Tag Archives: radio sales

Pronouncing Brands

January 13, 2016Commercials, General, Musicannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, production music, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio spots, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

Talking to a car salesman who doesn’t know how to say Laredo is jarring. It gives you the sense that they do not know what they are doing. And when someone is involved with taking your money for something…like a car…it puts you in financial danger. As in, they could be selling you a lemon, because clearly they don’t know anything about it, not even how to pronounce the name.

It’s the same with voice overs.

If you are in the voice over industry and you don’t know how to pronounce Mercedes, Laredo, Impala, Mitsubishi or Hyundai, you need to do your homework.

For me, I don’t guess on pronunciations. I hear them once and store them away in my mind for future use. And if i don’t know, I look it up. Because I know how bad it looks to be in the advertising business and not know how to pronounce a brand name. It looks really bad. And it shakes peoples confidence in you.

I am not saying you can’t make a mistake, I am saying, be knowledgeable about the brands you may have to say in the future.

Now I realize there are territory issues as well. Americans say Sportage as “SPORR-tigg” (soft ‘g’ as in porridge) and Canadians say “sporr-TAWGG” (like garage). But even that piece of knowledge should be known by a voice over artist in either country.

But even within ones own country, the knowledge of at least the large brands should be a prerequisite. Everyone is voicing things on every corner of the continent these days, so it shows you’ve been around the block, took note and have more knowledge because of it.

A working voice talent should know that in Ontario, Fiat is pronounced FEE-yit. But say in Colorado, it’s pronounced FEE-yawt. You know that Porsche is pronounced ‘porsh’ in most small markets in the United States, but ‘por-SHAH’ in large markets. And Volkswagen is pronounced as “FOAKS-va-gun” in Germany instead of “VOAKS-wagon” in America…and anyone of a particular age should know that Renault is pronounced as ruh-NOH and not ‘ruh-NALT’.

Knowing your brands shows you care about what you do, it puts others at ease when their futures are in your hands, whether you are selling the car to them, or selling it on the radio FOR them.

Although I have focused on car brands, this advice obviously extends to all brand names too of course…because knowing that ‘Nike’ does not rhyme with ‘Mike’ and “Versace’ is not vur-SAW-kee will keep you working long after the others have driven home in their chev-roh-LETT.

Why so many voices?

January 13, 2016Commercials, Generalannouncers, audio production, Commercial, commercials, creative radio, production music, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertisingOvernight Radio

Radio spots are like cooking…too many ingredients…and you spoil the meal.

So when you received a script to produce with multiple voices in it…99 percent of the time, it could have and SHOULD have been done with one voice or two. The radio is already chalk full of voices already, asking the audience to do way too much in the way of paying attention to their spots.

Multiple voices, (more than one or two) for the most part, equal clutter.

So when you have your own 30 second spot packed with voices, asking the audience to discern between female 1 and female 4 in a fast paced frenzy, you are literally asking too much. In my opinion, you are asking the audience to tune out.

Usually it’s one of 2 issues:

1) Neophytes: It’s easy to see why you would add so many voices when you first start out, as with anything, you just throw it at the wall and hope it sticks. But, once you become good at script writing, you realize that the less ingredients the better, because it shows how much more you can do with what’s perceived to be so little.

2) Client interference: I’ll admit, there is not much you can do about this…BUT it really is the same issue as #1…as the client is a business person, not a creative person…and certainly not in a position to see their shop from a potential clients point of view. Having the client involved is akin to having a beginner work on your script.

The only way to avoid the first one, is time…you will get better, you will find more tools in your arsenal than just more voices. You will find spacing, nuance, interesting conversational words, and hopefully, a voice or team of voices that can translate your beautiful script into a beautiful piece of audio that helps get the client more sales or puts them at top of mind for potential customers.

Number 2, client involvement, has only a couple of possible fixes, but even those are hit or miss. First, (and this is my choice)…you need to do more work. Ie: create their spot as best you can. AND create a BETTER spot with less clutter to present to them as a value added bonus. It seems like a lot of work to do, but in my experience, if you don’t do this, the only other way around it is…

Teaching the client: Some people are great at this. More power to them. I am not. But if i were, I am sure i would have been able to avoid producing multiple cuts of the same spot. Guiding a client through the process and teaching them the in’s and out’s of airing a commercial on broadcast or satellite radio is a tedious gig, and sometimes it doesn’t pay off at all.

Which brings me back to my first fix – provide multiple versions. It could be one extra version, or three. Whatever you think it takes to show the client that their over-crowded spot would be much clearer, much more to the point and probably much more classy as a one voice (or even bring it down to 2 voices) production. If you are a creative director, this means writing an extra script. If you are a producer, this means producing another spot.

Even if you think it might not reach the client after the account exec gets a hold of it, it’s still a weapon for the sales team to use in case it’s needed.

To be clear, I am not saying ALL multi-voice spots are clutter…i am arguing that a lot of them are…but for reasons beyond anyone’s control, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Moreover, providing an extra mix or script really goes a long way for your team AND you.

It could be for so many other reasons beyond voice numbers. The spot could be too long (even with one voice)…or the music the client chose is copyrighted, maybe they voiced it themselves and they need to hear something in comparison before they waste their money…whatever the case, it’s worth it to provide the extra work.

Because if worse comes to worse and corporate cuts your stations budget – who would want to get rid of the producer that actually helps out the sales team? Who would want to cut the writer whose extra script saved the sale that one day because they KNEW that the 4 voiced spot was just too cluttered to make any dent in sales.

Not me…i would fight for their survival…I would voice my opposition to corporate on their behalf. With one voice of course. Anything more is just clutter.

Write what you know, but not everyone likes what you know.

June 19, 2015Generalannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, television, voice over artistsOvernight Radio

Everyone who is in any sort of creative writing industry, whether it be movies, TV, journalism, blogging or radio, will always give the same advice (if they are any good).

And that is ‘write what you know’.

It’s the best advice, because no matter the story, if you know a lot about it, it shows through and if there are any fans of that subject out there, they will get it, and enjoy it…maybe even enough to buy the corresponding clients product.

There are other advantages to writing what you know too. First off, all your research is already done! No need to look up information about things that may or may not exist – you already know. Plus, you may already have unconscious sentences, paragraphs at the ready somewhere in your brain that you weren’t aware of until you started writing about it.

This all helps in creating a fully functional narrative. A beginning, a middle and an end. Something that is full of hints, secret words and dialogue that shows you have actually been there, seen that or done it. Words that only people in the know will understand.

And of course, THAT is the point.

You are directing your writing to reach that particular person, hopefully thousands of them. Interspersed throughout thousands of others who will pay no attention or negative attention to your creation. That is the collateral damage when it comes to creative writing in the broadcast industry. And very tough to explain to people outside of the sphere of advertising…especially clients new to it.

Neophytes often believe that advertising must be understood by everyone because it is played for everyone. It’s a common misconception of course and easily understandable. Why is this commercial talking to me, if it doesn’t want to reach me?

Fair question…IF you were the only person on earth…because there are a multitude of people around you with varying tastes and needs, all who are also listening to that commercial. It’s something we can’t avoid. If we COULD target the exact people all the time…we definitely would. And we are getting close with internet advertising, but even that is fought with misfires.

It’s why a lot of people don’t get local tv ad’s. Sometimes they are crude, poorly produced and unintentionally funny. While all of this is true, it is also true that it works, given the fact that it continues to this day. The reason it looks funny to you, is because they are not talking to you. Watching/listening to ads is like instantly showing up in a conversation talking about something, anything. It’s POSSIBLE they might be talking about something that interests you, but more times than not, it’s not for you.

But even when it IS for you – sometimes you can tell they are talking through you, and not too you. Something that has all the facts, but not presented in a way that is true to you – a form, a way of speaking, an order of words, that YOU (the writer) know.

You can tell this is happening when you want to take action, but don’t. (ie: there is a great sale going on at store x, but it’s so poorly presented, you assume the product is poor too).

So the next time you write something creative for a client, even if it’s for a product you don’ t know much about – find out about it, know about it…but most of all, write about it from a standpoint that you ALREADY know about. A viewpoint, a certain type of intro, a sense of humor that is yours.

Apply what you know to something you don’t.

The people that CARE about the particular product you are talking about ARE listening, and they will take action if THEY know that YOU know what you are talking about, by HOW you say it.

Write what you know.

Hobbyists hours, hobbyists product.

June 15, 2015Commercialsannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, jingles, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

“Show me a hobbyists hours, and I’ll show you a hobbyists product…” a friend in the business said to me the other day.

It really struck a chord.

In my experience in the world of radio commercial production in the last 15 years, i have met many people who work for themselves. There was always two kinds…ones that worked all the time, and ones that did not, but expected the same result. But i could never word it in such a ‘to the point’ way.

To me, it says exactly what it takes to be a success at what you do, be it radio or otherwise.

The people that never let up, that work into the night, that work holidays, work weekends, work from the road, on their phone, at their cousins birthday party, are all people who know that working for yourself, means never taking your eye off the ball.

When you work for a corporation, and your hours are structured, most, if not all of the other issues that need to be in place are being taken care of your bosses. Things like payroll, I-T problems, client meetings, accountants, office equipment repair/replacement, bookkeeping, completing credit card payments, invoicing, following up on invoicing, monthly budgets, etc etc.

This allows you time to keep creating the awesome product you were hired for.

But when you work for yourself, you of course need to take on all those roles…none of those things are taken care of. The most important part, your product, needs the most time. It is what you should be working on as much as you can. The other stuff, is a means to an end…something you HAVE to do in order to keep creating your product. It’s all one big cycle. Without a great product, there is no need for payroll, I-T etc. But with a great product, all of these things come down the line.

And until that business pays enough to cover more people to handle those other jobs, it’s up to you. YOU are the boss, YOU must do this all, and you MUST keep on producing your product.

This seems obvious when talking about it, but when it comes down to it, a lot of people are what my friend calls a ‘hobbyist’.

There is nothing wrong with being a hobbyist. I am a hobbyist in some things. I used to be a full time musician, but now, I don’t have the time to be a professional musician, I only have time to be a hobbyist. Which is great! You should always have a hobby.

But if I were to think that playing the guitar part time should land me a number one single, then there is a disconnect…that of course happens with the hobbyist.

This is where it’s easy to find people you want to work and surround yourself with. You divide them up into 2 groups: Pros and Hobbyists.

You are able to tell the pros NOT by their equipment, not by their contacts and not by the description of what they do. You can ONLY tell a pro by their product…in our case: radio (either your stations sound, the voice over artists you use or producers in your employ).

You know a great product when you hear one. When you hear how a voice over artist conveys a script with the proper cadence and emphasis or how a producer spaces out a spot to get the right pause in the right place, with just the right piece of music…these are the things that pro’s do.

A hobbyist does not. They do not have the experience to consistently do the Pro’s job…and it comes across in poorly read scripts, or production that isn’t fit to broadcast.

A hobbyist CAN become a pro…but it requires a tonne of time and practice…which most hobbyist’s are not willing to do.

Don’t let yourself get fooled by a flashy demo or website. It was probably created by pros for the hobbyist.

There’s a million hobbyists out there in all professions. But if you are a pro, you will of course already know, that you are who you surround yourself with. Protect yourself AND your product with professionals…they are the only ones who put the hours in.

Connecting Sales and Creative.

April 13, 2015Commercials, Musicaudio production, Commercial, creative radio, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, scripts, targeted advertisingOvernight Radio

We are from different worlds…different universes. We speak different languages, and therefore we cannot understand each other. One stands for art, the other for commerce. We are opposed.

We are…the creative department and the sales department in the broadcast industry.

Silly of course, to use such dramatic words to describe people that work in the same business, the same building, down the hall. But even though it’s an exaggeration, it IS understood that we DO indeed come from separate ‘worlds’…worlds being another word for a set of principles.

While in an acute sense, it’s not wrong to describe it this way…but in the bigger picture, it does end up being wrong.

Of course, we are all different…men/women…asia/europe…green/blue…and we need those differences to counter-balance the other…and at the same time, we need to be so complimentary to them, that only something very similar can do it. Men can’t live without women, asia is connected to europe, and green easily turns into blue with the help of purple.

My point here is that the creative side of things is not so different from the sales side of things. We need each other…and only something similar to us could be the yin to our yang.

These are things we know inherently, but do NOT know consciously. So sometimes it’s a good idea to consciously reflect on it to remind ourselves that we aren’t so different.

The biggest drawback is from the creative side, thinking that we are the only ‘creative’ ones. Something one might forgive since it’s literally in our name. But creativity takes place in sales all the time…maybe ALL the time. You have to be resourceful, uncanny, precise and loose all at the same time. You go into a sales meeting (that took creativity to get in the first place) with a set of rules in your mind of how it should go – and on top of that, a set of alternate routes to take if things go south. All of these need to be in your mind already, lined up, ready to go in an instant.

The ability to bend yet also be un-bendable is a trait i have admired in sales forever. Knowing how to talk, WHEN to talk, how to reply, how to groom, how to help, and to know when NOT to help are all talents one might have if they were in an improv show. I can tell you that at least for me, creativity is likely the ONLY thing you need in a ‘who’s line is it anyways’ type of show. But these are all traits of our cousins in the sales department.

Creative dept people lose track of that sometimes…and think that just because we hold the paint brushes, that we are the only artists in the building. It’s great to have a paintbrush and have all the masses walk through and see (hear) our paintings. But someone had to pay for it, someone had to commission it…and to bring a cold call to a business, all the way to a painting on the wall (as i keep with the painting/commercial comparison) is an amazing feat – a wildly creative feat.

One i will always admire. I love sales peoples art…it’s hard to see it…but when you do, you realize it’s all around you…and the only reason anyone can see (or hear) yours.

We are the same…just two sides of the coin…sometimes we can’t see each other…but we have each others back.