Try This Writing Exercise

(Quick note regarding last week's 'Colonoscopy.." blog. If you think I was exaggerating, a few days after I posted the blog we did a Valentine's Day spot for a client whose notes to the AE read, in part, "forget all the usual Valentine's Day gifts this year guys. Get her a gift that lasts-- a remote starter or heated seats.." Life is always funnier than fiction....MM)

Try this writing exercise----take a moment with a good friend, a spouse or even a co-worker. Spend 60 seconds talking to them about something you're both passionate about. Watch them carefully---watch how their attention wavers, how they reach a point where they tune the info out. Do this, observe, learn and you're starting to understand your listener a lot better.

Many times, salespeople question copy we send them. They're not sure whey we choose to eliminate information the client gives them, or why we choose the idea we do. The answer always lies with the listener. Targeting information and keeping the spot clean and simple is one aspect of making a client's spot more effective and impactful. However, that's for another discussion.

Here, let's focus on the reality of a 30 or 60 second spot. We realize that being third or fourth in a stop set is a nightmare for clients--- so we use this as a working model for developing creative. How do you bring an audience into your world when you're third of fourth, or even deeper in a stop set? Well, you start by understanding the first 5 to 7 seconds are crucial.

If you use the exercise I mentioned, in the beginning, you see your subject very involved in what you're saying. After the first 10 to 15 seconds, they begin to lose interest. Unless you do something to bring them back, you're going to lose them, along with your chance to make an impact. That's why, with BENMAR scripts, you'll find them structured to grab attention, and then reinforce attention throughout, using different creative methods.

Of course, you're using people who would naturally be interested in what you're going to talk about. On the air, that's not always so. Listeners are a diverse group, so grabbing them and holding them becomes even more difficult. Someone who knows you will open their mind and listen--- a listener hearing a radio ad isn't so forgiving. So that's why this model is so important for you to experience, and to see how your subject responds.

It's not rocket science and there's no formula to follow. But the more you understand how the listener listens, where they're going to pay attention and where they're not, the better you can acquire information, the more knowledgeable you can be discussing ideas with your client, and in the end, the more positive effect you can make for them, for their money.

Yes, there is a method to the madness. Try this and see what we mean.