The 7 secrets of creative radio advertising

The concept

Creativity in radio advertising matters! The evidence suggests that good creativity leads to better efficiency and satisfied clients, so we are delighted to highlight the work of Qgroup (Belgium) and Q-music (Netherlands) in support of radio advertising creativity, with a special focus on a book launch and workshop for the Belgian market.

April 19 2013 saw not one but two events in Brussels that focused on radio advertising creativity. This egta bite looks at an event organised by Qgroup, the sales house of the Belgian commercial stations Q-music and JOE FM, to launch a new book by Tony Hertz, the renowned radio copywriter and former Creative Director at McCann Erickson, Tokyo, Brussels and Birmingham: The 7 secrets of creative radio advertising.

The relationship dates back to 2010, when representatives from Q-music Netherlands saw Hertz present at an egta event in Amsterdam. Since then, he has carried out almost 50 workshops and seminars for the sales house. This lead to a partnership to complete a book that was already in development, culminating in the launch of a Dutch translation in late 2012 and a sales-house branded English version at the event held by Qgroup at their studios just outside Brussels on 19 April.

The workshop brought together some 70 participants from advertisers, agencies and production houses, and the companies represented included BBDO, KBC, Mondelez, TBWA, Neckermann, Space, OMD and Havas Media. Prior to Hertz’s presentation, Qgroup gave the creative agencies a tour and presentation of their AIR research study; this group is particularly hard to reach and rarely attends sessions hosted by sales houses, making it a particularly valuable opportunity.

Hertz started by looking at some of the creative issues that form a barrier to radio advertising: poor levels of creative quality can lead to advertisers and agencies being unsatisfied by their radio spots, and the copy that is produced today has failed to evolve in sophistication alongside other media such as TV, digital and out-of-home. This is evident in the low numbers of radio campaigns that are entered at the Cannes Lions relative to other media. Less than 9% of entries last year were for radio, compared to nearly 30% for print. Even in Belgium, which had a good level of entries, 80% of the radio campaigns came from just three agencies.

So why does radio lag behind? Hertz identifies three main reasons:

» Marketing communications are +/- 100% visual
» Creatives are not taught the skills needed for good radio copywriting
» A lack of obsession and passion for the medium

In his book, Hertz explains seven secrets that will help clients and copywriters better understand how radio advertising works and how they can get fantastic results by using radio. Using clear examples and illustrations, he draws on 40 years’ experience in creative advertising to peel back some of the perceived mysteries of radio, demonstrating that with the right focus and mindset, radio advertising is truly inspiring and effective. To support the content, Hertz includes links to “25 of the best radio spots you’ve ever heard” on a dedicated website.

Qgroup plans to continue to carry out workshops of this type with top creative agencies in the future.

Why this matters for egta members?

Whilst radio is not the easiest medium to get right, good creative work can have a major positive impact on the effectiveness of radio advertising. Initiatives that support and raise the level of creativity and that engage advertisers and agencies have been shown over and again to lead to satisfied clients and additional revenues. Q-music in the Netherlands and Qgroup in Belgium have shown their commitment to developing better radio creativity, both through their input to Hertz’s book and through their AIR XL research platform, and these form an important part of the work many egta radio members are carrying out in this field.

egta members can purchase copies of Hertz’s book (at a considerable discount from Hertz directly) and produce their own branded slip covers as an inspiring gift for their clients, and seminars of the type described above are a great way to engage creatives in radio advertising. Furthermore, as we have seen at egta’s own Radio Creativity Day, there are also great opportunities to coach young creatives, to get advertisers working with children in schools and to bring professional standards and greater recognition to the industry.

For further information on pricing and other options, please contact Tony Hertz directly or Matthew Carver at egta.