Radio stations have been painted with the “too many commercials” brush for decades – perhaps since the glory days of Top 40 radio and Bill Drake. But that was in the period where radio stations simply compared themselves to other stations in the market. Today, the yardstick has changed – broadening out to many different channels and services that listeners hold up against radio.
Now, millions of consumers pay a few bucks a month and get nothing but music – with no commercials at all. And a growing number of consumers are opting to pay the price to eschew advertisements of any kind.
But it goes beyond the quantity of commercials and where radio programmers place them in their clocks. The quality of commercials has also become a talking point. The airwaves are loaded with commercials for sexual dysfunction, elimination problems, and other personal products that couldn’t have possibly made the made it on the log back in the day. From obnoxious per inquiry spots to remnant ads, commercial load is often the least of radio’s problems.
Annoying commercials are nothing new. If you lived in New York City back in the ’70s and ’80s, Crazy Eddie was everywhere, featuring the irritating rants of owner Eddie Antar. The spots were tagged with “Our prices are INSANE!! – a memorable and irritating line. In those days, I was working for ABC Radio, and our New York station, WPLJ, was a popular host for Crazy Eddie ads. And the higher its ratings, the more commercials they ran. And it reached the point where PD Larry Berger went to the mat to ban those offensive ads from his station – and won.
No way that happens today.
But now it turns out the Larry (and most of us programmers through the ages) may have had it wrong all along. A new study of prestigious Cannes Lions award winners has determined that some of the best commercials are…pretty annoying.
Ace Metrix did the research – a scientific study of nearly 200 winning ads. And the result was creating clusters of commercials that exhibited common traits and similar emotional reactions from respondents. The four most successful clusters are below, along with the percentage of Cannes Lion winners that fell into each:
- Universally funny 7%
- Heartfelt 7%
- Wait, What? 14%
- Annoying 20%
Commercials that make you laugh and bring out your emotions tend to score pretty well. And spots in the “Wait, What?” category often first confuse, then create attention, and often draw the viewer in.
But it’s the truly irritating spots that stand out. As the analysts note, they are often “highly polarizing” with strong “hate” scores. Observers use words like “dumb, gross, and mean.” But they work. In fact, one-fifth of Cannes Lion winners landed in the “annoying” cluster.
Here’s an example of one of the spots cited in the study. It’s an award winner – and yes, it’s irritating:
You can download and read the study here.
More recently, you might have seen a combination of “Wait, What?” and the “Annoyance Factor” at work during the amazing Astros/Dodgers World Series. YouTube has brilliantly hijacked these games, creating a marketing moment that can steal your attention.
By perfectly positioning their familiar red “play” button on the backstop, YouTube makes fans feel like they were watching a video – or were they? The net effect was YouTube simultaneously annoying fans, while generating massive buzz especially on social media during Game 1 when it first appeared.
You can see how it worked in this brief video where YouTube owned the game (especially with a right-handed batter at the plate).
Jerry Lee can’t be entirely thrilled with the finding that being annoying may be a marketing virtue. In case you don’t know, Jerry’s the iconic broadcaster behind the legendary WBEB in Philadelphia. And he’s made it his life’s crusade to improve the quality of radio commercials. No easy task, right?
Working with research firm Sensory Logic, – using a technique called “facial coding” – Jerry has put together a list of “do’s and don’t’s” to help radio production directors make better commercials. From using two voices (rather than one), to not leading with price, and making sure to tell a story, Jerry’s punch list is a compelling tool to help anybody in radio at any level produce less annoying and hopefully, more effective commercials.
And when you think about both the YouTube and Geico efforts shown in this post, they capture Jerry’s advice to “Keep it close to home by playing off what is familiar” as well as his “3-Second Rule: Pull the listener/viewer in quickly.” These ads accomplish both of those goals – and then some.
By applying some of these “best practices,” you still may not end up winning a Cannes Lion award for your efforts. But you could help an advertiser reach their goal, without losing a diary or a meter in the process.
As for those annoying commercials, maybe Crazy Eddie was onto something.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at radio broadcasters breaking the sales business model – and making it work.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- The Forecast For Radio: “Make A New Plan, Stan” - November 15, 2024
- What Advice Would You Give To Your Young Radio Self? - November 14, 2024
- When Your Radio Station Becomes A Greatest Hits Album - November 13, 2024
Fred, one thing to keep in mind, especially with the ads such as the You Tube ads at the WS. They’re actually not there. They’re placed there by TV. It’s actually a green screen available for anything TV wants to put there
John, I “get” that – it’s a technical trick, if you will. But I think the big takeaway from it is that it’s clever, it becomes part of the game, it’s mildly disruptive, and it’s highly attention-getting. If we could more of those elements into radio ads, we’d be way ahead of the game. Thanks for the comment.
Usually the greatest obstacle to the in-house creation of high quality advertisements for radio are the station’s sales and management teams. They’re under pressure. They want to get the order in then sign off on it. The actual quality and effectiveness of the ad is secondary. Or tertiary.
Everyone wants an award winning spot, but the resources aren’t available. Producers today typically are spread too thin. Copywriters are gone. Clients or salespeople often write their own copy, and the producer is too busy to salvage it. Owners like Jerry Lee who prioritize the quality of commercials are a rare, visionary breed.
Decades ago we had in-house full time copywriters and multiple commercial producers. Our spots often rivaled the work of national ad agencies. Our spot sets were short. Clients’ phones rang after their spots ran.
Today the labor costs saved by merging stations and cutting creative staff may ultimately result in even greater revenue loss. As the quality of radio advertising decays – the entire medium becomes less attractive to advertisers who increasingly are turning to digital.
Ideally a good spot would be enjoyable to listen to, compelling, and effective for the advertiser. Listeners win. Advertiser wins. Sales wins. The goal was to get advertisers to increase the percentage of their marketing dollars earmarked for radio, which has never gotten its fair share of the pie. We used to be able to help accomplish that with a team of creatives at a single station, but corporate owners did not associate the expense of our salaries with the revenue we were enabling our station to generate.
It might be too late to stop the downward spiral, but we have to keep trying.
Thanks for highlighting the need for high quality creative for radio, it’s a necessary component if commercial radio is to thrive. Sorry for my long winded rant.
Jeff, you lay out the obstacles well – and they’re very familiar to most of the people reading this blog. It’s challenging for the industry to look at that 20% of every hour differently. We’re going to talk about some of the risk-takers tomorrow, but you are correct that Jerry Lee is a rare breed. Thanks for the note.
Jeff, you are right ON the friggen’ money!
Back in the 70’s when my father worked in marketing for a major retailer he referred to the success of those “annoying” commercials (like Crazy Eddie) as the “Popeil Effect”. It taught me that “quality” and “success” are in the eye of the beholder.
There’s a lot to be said for repetition & irritation – definitely the Crazy Eddie formula. Thanks for the story, Tim.
In the 1970’s in NYC, Crazy Eddie radio spots were on almost every major station. WPLJ did several focus groups (I think Fred moderated) and found that listeners hated those spots. Our GM at the time, Nick Trigony, suggested that we “blow up” a Crazy Eddie spot on the air, and we did, with full sound effects of a tape cartridge jamming and halting on our air. After that, we were able to run the “soft” Crazy Eddie radio spots on WPLJ. Jerry Carroll, the voice and face of Crazy Eddie actually made “lite” versions of his pitch that generally ran on more adult-oriented stations. WPLJ being highly concentrated 12-24 made a stand and negotiated a deal to run the lite versions.
Larry, your memory is better than mine – probably because you were captaining that amazing station. I had forgotten about the “explosion.” I was in NYC that day and now remember listening to it with a combination of glee and respect for you and Nick that you were able to get this done. As I recall, the next “hill” was Oxy 5. Thanks for setting my memory straight, and commenting on this post.
Cannes Lion Awards are based on the judges interpretation of creativity. Creativity, and even some would say, memorability, do not necessarily correlate to getting people to act. Many of the local advertisers on Radio want/ need users to act. Having an annoying ad may way be memorable, even “ear-catching”. But, the buyer wants results and the user wants to not be so annoyed they have to turn the radio down. The AIDA (attention, interest, decision, action) theory still applies today. Annoying or funny, or just informative. First we must arouse their attention, build their interest enough to get them want what you’re selling, and then move them to action. The REAL CREATIVITY is getting users to move through that process, without leaving the channel.
Les, it’s probably a combination of the two. The award winners are probably more about branding than taking action. But they typically do a good job of sucking you in (one of Jerry Lee’s key attributes), but their ability to motivate you to spend money is more questionable. How can radio learn the important lessons from Cannes Lion award winners on the one hand, and Jerry on the other? Thanks for taking the time to comment.
quick story: Years ago I was at a Super Bowl party with ad people mostly from Hill Holliday. They oooo’d and ahhhhh’d at the brilliant commercials. 3 minutes back into the game I said “quick, name a single advertiser from that last spot set”. They couldn’t.
Yup, the difference between award winners & effective ads. Thanks, Jeff.
Fred, looks like you’ve struck a chord!
Those of us who worked in the Milwaukee, Rockford, Madison corridor will recall a Crazy Eddie imitator (yes, there really was one) who went by Crazy TV Lenny pitching electronics and appliance retailer, American of Madison.
Lenny aped virtually everything Eddie was doing. Unlike Eddie (whose spots were done by DJ Jerry Carroll, Lenny (Len Mattioli) did his own commercials and had some ideas of his own. Perhaps his most famous promotion was “get a bike,” (bicycle). “Buy a washer & dryer – get a bike.”
Nonetheless, the same there was a similar push to get Crazy TV Lenny off radio stations by programmers. I don’t recall any successes but maybe somebody else who was programming in that area and that era does?
I was just starting doing research for WQFM, Milwaukee at the time and we conducted a project on people’s attitudes toward commercials. If I make an excursion into the basement I might find it (but my writing from that era, might serve to embarrass me more than anything else). The key finding, however, is something I’ve carried with me after all these years.
ALMOST everybody found Lenny, and likewise car dealers who also shouted, annoying. There was, however, a specific type of person who found them “informative.” Yes, really.
Consumers who planned to buy a stereo, television, etc. in the near term (can’t recall if that was 6 mo., 3 mo., or sooner) labeled the spots “informative.” Again, time has blurred the details; did we give them the option to select both annoying and informative, or just one choice?
I’ll have to see if I can find the report and come up with more details but the point has never been lost on me that Crazy Lenny & Eddie knew what they were doing. Sure, those spots annoyed and blew off the majority of our audience, but for the small percentage that had decided it was time to buy the products that Lenny or Eddie were selling, their 2 x 4 approach was like the morning alarm clock going off. It got the most likely buyers attention and drove traffic and sales.
Remember, the downfall of Crazy Eddie wasn’t that he failed to sell merchandise. From the beginning, he was committing fraud to pay less taxes. Fraud and other schemes eventually brought him down, not a lack of sales. Eddie died broke in 2016.
Crazy TV Lenny’s personal story has a happier ending. He stopped doing spots in 1998. He reduced his involvement in the “American” chain and spent more time in the Caymen Islands. Unfortunately, the new ownership group didn’t fare as well and in 2014 closed all of the stores. They probably could have used the help of a pitchman like Crazy TV Lenny.
Despite my defense of the approach Crazy Ed and Crazy TV Lenny used to sell merchandise, Fred and I have spoken many times over the years, about better commercial production. How much better could our stations be if we paid as much attention to spots as we do to promos? I also think that consumers today have changed and if we conducted the same study, we would likely get different results, but in their days, screams PRICES THAT ARE INSANE – or GET A BIKE, GET A BIKE, GET A BIKE, worked and worked for a good reason.
Andy, great story, and very typical of the marketplace “back in the day.” But in many ways, some of those same techniques are at work today in radio ads from Tom Shane to Kars For Kids. Larry Berger and Nick Trigony took that stand at WPLJ in 1980. But as we know, it was a very different radio industry back then.
As you conclude, better commercial production benefits everyone – stations (and their ratings), advertisers, and of course, the audience. Thanks for the kind words and the story.
Annoying radio ads may help with name recognition — there are a couple of car dealers in the nearest metro whose radio ads are obnoxious — but personally, they keep me from considering them the next time I buy a car.
That’s not to say there aren’t problems with radio commericials today — there are, and Jeff Berlin points out most of them. I’d love to have the time to create quality, effective ads for our clients. Sometimes, though, I just have to groan and read the script I have.
Don, I get it and so do most others reading your comment. Jerry Lee’s foundational issue is that radio simply needs to elevate the importance of what you do. For too long, the quality of commercials has been ignored, leaving us in the lurch we’re in now. Thanks for chiming in.
Many, many years ago, when I got started in the radio biz, Dick Orkin and Bert Berdis were making some of the most listenable and effective ads on radio. In fact, their ads (not to mention the work of Stan Freberg, as well as here in Detroit the old Highland Appliance radio ads “Today, thousands of people shop at Highland Appliance. But who and why? Let’s find out, shall we?…” Hopefully somebody at Doner still has a copy on some playable medium) was what drove me to the production room instead of the air studio. Talk about theatre of the Mind.
I wrote a letter to Orkin way back when asking how a young guy like me could get get better and actually make a living making radio commercials and got a very nice letter back from his executive producer Christine Coyne who said among other things that a commercial must be intrinsically rewarding, which I took to mean that an advertiser was asking a listener to spend 60-seconds of the listener’s life with the advertiser’s ad, and in exchange, the advertiser had to give something back, whether it was a laugh or a chuckle, some genuinely useful information, a snappy melody — something! –because that would be 60-seconds that the listener would not be able to live over again if said listening turned out to be a waste of time. That’s stuck with me ever since.
It should be noted that there’s a world of difference between award winning ads and results producing ads…and in my experience given a choice between the two, the guy who’s writing the check for the ad would rather have the results (meaning the opportunity to generate more revenue by having people show up at his door in response to the ad), than a wall of awards. After all, you can take the award to Kroger and they’ll tell you, “That’s lovely, you still owe us $2.89 for the milk.”
A final point: I’ve never understood, when, commercials comprise 10, 12, maybe even 18 minutes of every hour a radio station is on the air, why (most) programmers, sales managers, GMs and owners don’t insist (especially these days) the commercials (they’re only responsible for the station’s revenue, don’t forget) aren’t the best, most engaging part of the programming.
Pete, there’s a lot of wisdom in these words. Coming up in the Motor City, we each saw and heard some amazing commercial production. At WRIF in the ’70s and early ’80s, we had a dedicated production director – Dave Simmons – who was immensely talented and created great spots (and lots of spec spots) for our advertisers. It was especially necessary for a rock station back then as the advertising community was still skeptical but “whether it would last.” Dave’s production helped legitimize the station, giving us much needed cred.
I appreciate the distinction between ads that are award winners, and those that effectively sell stuff and put butts in seats. Clearly, some of the Cannes Lion winners are in the first category, not necessarily the second.
Regarding Orkin, I was in a Starbucks earlier this week talking with an old radio friend, Marty Wall, who spent much time at Q107 in DC, as well as Z100. We were talking podcasts, and he wondered whether anyone was doing drama on that platform a la Orkin’s brilliant “Chicken Man.” The moment he uttered those words, an aging Boomer sitting next to us perked up and started doing Chicken Man sound effects.
Great to hear from you, and thanks for the insightful comment.
—Sales contract is signed
—Uncreative sales person writes the copy
—Overworked production director reads/records the spot
—Traffic surrounds it with a bunch of other spots just like it.
REPEAT
A formula for mediocrity and ultimately, obsolescence. Thanks for saying it in a lot fewer words.
It’s so interesting that the ads that had strong hate scores were more popular than those that don’t have that. I guess it makes sense because if you feel a strong emotion towards something, you’re more likely to remember it. The emotion doesn’t matter. I’ll definitely have to put this information to good use!
Tori, thanks for writing & glad it helped.