by David Tyler | Jan 15, 2009 | Copywriting, LinkedIn, Marketing, Radio, Radio Imaging
It was a beautiful spring morning in Montréal, the kind we had dreamt about all winter long, the smell of Saturday was calling out, the birds were singing their morning song, the smell of freshly cut grass occasionally blew in.
My wife, sons and I decided to go out for brunch at a local restaurant. As we sat there on the terrace I noticed a group of teenagers across the street who were holding a car wash.
Whether they were a softball team, soccer team, school band I wasn’t quite sure. It was obvious however, that they were having quite a difficult time attracting anyone despite the fact that there had been a downpour the night before. They were waving their signs, yelling and jumping up and down but to no avail. After watching this scene for maybe half an hour and as our waitress cleared the table I had an idea…was it a need to help or just my own selfish desire to prove a point? I don’t know.
I grabbed a black Sharpie from the car and ran across the street. After introducing myself and my idea I took 4 of their signs, flipped them over and simply wrote: “Car Wash $10”. I headed back to the restaurant to enjoy my freshly frothed cappuccino and to see my plan unfold.
Sure enough, before I could get past the foam topping, cars had started to pull into the parking lot and by the time I had paid the bill, there was a lineup! All in a days work I thought as I piled my family into the car to head home…just like I had told one of my clients the week before ‘the simpler the message the better’! Baltimore Paving Pros website offers affordable asphalt paving and sealing solutions.
While the kids had thought to bring all of their buckets, wash cloths, hoses, soap and a change of cloths all the elements you need for a successful car wash they hadn’t thought about how they were going to attract their customer. Their attempts were confusing at best, each one of their signs had different messages each explaining in a different way what the car wash was for, why they should stop and let them wash their car, etc. What they needed was one simple and clear message to attract customers “Car Wash $10”.
Think It Through
So how does this apply to branding your radio station? Think about it, you’ve spent millions of dollars buying and setting up a transmitter, setting up a radio station, hiring the right people and picking the right music, but how much thought have put into the message you’re using to attract customers.
It has been said that radio people are so close to their radio station that all they see are the trees. Radio listeners on the other hand, see the forest, the bigger picture. Well, these days in our over communicated world I’ll take it a further step back: Radio listeners today are seeing that forest as they fly down the highway of life doing 100 mph!! So how do you expect them to see what it is you’re selling amidst a landscape filled with messages?
We have to create a message that is so simple, so clear that nobody can miss its intention. “Car Wash $10”.
What’s Your Message?
Some products can be as easily identified by there positioning statement as by the brand name or logo. Here are some examples:
• “The Real Thing”
• “Mm’mm Good”
• “I’m lovin’ it”
• “Eat Fresh”
• “Just Do It”
So what message are you giving to your listeners?
• Your Favourites of the 70’s 80’s 90’s and Today
• The Rock Station That Really Rocks
• Give us 30 minutes. We’ll give you an incredible variety of songs
• The only radio station that gives you 50-minute music hours
• All your favourite songs from all your favourite stars
All very nice but memorable? No.
You need to pick a word or short phrase and own it. Make it signify what your station is in the mind of your listener. Your message needs to be sharpened to the point where it can cut through the clutter of our over communicated world.
Keep it simple, keep it focused, keep it clear, keep it consistent and you’ll get them lining up around the corner.
by David Tyler | Dec 18, 2008 | LinkedIn, Voice Overs
So here it is, over the last decade or more I have had many people from ALL walks of life asking me “so…how can I get into voice overs?” as if they’re asking how to get to Carnegie Hall…to which I say “practice, practice, practice”!
It’s About Delivery
To begin, remember that it’s not the quality of the voice that counts, it’s the quality of the delivery, an idea which is lost on 85% of the so-called “voice artists” at voices123.com and other such websites. For those just starting out, I suggest you find a good VO class. This may not be easy, but if you live in a major city, you should be able to find a choice of classes. Some also exist in smaller cities, but be sure to check out the credentials of the teaching staff before you commit. If classes are not available (and even if they are) I recommend a few books that I believe will give you a running start in the business.
“Secrets of Voice Over Success” by Joan Baker features the viewpoints of more than a dozen working Voice Actors, like my friend Joe Cipriano and the late Don Lafontaine. You’ll learn from their experiences, and receive terrific guidance in the areas of acting, studio techniques, client relations, and many other areas.”Step Up to the Mic: A Positive Approach to Succeeding in Voice-Overs” and “You Can Bank on Your Voice” by Rodney Saulsberry. These books explore critical aspects of VO from the viewpoint of one of the most successful Voice Actors in the business.“The Art of Voice Acting” by James R. Alburger. Step by step instruction on developing a voice over career, including exercises to help strengthen your instrument. And remember, practice doesn’t make perfect. ‘Perfect practice’ makes perfect.
What kind of equipment do I need?
It’s a lot less complicated than it was when I was starting out. Today, all you really need to get started is a computer, a good microphone and software (I use Pro Tools). There are a number of software programs that you can purchase or download that will allow you to record, edit and enhance your voice. I suggest you investigate your options based on what you can afford. I, like most of the top Voice Actors have ISDN Digital Phone lines. With ISDN, you can work from your home studio to virtually any place in the world that has the same equipment. There is new technology that’s slowly becoming an industry standard that allows you almost instant computer access to your clients called Source-Connect, by Source-Elements which I own and use regularly. Source Connect works exactly like ISDN but is far less costly ($400) and uses your high speed internet connection.
What can I do to improve my voice?
Believe it or not singing lessons always help. I’ve sung in Men’s choirs and in various singing groups including a barbershop quartet. You may never perform in Carnegie Hall, but you will improve your breath control, and expand the range of your vocal delivery. Also, simply using (not abusing) your voice by reading out loud will, over time, improve the quality and strength of your instrument. Don’t think that smoking and drinking is going to help you develop a deep, rich tone. Smoking and drinking will help you develop cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. Take care of your voice, and it will work for you.
by David Tyler | Dec 3, 2008 | Advertising, Branding, LinkedIn, Marketing, New Media
Well, as I get ready to go back to school to start teaching some of the things I’ve learned over the years as a small business owner along comes this new book called “Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy,” by marketing wizard Martin Lindstrom. The book is based on a research project that Lindstrom conducted over three years. He and his team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) technology to understand what happens in consumers’ brains as they are exposed to advertising and specific brands. This research falls under a body of marketing called neuromarketing. And hold on to your hat because it shatters some previously hardcore beliefs about marketing!
- Fear sells, sex doesn’t. Our primal instinct as human beings is to survive; therefore, fear and sex are key. Fear relates to our survival: Do I have enough to eat? Will I have enough money when I retire? Is that product safe? Sex relates to procreation. In this respect, Lindstrom claims that political fear-based advertising is effective because it taps into our primal concerns of survival. Sex-based advertising, however, overwhelms us physically, so all we take away is the sexual part and we disregard the brand associated with it.
- Pass the cigarettes, please. Did you know that global cigarette smoking has increased 13 percent and that warning labels are part of the reason? In fact, Lindstrom’s findings suggested that the warning labels stimulate the nucleus accumbens, a region of the brain that increases cravings. Tobacco companies have actually been able to increase sales even though cigarette advertising has been banned in most countries.
- Forget product placements. This is a hard one to swallow, but according to the research 99 percent of product placements are completely ineffective. What about the 1 percent? The only effective product placements integrate into the content in a completely meaningful way. Here’s a way to test it out: if your brand can be replaced with any other brand and it wouldn’t make any difference, your sponsorship or product placement is probably a waste of money. However, if the addition or removal of your brand would affect the environment’s context, you’re probably on the right track. Think of “American Idol.” AT&T is a good integration, Coca-Cola is ok, but Ford isn’t good at all.
- Logos are meaningless. In many cases, it’s preferable to not even have a logo on your advertising.
- Advertising agencies should hire rabbis, priests, and imams as consultants. Lindstrom claims that strong brands are like religions and how a Catholic feels when viewing an image of the Virgin Mary is how a brand evangelist feels when experiencing his brand affinity. Brands should try to create rituals that are similar to religious rituals. Think about green bean casserole and Thanksgiving. The two are so connected that one of the key ingredients, French Fried Onions, probably wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for this holiday and the classic American dish.
by David Tyler | Jun 1, 2007 | Copywriting, LinkedIn
Whether writing for an online catalog, a blog or an e-newsletter, certain rules hold true. (In many cases, they’re similar to those your 8th grade English teacher taught you.) “How to write for the Web” at USC’s Online Journalism Review, edited by Robert Niles, offers some concise tips for highly effective online communication:
Keep it short and sweet. Online readers have remarkably short attention spans. Expect them to skip over flowery prose and any paragraph running longer than five lines. Break text up with bullet points, bold headers and block quotes.
Maintain an active voice. Overly complex tenses (e.g. will have been) and overuse of the passive verb “to be” (e.g. is, was or were) lend a passive tone. We handily exceeded expectations has more punch than We will have handily exceeded expectations or Expectations were handily exceeded.
Attribute your sources. You earn maximum credibility by making it easy for readers to find your source material. Provide a URL (a Web page’s address) or—even better—a hypertext link (a highlighted word that links to the URL) embedded in your text with simple html codes.
Finally, do a quick spell-check before publishing. Even one mistake looks sloppy and can weaken your authority on the subject.
Learn more here at the Annenberg Center for Communication at USC.
by David Tyler | May 8, 2007 | Copywriting, LinkedIn, Radio Imaging
Everytime I hear a radio station use the “More Music” line to brand their radio station I cringe. Not only does it say nothing about the radio station’s brand image but as more people discover other music services (satellite, cable, internet) and buy into the iPod boom the less “More Music” is a selling point. Your listener will say, “10 songs in a row?!?! I’ve got 10,000 in a row with no commercials!!”
Take those 10 seconds to tell him/her something more relevant, build your brand image.
Re-think your imaging. If you’re one of the thousands of station’s that still says you play “the most music”…step ahead of the crowd and make a bold image statement!
If you don’t know where to start…just ask your listeners why they listen…and maybe more importantly, why they come back!
