 80% of their audienceis, every Sunday morning?mentary from a church official. Talkabout targeted marketing! What otherstation knows where 80% of their audienceis, every Sunday morning?With election action in full swingsouth of the border, who could resistprinting placards for their loyal audienceto place on the lawn that reads “Vote forJesus”, and then their call letters and frequency?How many members of youraudience would put a sign on their lawnadvertising your station?On-air promotions include playing“bad” lyrics from mainstream songs andpositioning them against songs withmore positive, uplifting lyrics. Some stationsalso position themselves as suitablefor family listening. As one programmerbrought up, their advantage is that theydon’t talk about things in their morningshow that will createquestions from your12-year-old daughterthat you’re not preparedto answer.Something allbroadcasters agreedon was the need to“cast a wider net”, and not just go afterthe listeners of competing Christian stationsbut the audience of all stations inthe market. Why preach to the convertedwhen there are so many other peoplewho need your kind of broadcasting?Mainstream broadcasters, beware.And, if you have any doubts aboutthe buying power of these audiences,take the lead of Canadian company Imark,who revamped their Swamp Critters TV seriesand video cassettes (with music andlyrics by Bobby Goldsboro). They incorporatedChristian lyrics to cater to thegrowing demand for this type of product.The top selling Christian childrens’video sold in excess of five million unitsthrough Christian book stores in 1999.That’s all the black ink Imark needed tosee, to identify the Christian market asthe biggest growth potential for them inthe coming year.But marketers take note, be sincereabout your product and message or youwon’t be taken seriously.There is a sizable Christian audienceMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.that has tremendous buying power, andthere are thousands more potential listenersand viewers who would genuinelylike this programming and music, giventhe opportunity to experience it. We couldall use a little uplifting, feel good televisionor radio in our lives.Besides, who could argue with billboardsthat say “Listen to us, or go tohell!”.DECEMBER 2000/JANUARY 2001 13

UREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAURFried green tomatoesMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.I’m not sure if it’s the placethat fried green tomatoesoriginated, but it was thefirst time I ever tried them. It’show we started our dinner thatended a long day with membersof the Kentucky BroadcastersAssociation (KBA). My dinnercompanion was Gary White,Executive Director of the KBA.Gary has the unique distinctionof also being President of theAssociation of State BroadcastAssociations. It’s not a surprisethat he has all this responsibility,he is a very smart businessmanwho has done an amazingjob for his member stations.In April of this year Gary cut the ribbonto open the new KBA headquarters:a beautiful (U.S.) $1-million-plus buildingon the outskirts of Frankfort, thestate capital. The KBA occupies the topfloor of the building—one-half housesexecutive offices and a boardroom, theother half a fully equipped trainingfacility/classroom that seats up to 100people. That was the scene of CreativePower Tools: a training session I hostedthat day with upwards of 75 Kentuckybroadcasters in attendance. It was thefirst of what will be monthly trainingevents offered to KBA members for thecost of a cup of coffee and a boxed lunch.How can KBA offer on-going trainingto members for under 20 bucks? Acouple of ways: they rent out the bottomfloor of their sparkling new facility to apower (read hydro) company who receiveda mandate from head office to setup headquarters in each of the State capitalswhere they do business. They alsorent out the training facilities whenthey’re not in use for KBA events.A bigger source of revenue for KBA istheir NCSA program, which stands forNon-Commercial Sustaining Announcements.It is a Federal CommunicationsCommission term indicating radio ortelevision stations receiving no revenuefor the announcement. Instead, the revenuesfrom an NCSA program help tofund the broadcasters’ statewide tradeorganization. The program defrays thecost of conventions, seminars and communicationsprograms. Member stationsagree to run thecommercial messages of NCSAclients on an “as available” basis. Theythen provide affidavits each month indicatingthe value of the airtime that theNCSA client has received.Government agencies and non-profitorganizations that normally approachbroadcasters for Public Service Announcementsare eligible for NCSA airtime.These organizations make a payment offunds to the KBA, who coordinate trafficking,distribution and all the paperworkassociated with the program. Thecost for participation in the program is$10,000 per month, and contracts areusually booked on a 12-month basis.There is a limit of five clients per yearwho each pay $10,000 per month. Dothe math, and you’ll see that the NCSAprogram generates over half a milliondollars a year for the KBA.How do “clients” like the NCSAProgram? Just ask the Kentucky ArmyNational Guard, who received over$100,000 per month in airtime duringMay, June and July of this year: $343,254in radio and television airtime for a$30,000 investment. Not surprisingly,there is a wait-list to join the program.The NCSA program works extremelywell in Kentucky due to Gary White’shard work, and KBA members cooperatebecause there is an understanding thatthe program is not taking revenue awayfrom broadcasters:it is onlypitched to peoplewho wouldusually ask forPSA airtime: governmentagenciesand nonprofitgroups.The NCSA programprovidesa win-win resultfor participatingKBAmemberswhose associationgrowsstronger, andfor the NCSA clientwhose message is seen and heardstatewide in all time periods and formats,reaching all demographic groups.The NCSA initiative is widely usedthroughout the U.S. as a means to generaterevenue for state broadcast associations.The degree of success varies fromstate to state depending on the members’commitment, and the sales skillsof the association’s executive director.By all accounts Gary White and theKentucky Broadcasters are winning therace, and continue to invite people likeme to help their members learn over aboxed lunch and a cup of coffee.I can’t wait to go back for more friedgreen tomatoes.22 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

AUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAURBeer warsMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.Hope you still have a fewcold ones in the fridge,even though LabourDay and this country’s peakbeer consumption period havepassed. Why did you buy thebrand that you did? Was itcompelling advertising thatcaused you to change brandsor reinforce your brand loyalty—or was it just the free stuffthat was offered in the case?According to Labatt Ontario Breweries’Senior Regional Key Account ManagerSteve Cardwell, most major brands experiencegrowth with premiums in-case;but when the premiums end, the brandwill flatten or decline.If this is so, why is so much beermoney spent on brand advertising, andwhy is that brand advertising so flat?Take the outdoor campaign for UpperCanada Brewing Company. The words:Picasso used oils, Rodin used bronze. Weuse hops beside a product shot.Apparently craft or micro brewers suchas Upper Canada are targeted morewith a rifle approach to their key consumerswith advertising that won’t havebroad appeal. I don’t believe this adwill have any appeal, for a couple ofreasons. Big assumption that anyoneoutside of an art major, or a tour guideat Philadelphia’s art museum, will evenknow who Rodin is. An even bigger assumptionthat Upper Canada’s productis in the same league as a Rodin sculptureor a Picasso canvas. This ad breaksrule number nine in the 14 things wedo wrong in advertising: Disrespect ofSocial Values, or taking a widely-heldsocietal value and using it for self-promotion(i.e. fine art is no better thanour product).Who else broke the rules? The BudLight “Wassup” campaign. When this adfirst broke, the creator was interviewedon “the most watched Entertainmentprogram in the world—EntertainmentTonight”—not bad PR. He said this“wassup” ritual was something that heand his friends did, and he thought itwas a cool premise for a beer ad. Thatwas his first mistake—a polarizingelement: rule number three in the 14things we do wrong in advertising. APolarizing Element is defined as an elementthat appeals to a very narrow segmentof society like a controversialspokesperson or music of extremely narrowappeal.The creator also said he auditioneddozens of actors for the parts and couldn’tfind any who could “wassup” as good ashis friends, so he hired his friends to dothe beer spots. Will someone please connectthe dots for this man? There’s nodoubt people are talking about thiscampaign—it even won a Gold at theCannes festival, but I don’t think it’sselling much beer. The brand is up, butI’d bet my call waiting feature that thefree golf balls did it, not the tongues ofthe amateur actors.And what about Joe Canadian?This I AM execution is perhaps thebest example of beer advertising we sawthis summer. Not just because Joe becamea national hero after his Rant debutedin the Academy Awards lastMarch. Not because Joe’s PR machinesent him on a whirlwind tour of Canadaon July 1st, doing his Rant in front ofthousands of people across the nation.The primary reason why this ad is a successis that it has a clearly defined rootappeal—something that consumers canrelate with. That something is empathy.One of the least used, and most effectiveroot appeals in any category of advertisingis empathy. It’s the love, nationalpride, I’ve been there, I’ve done thatqualities of empathy advertising thatmake them winners.It must be said that Joe alone cannotbe credited with any increase in thebrand’s sales—there were in-case promotionsof merchandise just like everyother brewer. But the biggest in-casepromotion was intangible—the sense ofnational pride and togetherness thateach and every beer drinker felt thissummer when they opened a case ofJoe’s beer.As Joe himself said in a Globe andMail interview: “I think the reason yousee people cheering like that is becausethey’re cheering themselves. I don’tknow how it would feel if that manypeople were cheering for Jeff (Joe’s realidentity), but man I wish you could bottlethat shit!”.It appears as though somebody has!8 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

UREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAURWhy people buy stuffMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.Ilive in a new subdivisionthat at its best is a dustbowl,and its worst a mudhole. The onset of nice weatherhas brought about swarms ofworker bees with gloved handsand knee pads. They’re transformingthe dust-bowl into alush green pathway withnewly laid sod that they rollout and stamp down withamazing efficiency.They arrive early for work and gatheraround my doorstep drinking coffeeand wishing for rain so they’ll have theday off. Being on a corner lot, my boulevardhas become their headquarters forstaff meetings and lunch breaks. On arecent Monday morning there was a lotof excitement. It seems that one of theyounger landscaping lads had purchaseda new car stereo over the weekend,and was anxious to show it off tohis co-workers. He beamed with prideas the woofers and tweeters made theentire street vibrate. Like a domino effect,the dogs began to woof, the birdsbegan to fly away, and my young daughterwas awakened an hour early by thesweet sounds of Ms. Spears doing whateverit is she does, that has made hersuch a teen idol.I like good music, loud, as much asthe next guy, but not at 7:00 in themorning (unless I’m still goingfrom the night before). I wastempted to straddle the2x4’s down to the curbto ask landscape lad ifhe really thought theentire neighbourhoodwanted to wake upfeeling like they werein an earthquake zone.But, why rain on his parade?Who knows howmuch time he had to spendon his knees to get the stereo ofhis dreams?It was an excellent opportunity toobserve why people buy stuff. It’s by nomeans scientific, but it is reality. And forsomeone like me who earns their livingconvincing people to buy things throughadvertising, it was a valuable experience.Besides, it was pretty funny watching allthese plaid-clad workers tap their steeltoes on the concrete. It could have easilybeen a Gap-style commercial for Mark’sWork Wearhouse! The super could havebeen “bad choreography, good workclothes”. But I digress!If you are responsible for encouragingconsumers to buy products fromyour customers through persuasive andcompelling ad copy, one of the bestthings you can do is observe why peoplebuy stuff. Providing a long list of productspecifications and prices is areally bad way to advertise car stereos onradio or television: that’s a newspaper’sjob. I also think it’s very narrowin focus. After all, somebodywho is at the pointwhere they’re comparingprices on carstereos has alreadydecided they’re goingto buy one.Don’t preach tothe converted: they’reshopping anyway. Whynot convince hundredsof other potential newcustomers that the concept ofbuying a new car stereo to impress theirfriends and attract the opposite sex is areally good idea? The fact that they maybe on sale is simply an aside. If I’m a potentialcustomer and I’m convinced thatEd’s Audio Emporium can help me capturethe feeling, enjoy the braggingrights and wake up my neighbours, I’llvisit Ed first, whether he’s on sale or not.Same goes for shoes, mattresses, newcarpet and a wealth of other purchasesthat begin with an emotional decisionto look smart, sleep well, keep your feetwarm or otherwise solve one of life’s littledilemmas. Always ask yourself “whatis the problem I am trying to solve withthis advertising?”. Then, let static mediado what it does best: lay there idly whilepeople who already want to buy, lookover a list of prices or selling features.Those of us who have the privilegeof creating with compelling sound orpersuasive pictures have the ability togenerate more potential new customersfor our clients than a newspaper ad everwill, and we can keep our clients top-ofmindwhen those consumers decide itIS time to wake up the neighbourhood.44 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

OHNHARDINGJOHNHARDINGHA diamondout of the roughpared to all other major media includingthe Internet. Advertisers notonly need to reach their customers,but need to reach them at the righttime—on the way to shop. This studyillustrates that radio influences allshoppers, big spenders and Internetusers during this critical time period.5. Radio Time Spent Unaffectedby Internet UsageAlmost 90% of adults with Internetaccess reported no change in the timespent with radio as a result of Internetusage. The percentage of respondentsreporting a decrease in time spent wasnegligible compared to television—18%of Internet users reported a decline intelevision viewing.MEDIUMDECREASENewspaper 12.5%Television 18.4%Magazines 13.3%Weekly Newspapers 11.4%Shopping at Malls 9.6%Radio 6.1%Radio is the least affected by increasedInternet usage. If you think of radio’spassive nature and how listening allowsus to carry on parallel activities,this finding may not be that surprising.The Radio Marketing Bureau continuesto conduct research regarding thestrength of radio as an advertisingmedium, consumer usage of it, and howradio can complement Internet usage. Asnew findings are made available, we willcontinue to promote radio as themedium to build on-line and off-linebrands in the 21st Century.If you would like more informationregarding this research, please contactthe Radio Marketing Bureau at 1-800-ON-RADIO.Irecently had the good fortune to developa radio campaign for a very differentclient, a jeweller. And whatmade this client different was that hehad one specific goal. He wanted, aboveall, for the listener to feel good aboutthe commercial. Not the product or service…justthe commercial.The jeweller had no interest inscreaming price or discount or reputationor years in business. He knew all ofhis competitors (and there are many)were doing that. He wanted to focusstrictly on image. Can you say “DreamClient?”. His whole focus was to tellpeople that he existed.In our first creative meeting he spokeof two things—quality and trust. But itwasn’t about his product quality andtrustworthiness…it was about his potentialcustomers’ quality and trust. Wesaw these two characteristics of a relationshipas the foundation that wouldlead to a marriage proposal. And whatcomes with a proposal? Yup…a diamond.Who sells the diamonds? Hedoes! Who reminded the listeners of thequality of their relationship and thetrust they have built together? He did!Who do you think is on top of the man’smind as he goes to pick out the engagementring? (Bonus points) You guessedit…the jeweller.The only catch was that he knewfrom his experience in the industry thatin most cases the women are involved inthe ring selection process. But this wassomething that he would handle instore.It had no place in his commercial.His goal was to get people through thedoor; he would close the sale once theywere inside.After leaving the creative meeting, Ilooked at the sales rep and said, “Didthat just happen? That is the dreamclient!” And then the campaign just cameto life…for a number of other reasons.First, I was extremely pleased to havea client that wanted to do image ads. (Itreally is a writer’s outlet.) The client wasopen to suggestions. He admitted heknew his product very well, well enoughto know that few people understand theAlbert Berkshire isSenior Creative Writerwith SILK FM inKelowna, BC. Most ofthe time he lives in adream world…and heloves it. He welcomesyour comments atalbert@silk.net.BY ALBERT BERKSHIREindustry jargon associated with cut, clarityand whatever else goes with a diamond.He knew what his competitors were sayingand he wanted to be different.I think another factor bringing thecampaign to life was the music. I originallywrote the creative to a specificpiece of music. But I couldn’t get theending to fit. So I had to go back andfind new music to fit the ending…andthe rest of the script. It took a while, butI found it. And it was far better in theend, because the new music brought thewhole commercial to life. It gave it thefeeling it needed.The finishing touch? The producer.Nothing can be said other than “the producermade it perfect”. I’m very fortunate.For me, the most important thingthat came out of this campaign was thatit renewed my faith in myself as a writer.Every day I push and push on clients theidea that they need to say somethingthat appeals to the listener, not just theirown egos. Sure the ads are about themand their product or service, but theyhave to entwine the benefits to the listener,the consumer, and the personwith the buying power or influence.This jeweller has been very successfulin his career. Not because of what othercreative writers have done for him; he’sbeen successful because he knows noone cares about him…they only careabout what he can do for them.And what has he done for his customerslately? Most recently, through aradio campaign, he told them why theywere in love.JULY/AUGUST 2000 39

AUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAURThe enchanted kettleMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.Many years ago an oldcountry doctor droveto town, hitched hishorse, and quietly slipped intoa drug store by the back door,and began “dickering” withthe young drug clerk.For more than an hourbehind the prescription counter,the old doctor and the clerktalked in low tones. Then thedoctor left. He went out to thebuggy and brought back a large,old-fashioned kettle, a big woodenpaddle (used for stirring thecontents of the kettle), anddeposited them in the back of thestore.The clerk inspected the kettle,reached into his inside pocket, tookout a roll of bills and handed it overto the doctor. The roll containedexactly $500—the clerk’s entire savings.The doctor handed over a smallslip of paper on which was written asecret formula. The words on that smallslip of paper were worth a king’sransom: but not to the doctor. Thosemagic words were needed to start thekettle to boiling, but neither the doctornor the young clerk knew what fabulousfortunes were destined to flow from thatkettle.The old doctor was glad to sell theoutfit for $500. The clerk was taking abig chance by staking his entire life’ssavings on a mere scrap of paper and anold kettle. He never dreamed hisinvestment would start a kettle tooverflowing with gold that would oneday surpass the miraculous performanceof Aladdin’s lamp.What the clerk really purchased wasan idea.The old kettle and the woodenpaddle, and the secret message on a slipof paper were incidental. The strangeperformance of that kettle began to takeplace after the new owner combined withthe secret instructions, an ingredient ofwhich the doctor knew nothing.See if you can discover what it wasthat the young man added to the secretmessage which caused the kettle tooverflow with gold. Here you have astory of facts, stranger than fiction: factswhich began in the form of an idea.Let us take a look at the vast fortunesthis idea hasproduced. It has paid and still pays hugefortunes to men and women all over theworld, who distribute the contents of thekettle to millions of people.The old kettle is now one of theworld’s largest consumers of sugar, thusproviding jobs of a permanent nature tothousands of men and women engagedin growing sugar cane, and in refiningand marketing sugar.The old kettle consumes annually,millions of glass bottles, providing jobsto huge numbers of glass workers.The old kettle gives employmentto an army of clerks, stenographers,copywriters and advertising expertsthroughout the world. It has broughtfame and fortune to scores of artistswho have created magnificent picturesdescribing the product.The old kettle converted a smallsouthern U.S. city into the businesscapital of the South, where it benefitsdirectly or indirectly every business andpractically every resident of the city.The influence of this idea nowbenefits every civilized country in theworld, pouring out a continuous streamof gold to all who touch it.If the product of that old brass kettlecould talk, it would tell thrilling talesof romance in every language.Romances of love, romancesof business, romancesof professional menand women who aredaily being stimulatedby it.A vast empire ofwealth and influencegrew out of a single idea,and that mysteriousingredient the drug clerk—Asa Candler—mixedwith the secret formula,was imagination.Do you know whatproduct flowed from thatold brass kettle? You canfind the answer in a bookentitled Think and GrowRich, from which the abovestory is quoted. Written byNapoleon Hill and firstpublished in 1930, this book providestimeless advice on many topicsincluding How To Make Practical Use ofImagination. According to Hill: “Yourimaginative faculty may have becomeweak through inaction. It can be revivedand made alert through use. This facultydoes not die, though it may becomequiescent through lack of use”.Consider The Enchanted Kettle story awarm-up exercise for your imagination.Figure out what made the kettle runnethover, and I’ll buy you one next time I’min town!18 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

MAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUThe “brains/job” thingMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.Ispend a lot of time inairports. My fellow travellersand I have spentmany a flight delay belly-upto the coffee bar orderingone of those decaf, nonfat,overpriced, “caution, contentsmay be hot” drinks.One particular coffee bar visit sticksin my mind. The woman beside mejust could not get what she wanted, nomatter how many times she ordered it.Interestingly, neither could I. When wedid get the appropriate beverages wewere overcharged, and receivedincorrect change. They called the flightand my coffee companion looked atme, then gestured towards the coffeeserver in the perky apron and hat andexclaimed “If you had her brains,you’d have her job!”I’ve used the “brains/job” expressionon many occasions since. Thereare a lot of people in this world whoonly earn what they’re worth. If thathappens to be minimum wage, a funnyoutfit and abusive, stressed-outbusiness travellers, then so be it. Butthere are lots of people who have atremendous amount of skill, do goodwork, and earn little more thanminimum wage. Many of them workin broadcasting. They’re usually innon-air positions like Creative or Production.They’re probably across thehall, or down the road from you.Perhaps you know a few?In fact, there was a joke circulatinga few months ago about three peoplepreparing to meet their Maker. At thePearly Gates, St. Peter asked the firsthow much he earned per year.“$100,000+,” he replied, “I was alawyer.” Person number two responded“150 plus bonuses: I was in InformationTechnology.” The third person saidhe earned $17,500 per year. “Whatwere your call letters,” asked St. Peter.Great fodder for jokes, but so close tothe truth it’s scary.How much do you pay the peoplewho provide service to your clients? Doyour Creative and Production peopleearn what they’re worth? Remember,these are the people whose responsibilityit is to write and produce entertaining,effective advertising andpromotional messages to attractaudience to your stations, andcustomers to your clients’ businesses.Yet, many of them earn the same asthat “certified coffee agent” in the niceapron. Your people have to write andproduce as many commercials as thosecoffee agents do decaf nonfat lattes in aday; and those coffee kids probably gotmore on-the-job training. We alreadyknow they get spiffy clothes to wear.People call me all the time to askme where to find the next brightwriting and production stars. When Iask what they’re paying, they covertheir mouth and utter some figurethat’s obviously embarrassing for themto share with others. Of course,there are exceptions. In fact, I metup with one of them at a recentconference who urged me to dowhatever it takes to raise the profileof the creative writer andproducer: to urgeowners and generalmanagers tobudget moremoney, and payhigher salaries totheseimportant people who provide theservice and the product to yourcustomers. Just because our product isintangible doesn’t mean it lacks value.If we don’t pay writers andproducers more, two things willhappen: 1) they’ll be moonlighting atyour local coffee house to make endsmeet, and arrive at work each day on acaffeine high that makes their eyes bugout; or 2) the supply of them willevaporate to the point where we willexperience a severe shortage ofqualified folk.If you are one of these writers orproducers, you’ve decided to rip thisarticle out, photocopy it and slip copiesunder the door of your GM, GSM andPD. Before you do it, think about this.Did you get a five or six per cent raiselast year? Are you doing five or six percent more work this year? Are youputting in five or six per cent moreeffort than you did last year? If not,get at it.If you’re one of the managementfolk who control the destiny of theCustomer Service Providers (read,writers and producers) at your station,think twice when you prepare yourbudgets for fiscal 2000/2001. You betterup the ante and keep these talentedfolks around, or risk losing them toyour local coffee house. They do, afterall, offer on-the-job training, benefits,clothing, and all the coffee you candrink during your shift.MAY 2000 39

AUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAURWhat’s in it for me?THIS ARTICLE CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM WWW.BROADCASTDIALOGUE.COMMaureen Bulley isPresident of THERADIO STORE. Shemay be reached at1-888-DO RADIOor by E-mail atdoradio@total.net.Think you know what makes acommercial sound good, andsells product? It’s the mostimportant thing you’ll discuss withyour clients today. Here’s how to makesure their commercials are effective.The most important thing for acommercial to do is convey a benefit.While that sounds simple, it’s the thingmost often left out of commercialcopy. This may be because the advertiserwants to tell your listeners he’sbeen in business for 25 years, or thathis dealership won the service awardfor the second year in a row. Is thatenough to make you shop there? Itisn’t, for the average consumer.Studies with consumers on radioadvertising have told us so. Commercialsthat scored low with consumers conveyedno benefit. Commercials must demonstratea benefit in order to be effective.Create a need for a product, and a reasonto purchase it from your client instead oftheir competition. We need to demonstrateWIFM, or What’s In It For Me?.Commercials that scored thehighest with consumers contained twointerdependent elements.1. The commercial required thelistener to imagine a scene or situation.2. Once the mental scene was successfullyestablished, the commercial clearlyand effectively demonstrated something.Imagine this: A commercial thatbegins with the sound of someoneusing a manual saw in the downstairsworkshop for the first 15-seconds,while the telephone rings upstairs.Eventually the character hears theringing phone, and runs up the stairs toanswer it. When he arrives at the phone,there is only dial tone at the other end:he missed the call because he didn’thave an answering machine. Theannouncer tag asks “how many callshave you missed because you don’t havean answering machine”, and finishedoff with the store name and location.This example used sound effects tocreate an image in the listener’s mind,and clearly demonstrates a situation inwhich the answering device would beuseful. This was one of the highestscoring commercials in the consumerresearch study. Consumers liked thiscommercial, and said it would attractthem to make the purchase. And youknow something? It did it with very few38 BROADCAST DIALOGUE

EENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENwords! You can achieve a lot by sayingvery little, if it’s done properly.Commercials that are jam-packedwith information are guaranteed NOT tocommunicate effectively with consumers.Call it print on radio, call it junk radio, butthat’s what happens when clients ask usto put their newspaper ad on radio. It’s alaundry list of what they sell, and wherethey’re located. And it doesn’t work withconsumers.Remember two things when you visityour client today: they must convey abenefit in their advertising, and a reasonwhy we should shop at their place insteadof their competition. And remember thatless is more! It’s not necessary to fill 60-seconds with 60-seconds worth of words.Advise your clients with confidence that“less really is more”. It will help them sellmore product, and help you write morerepeat business.Once you have convinced yourclient of the virtues of singular, focusedadvertising, use the following list tocritique the scripts prepared for them.Let’s look at some of the things thatgo wrong with radio commercials. Thislist has been compiled from consumerresearch into the effectiveness of radioadvertising. Here are some of thecommon elements in commercials thatscored poorly.Amateur Presentation: The soundquality or other production values arebelow minimum professionalstandards, and the commercial has noclear direction.High Voltage: This is a sensoryonslaught of words or sounds whichthe listener is either unable, orunwilling to absorb. It’s usually a highpitched,rapidly speaking voice andloud music.Polarizing Elements: These arecommercials that appeal to a verynarrow segment of society. They maycontain a controversial spokesperson, ormusic of extremely narrow appeal.Foreign Accent: A voice that dripswith a non-mainstream accent spokenonly by a small group within the population,and here’s the key: the accent isused for no apparent reason.Guilt Trip: This type of commercialimplies that it is the listener’s duty todo something (for example, if they missthis opportunity, their children willhave a miserable birthday).Buffoon Consumer: Poking fun atthe expense of people to allow the advertiserto shine. The consumer is presentedas a low-intellect, possibly one whomight disagree with the message.Cure-All Product: The product hassuch a profound impact that it creates amajor, positive influence on a consumer’slife. For example, wear our clothes, andget a job promotion.Superficial Exaggeration: An artificialsituation in which a product oflittle share-of-mind shines to an unrealisticlevel; presenting a solution to aproblem that wouldnever exist.Disrespect of SocialValues: This means taking awidely-held societal valuesuch as trust, or a sensitivesubject, and using it for selfpromotion.An examplewould be suggesting thatfine art is no better than theadvertised product.Disconnected Root:The root appeal of thecommercial is poorlydone. The message doesnot clearly connect orbridge the offer to appealto any root human need.Boring/Me Too: Thistype of commercial is anobvious lift from others,likely from within the samecategory. Nothing new instyle or substance, henceabsolutely no reason tolisten, or to buy.Fun/SeriousConfusion: The listener isunable to follow the maincreative tool of the commercial.An example wouldbe a commercial that beginswith a serious voice, turnssilly and then serious again,for no apparent reason.Creative Frill: Thismeans using some unnecessarycreative element thatdistracts from and doesnot reinforce, the rootappeal of the message.Unrelated RootAppeal: This message istotally without purpose.The listener has no ideawhy he or she should belistening to the message,Solutionsfor alldigitalandterrestricTVstandardsmuch less buying the product!These are the 14 things we dowrong in radio commercials, accordingto consumers. So, when you talk toyour clients about how to make theirnext campaign a winner, be sure thatyou avoid such tactics in the productionof their commercials:Avoid these negative elements inradio advertising, and make your client’scampaign more effective. What’s in it foryou? When they sell more product, yousell more radio advertising!Leaderin DigitalWe are the supplier of choice for allmajor pilot projects and the firstnetworks involving terrestrial digitalTV. Our comprehensive product rangecovers transmission, monitoring andmeasuring equipment – all from asingle source.ROHDE & SCHWARZ Canada Inc.Toll Free: (877) 438-2880www.rohde-schwarz.comBooth No.L4758APRIL 2000 39

MAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYMAUREENBULLEYThe information, my way!It’s November and the Christmas rush iswell underway. If you’re a commercialwriter or producer you need to take aminute to read this article. It will save you agreat deal of time this holiday season, andallow you to devote that time to writingeffective commercials for your advertisers.The key is getting the correct information,and only the correct information. You can dothat with a Creative Strategy. It’s not relevantthat the retailer you’re advertising has been inbusiness for 25 years, or that they won theaward for “Nice Guy of the Nineties”. What isimportant is information relevant to theadvertising you are writing, now.Here are the headings that should beincluded in your Creative Strategy. A definitionof each follows: Marketing Objective,Advertising Objective, Target, Benefit, Support,Tone/Manner and Executional Considerations.Now, here’s what each of them mean:The Marketing Objective identifies theoverall marketing strategy for the client over aperiod of time. It is probably not the same asthe Advertising Objective for this particularcampaign. The Marketing Objective may be toincrease awareness of “Joe’s Paint BallEmporium” as an entertainment alternative tomovies or video arcades.The Advertising Objective must be measurable.What do you want someone to do afterthey hear this commercial? What is the advertisingexpected to accomplish? This may be tosell $5,000 in gift certificates for Christmasgiving.Target identifies who is the best prospectfor this message and gives them human characteristics.Use emotional words to identifythem, and remember that the target group isnot always the user. It may be parents whowant to buy something different for theirchildren. It may also be teenagers who aredeveloping their Christmas wish list. (If thereare two different targets, there should be twodifferent pieces of creative).Benefit identifies the consumer’s “What’sIn It For Me?”. Identify the problem the advertisersolves, and identify facts that allow youto extol benefits. For the parent, it may besolving two problems at once: the dilemma ofwhat gifts to give, and the chance to ship theirkids out for an afternoon during theChristmas break from school, or during theJanuary doldrums. For kids, it may be thebragging rights of being able to offer theirfriends an afternoon of entertainmentbecause their parents gave them a greatpresent of a Paint Ball Party at Joe’s.Support offers the consumer proof thatthe benefit can actually be achieved. It’ssimply proof that the benefit was realized.The Tone or Manner used should be areflection of the product’s personality. Usesome human, people-like words to describethis, and it goes a long way to helping youdetermine the style of the commercial.Executional Considerations are elementsthat must be in every execution. This could bea slogan, jingle, sound effect or the toll-freenumber for ordering.In it’s simplest form, a Creative Strategy isa summary of what you want to do, who youwant to do it to, and how you’re going to doit. It is an efficient and effectiveway to gather information, andacts as an agreement between theadvertiser and the station abouthow the advertising should sound.Once complete, a CreativeStrategy also becomes youryardstick to measure the script youhave just written. A great idea isnot great if it doesn’t achieve theadvertiser’s objectives.Use a Creative Strategy to helpyou develop focus, coordinationand continuity in your client’sadvertising. Without it you haveno idea which direction to take,nor any way to evaluate yourwork. Without it you will continueto receive meaningless informationon cocktail napkins or matchbooks, andbe chained to your desk writing commercialswhile everyone else is out celebrating theseason. Introduce the use of a CreativeStrategy and enforce it! Insist that you get theInformation, My Way, or.....else!Work smarter, not harder, and enjoy theholidays!Maureen Bulleyis President ofTHE RADIO STORE,a radio-onlyagency and creativeconsultant servingbroadcastersand advertisers.Maureen welcomes yourquestions and commentsat 1-888-DO RADIOor by e-mail atdoradio@total.net.THIS ARTICLE CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM WWW.BROADCASTDIALOGUE.COMNOVEMBER 1999 39