Cannes and Loerie Award winning Net#work BBDO Creative Directors Jenny Glover and Brent Singer are self-confessed ‘newbies to the Conferencing circuit’. Their first-hand account on how to get radio creative right is, however, the stuff of genius…
We’re inclined to believe that radio waves must certainly run in the veins of Jenny Glover and Brent Singer. One look at their mantel piece which now boasts two Cannes Lion Radio Grand Prix awards between them, and most recently the Loerie Radio Grand Prix for the Mercedes Benz safety features campaign, and you’ll know why.
Shifting our focus sharply to the fact that the effectiveness of any radio campaign lies in the power of the message, their presentation ‘by creatives about creativity’, highlighted the challenges facing the radio creative process, and how to overcome these, albeit in Jenny and Brent’s own special blend of quirk and dark humour;
“There’s a particular reason why radio has inherited a reputation for being the slag of all mediums. We give it unreasonable deadlines. It’s always rushed. We cram 60 seconds worth of content into 30 seconds, including a phone number and website because as we know, listeners are camping out at the radio with a pen and paper, waiting to write out your phone number. We’ll even take a body copy from a print ad or flier and call it a radio script. Then we’ll get a really bad voice over, to deliver it in the most obnoxious style possible. There’s no love, no respect – we’re treating radio like a slag”, said Glover.
Responding to an industry wide question on how to create ads that simply blow Cannes, or any judge for that matter, away, Singer espoused; “Creativity is important for everyone because it’s the difference between radio that makes you love a product and radio that makes you want to reverse your car repeatedly over a product. The rules that apply to winning over audiences also apply to winning over judges”.
Their tête à tête included valuable tips on getting the office environment conducive to producing award-winning work – ‘award-winning Office Feng Shui’, in addition to providing some sensible ideas about radio production;
“The important thing is to work together as a team. Get your Art Director to stop surfing Facebook and other sites and get involved. The idea is to find the right insight or angle. Remember also that the first cause of death for an ad is the wrong production style. Pick the right voices too – it makes a huge difference”, quipped Singer.
As the writer in the Copywriter/ Art Director duo, Glover dispensed hard-hitting nuggets for aspiring Creatives gathered in the audience. These included tips conveniently summed up in the PAWPAWS acronym; “If you want to wear the badge of Copywriter, work at it, which means you need to write and read a lot”.
PAWPAWS
P - punchline. Keep listeners and judges interested. Judges listen to spots up to about 9 times. Make sure yours has staying power.
A - annoying. Judges judge/ listen to ads for up to fours days at a time – many of them atrocious. Sometimes they’re even nursing hangovers, so don’t irritate them any more than you have to with annoying ads.
W - worthy. Make sure you’re able to provide a good argument for your ad.
P - create a seamless logical flow between your product and your idea.
A - audio techniques – if you’re going to attempt these, do it in the freshest, hottest way possible.
W - well done – make sure everything’s perfect, production-wise and creatively. Don’t give judges any reason to find a fault.
S – smart. Make sure your work is compelling, interesting and new.
Closing statements from Glover and Singer were suitably aimed at the intelligentsia; “Stop treating radio like a slapper. Be kind to it. Show it some love. Create the kind of radio that you’re proud to put your name on – your real name”.
And that’s just our coverage! Wait ‘til you see the video clips! Click here
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