What About the Listener?

When you're working with a client, getting them excited about their spot, you're both thinking about how to transmit their message in the most effective way possible. YOU know what they want to say; YOUR CLIENT knows what they want the audience to hear. And many times, when you fly without a copywriter or a production director, you become very client-centered---meaning you worry only about how the client likes the spot.

But what about the listener? Have you ever thought about how your listener, listens?Here's an idea to consider.

Most times, listeners come to a radio station as an escape. News, talk, music--whatever. The listener doesn't want to work---they want to be entertained. Well, here you come with as client centered spot, that includes all the details your client wants and even uses the creative style that was agreed upon. And what happens? You put the listener to work---and they immediately tune you out.

Too much information, too much shouting, too many ideas and numbers and addresses you're trying to get them to remember----it all works to say to the listener,' hey, pay attention to all this.' They don't want to----remember, they want entertainment and expect the same out of their commercial breaks(stop set). Plus, if you're not positioned first in the stop set, they may have already endured 2,3,4 spots before your client's message arrives.

So again, if your spot makes them work, they tune it out. And that means opportunities get lost again and again. If your spot informs simply, or entertains using a simple concept and idea, you've got them. Then, it's frequency that will carry the day.

Keep this in mind when working with your client and acquiring information. You have to target one idea and one problem per spot. Transmit that information to your creative team, or to us. Use the KISS method (Keep It Simple Sister)of creating radio spots, and you'll keep your listeners through the stop sets longer and be more effective when the stop sets come on. Remind your client, sure it's about their product or service, but in the end, it's about engaging the listener.