Tune in to better radio ads: too many banks are content to broadcast mediocre commercials on the AM/FM dial. We asked experts for advice on how marketers can juice up advertising done over the airwaves. (Feature).

At the time, it sounded like a great idea. A financial institution (that shall remain nameless) had a successful print advertising campaign that it wanted to convert to radio. The ads featured images of diamonds, symbolizing the bank's strength and stability. The proposed radio script talked about how--deep inside the earth--it took millions of years of pressure for carbon to be compressed into diamonds. The highlight of the spot was supposed to be a sound effect of "diamonds being made."

When the radio producer saw the script, he scratched his head. What sound would the average listener instantly recognize as that of carbon being converted into diamonds? The script was visual and abstract--written by someone who knew little about radio's unique requirements. The concept ultimately had to be discarded in favor of another that was more "radio friendly."

"I had a client who gave me a script that called for sound effects of a man sleeping on a screened-in porch," says Paul Fey, president and chief creative officer at World Wide Wadio, a large radio commercial production company in Hollywood, Calif. "Clearly, the writer was used to working for television. He was forcing a visual image into an audio medium. It didn't work."

These two stories symbolize a problem that is common in radio advertising for the financial services industry. Many bank marketers don't understand radio and, all too often, either create or approve radio commercials that are weak, unworkable or ineffective. The difficulty is particularly noticeable at community banks where, for budget reasons, radio is sometimes the only broadcast advertising that the institutions buy.

Bad radio can hurt. "A truly awful commercial can actually annoy people," notes Fey, whose company annually produces hundreds of new radio commercials for clients including such financial service companies as Wells Fargo & Co., Cal Fed and Bank of America. "An annoying ad leaves a negative impression of your brand."

ABA Bank Marketing magazine asked several seasoned radio-advertising experts to assess the special challenges of the medium and to pinpoint the common mistakes that financial institutions make with it. Their observations and recommendations follow.

Communicating through the ear

Radio is less expensive than television. Production of a top-drawer radio commercial with professional actors can cost $20,000 as opposed to $500,000 for a comparable television ad. For this reason, some--but not all--advertising agencies assign their senior copywriters to television, while relegating their less experienced junior writers to radio.

This can be a mistake since radio writing calls for special skills, says Barbara Goldman, president and producer at BG Productions inc., New York, a radio commercial production company. Radio scripts are best produced by persons practiced in crafting for the ear as opposed to the eye, she notes. Although her production company has worked for such major financial institutions as Citibank and Chase, she has also helped a number of smaller companies. "Many clients are afraid of radio," she says. "They don't know how to approach it."

Some of the other distinguishing aspects of radio are that production time is shorter, and it's easier to modify or create variations of the original ad. "Once you have a script and a cast, it's possible to go into the production studio in the morning and walk out with the finished product by the end of the day," Goldman relates. Regional banks take advantage of this flexibility to create inexpensive customized variations on one ad for the institution's differing geographic regions.

Radio commercials are usually longer, 60 seconds--as opposed to 30 seconds on TV. This fact offers opportunities as well as dangers, says Brian Klam, creative director for Flying Brick Radio, a radio commercial scripting and production company in Annapolis, Md. Radio ads offer more time to convey information, but this creates a temptation to introduce laundry lists of facts, which can weaken effectiveness, "The trick is to convey needed information without neglecting the ad's personality or the bank's brand," says Klam.

Another feature is that listeners often don't give their full attention to radio. People listen while doing something else: driving a car or working on a computer. "With print or TV, you participate by looking at the page or a screen. It's in the foreground," say Fey, from World Wide Wadio. "But radio, for the most part, is background music."

Misused and undervalued

Typical bank radio commercials are distressingly similar to one another. One of the common mistakes that marketers make is failing to differentiate their institution by adding personality to their spots, says Klam of Flying Brick Radio. "There are certain conventions that banking people are comfortable with and, as a result, a lot-of ads are stale--almost cliched." By having personality," Klam means presenting material that is fresh, creative and speaks to the lives of listeners.

Two of the errors that Goldman of BG Productions sees are commercials that lack focus and jam in too many selling--rather than entertainment--points. Commercials should always leave you with a pleasant impression, she says. Her ideal ad has humorous interaction between two likable characters. "The first time you hear it, you may not get all of the punch lines, but this will encourage you to listen again." This approach also plays to one of radio's strengths: repetition.

The shortcoming that Fey, of World Wide Wadio, sees is the failure of clients to appreciate the value of radio and to spend the money necessary to develop an effective message. In small media markets, radio stations often offer to write and produce commercials for free. Broadcasters do this to encourage the client to use the money saved on production to make a larger media buy. "You get what you pay for," Fey comments. These commercials usually are clumsily written, without fresh voices. Financial institutions would do better to hire an experienced ad agency or radio boutique and spend the money upfront on getting the message right. If the message is "right," it will work, even if the media buy is smaller, he adds.

Many bank marketers know that radio works well as a complement to television, serving as an inexpensive way to reinforce and "extend" the video message. Good radio also can stand on its own as a primary campaign medium. It can impart information (about a product or a rate) or build a brand image. Some of its noteworthy strengths are creating name recognition (through repetition or rhythmic devices such as a clever jingle) and driving people to a website (since many listeners are sitting at computers).

The following are a collection of practical tips for producing better radio commercials.

Recognize and embrace the medium. Radio commercials are hard to write. Also, it's difficult to hide bad writing. "If you have a poorly written TV commercial, you can divert the viewer's attention by using flashy graphics," says Fey. "You can't do that with radio." All the visualization is in the mind. "They're like little bitty movies for the ears," he adds. The bottom line: Be conscious of the medium and work to its strengths. Use writers and producers with radio experience.

Grab your listeners' attention during the first seconds. This can be accomplished through a variety of techniques: an arresting sound, interesting music, an intriguing statement, an appealing voice or humorous interaction between characters. Remember, a radio commercial is about entertainment and keeping the listener engaged. There's a temptation to overuse humor, and this can be a trap. Lame humor can boomerang. "Don't try to be funny unless it is really funny; otherwise, you alienate your audience," notes Fey.

Keep your message simple. Don't cram in a lot of facts. "Commercials jammed full of information can be confusing," says Goldman. If you have three products to promote, don't try to cover all of them in one ad. Create separate commercials for each. Determine what message you are delivering. Maintain a sharp focus on that message.

Hold your listener's attention throughout. Remember, you are entertaining. Interact with listeners by engaging their imagination and emotions. "Let the listeners' imagination fill in the blanks" says Fey. Use the natural appeal of the human voice to make your communication warm and personal. Create likable characters and allow them to interact in an engaging way.

Create an ad personality. The commercial should be new and distinctive, and it should also reflect positively on the bank's brand. "Finding an agency that does a good job with radio and can create a bright personality is more important than working with an agency that can strictly understand financial services," claims Klam from Flying Brick Radio. "True, there might be a learning curve if you find someone who doesn't have much financial services experience, but in the end you'll get fresher stuff. It's easier to teach a creative radio person to write about banks than to teach someone who knows about banks to do out-of-the box creative work."

Reward the listener for tuning in. This can be a special offer or simply the entertainment value of the spot itself. If the commercial features beautiful music, leave them in a contented state. If the ad is intended to be humorous, leave them with a smile.

In summary, be particular about who creates your radio ads. Don't do them yourself. Don't let the radio station do them for you. "There are too many dull and mundane radio commercials on the air," laments Klam. "They don't get noticed. They don't justify the dollars spent to run them."

If you don't believe it, turn on your local radio station and listen. "It's a sad statement, but the fact is that the majority of the radio ads are very poorly and unprofessionally done," adds Fey. "The silver lining, of course, is that if you go to trouble and expense of creating a quality radio message, your bank will really stand out from the crowd."

RELATED ARTICLE: Guide To Evaluating a Radio Proposal

When judging a radio campaign proposal submitted by an agency, keep these suggestions in mind:

* Always ask for a demo. Never react based on a written script. Close your eyes the first time you listen to the demo.

* Ask yourself: Does it entertain as well as inform? Does it hold your attention?

* Try to think how you would react if your world did not revolve around the banking industry. How would the average person respond? Do the ads speak to consumers in a way that is important to their lives?

* Review your underlying campaign goal. Are you promoting primarily a specific product or the bank's brand? Do the ads hit the target?

One Ban's Radio Voice

These scripts of two recent radio ads from Chase in New York contain a number of good elements: original concepts; humor; interesting voices and music; interplay between two characters; emotion; simple, yet attention-getting sound effects; strong brand identity.

The Revolving Door (60 seconds)

LAMAR: Sheila, if I understand you correctly, you're saying the revolving door at this bank of yours somehow recognizes you?

SHEILA: You need to consider the entire pattern of events, Lamar. I walk into Chase, a banker says, "Miss Reese, what do you need?" I go to the teller, the teller says, "The usual, Miss Reese?"

LAMAR: Miss Reese, right, I'm following.

SHEILA: They call me on the phone, "Miss Reese, just checking up to see if it's all good, Miss Reese." See where I'm going here?

LAMAR: Yes, but to suggest that the revolving door says "Miss Reese" when you enter the bank...

SHEILA: Listen, listen, listen, I'll go in.

SOUND EFFECT: Reeeeeeees.

SHEILA: Did you hear it, Lamar? Reeeees.

LAMAR: I heard a squeaky door. That's all.

SHEILA: Know what the problem is, you don't bond with your bank.

LAMAR: We're talking about banks here. You're not supposed to bond.

SHEILA: Oh Lamar, I can't live in that world.

SOUND EFFECT: Music

ANNOUNCER: Go ahead, raise your expectations. Chase. The right relationship is everything.

LEGAL: 2002 JPMorgan Chase Bank. Member FDIC

The Kiss (30 seconds)

STACEY: Hey Emilio, I was just on the phone with Chase, and as I was saying good-bye, I said Mo-aah! (sound of a blown kiss). Is that weird?

EMILIO: Yes, let's retrace.

STACEY: OK, they called me up to tell me that I would be better off in a different checking account because I had enough of a balance, and I wouldn't pay fees. We started talking about my financial goals. It was all very comfortable. And, as we said good-bye, I said Mo-aah!

EMILIO: Mo-aah?

STACEY: Mo-aah.

EMILIO: Eeoow.

STACEY: Yeah.

ANNOUNCER: It's your money. Be comfortable with regular checkups from your banker. Chase. The right relationship is everything.

LEGAL: 2002 JPMorgan Chase Bank. Member FDIC

To hear to recordings of these commercials, telephone [phone].

Win Recognition for Outstanding Radio Work

Radio is one of the categories in the annual ABA Marketing Network Ad Awards contest. Each year at its annual conference, the ABA Marketing Network recognizes the best ads--including radio spots--promoting financial institutions. Both advertising agencies and banks can enter. The entry form for ads broadcast during 2002 will be available by the end of March 2003.

To ensure that you are on the mailing list to receive an entry form, contact Barbara Payne at the ABA Marketing Network, Washington, D.C. E-mail: [e-mail]. Tollfree telephone: (800) BANKERS, extension 5283. Direct dial: [phone].

Walt Albro is the editor of ABA Bank Marketing magazine.