unit 44 advertisements for radio

Task 1: Your task is to write an analysis of at least three different radio commercials. you should use the information and the headings below to help you structure your analysis.....
Advert 1- Hamlet horse race advert

The advert is humorous because its ironic as horse racing commentators generally talk fast and in a serious standard tone. The names of the horses are commonly recognised rhymes that are usually tongue twisters, signifying that in the style of a normal commentator who speaks quickly, it would usually be tricky to say.

It is a fictional advert because it doesn’t contain any actual facts apart form the name of the cigars, this connotes that the cigars are not a serious product, but people have them for pleasure. This is also a pastiche as at first it refers to horse racing, and makes fun out of the difficulty of commentating. This signifies that it is a fun product.

It is a complex advert, as you need to be able to understand the sport and the difficulty of commentating to understand the joke. It is also complex because the voice over actor would have had to practice their speech a lot of times to enable it to work properly. Because the advert only refers to the brand and not a particular product and doesn’t include dates or sales, this means that it will be a long term advert.

Advert 2- Alton Towers
This advert is a job advertisement for Alton Towers. It isn't a very serious advert and has funny elements to it because his voice is very recognisable but it is used out of the usual context which gives comedy to the advert. Also it is a factual advert because it is giving information about the job and how to apply etc.

The pitch of his voice is quiet low, however it changes in pitch getting higher, when the ambience of the roller coaster sounds as if it is going down, this makes the advert sound more realistic, like he really is on the roller coaster. The ambience of the roller coaster also adds excitement and a sense of fun to the advert connoting that the job would be fun and exciting as well.

This is a straight forward advert and has the facts at the end so it is the last thing you remember, but has excitement to start with so that the audience will recognise it. The target audience for this advert would be mostly young adults or teenagers looking for part-time jobs most likely because it connotes the job is fun therefore it would be most suitable for younger employees. Also it is a short term advert because it gives dates on it so it would be played for possibly a month leading up to the date and then wouldn't be played after that date.

Advert 3- Eric France scrap metal advert
The Eric France scrap metal advert doesn't have much humour, although it is not too serious. It had lots of facts including dates and figures of what you can save. The advert repeats the words "scrap metal", this is to get across what the product is. The advert is not complicated as it is straight forward on the product, the offer and the dates the offer is ending. It has an erotic quality, as the women is speaking seductively, this is to get men listening as it is an advert for men. The music bed makes the advert sound more relaxing, and also adds to the effect of the sexual nature of the advert, as burlesque music has connotations of a sexual nature.

Although the women is luring the men into the advert with a seductive voice, it is ironic, because of what she is actually advertising. A seductive voice isn't normally what you would associate with scrap metal, as it is dirty. Therefore the voice juxtaposes against the product of the advert.

Task 2: Create 2 very short commercials (15 seconds) use a different style and purpose for each one. Try and make the style and purpose very obvious and specify which type of radio station you will be advertising on and why?

Task 2 continued: Briefly explain how radio advertising is regulated and find out what and where the CAP Codes are. You must then produce a short commercial which breaks at least three of the CAP codes. Write an analysis of which codes were broken and how.
Radio adverts have to be regulated before they can be aired on any radio station. After the advert is produced, the advertising company will check the advert for offense using ASA CAP codes. The Radio is then put on the air as normal. If any complaints are put in, then the complains will be forwarded to ASA who will then do an investigation, taking the Advert of the air temporarily. After the investigation is complete, the Advert is either taken off the air permanently, or put back on the air. This depends on the number of complains and on weather or not the Advert has broken any CAP codes.

Task 3: Watch the video below, and answer the following questions.

For Galaxy radio, they have 3 sales team and these are, a sales team in London Their job is to talk to london advertising agencies and find out the companies who wish to advertise and also how they want to have their adverts created etc. There is also a sales team in Manchester, who would have a similar job to the London team, but these two are also the national teams which would run all the bigger national campaigns for the larger global brand. The other teams like the Leeds team would speak to local advertisers in Leeds, eg. local night clubs, restaurants, car dealers etc. and get the required information from them. For major global brands such as Coca Cola they wouldn't ask for specific local advertisements, because it wouldn't be worth the time and effort, these global brands use advertising for the whole of the UK.

Galaxy have their own way for charging clients, almost like a currency for Galaxy. This is called CPT (cost per thousand) which is when they use a computer programme to tell how many people each advert will reach at certain points in the day, and then Galaxy would charge a cost per thousand hits which is a flat rate which everybody would pay, then extra depending how long the advert runs for eg. £4000 a week for 3 months for the average first time advertisers.

On average Galaxy would have just short of 1 million listeners per week, who would listen for an average of 8 hours per week each. Galaxy will charge same to local companies as they would for global companies which is generally £4000 a week, this would also include 15% spent on paying to create the advert at galaxy which would work out at £600 a week.

They would also advise companies to stay with galaxy for roughly 3 months because people would listen generally at the same times each day so they need to spread the adverts out over the period of time to make sure everyone hears it. Also people generally need to hear an advert 3/4 times each to realise what they are about and get the message across.

The other ways clients can use galaxy to advertise besides adverts would be sponsorships, when they would sponsor specific shows on galaxy. Other ways are promotions and advertise on galaxy online.

Task 4: You are creating an advert for a new beer that is aimed at working men. Click on the hyperlink below and go through the process of finding an appropriate voice-over. Explain your actions and explain why you ended up choosing your particular voice-over.

The voice-over we have chosen is 'Southern Irish Voices - Male, Adam Fergus' we have chosen this specific one because with it being a beer advert, the target audience is mainly male and a male voice fits better than a female voice for this particular type of advert, especially because it's aimed at working men. The reason we chose a 'Southern Irish' accent is mainly because there is a stereotype of Irish men being known as heavy drinkers. Also this particular voice has quite and upbeat tone to it adding the affect of fun to the character and the advert.

Task 4 cont: Listen to the advert below and use it to explain why voice-overs are so important in radio advertising…

One of the main uses of voice-overs in radio advertising is if you recognise the voice from a previous advertisement then you would feel more comfortable, and maybe more likely to try out the new product(s) they are trying to sell. Also if you recognise the voice-over it might give you the impression that the company advertising is a bigger and better company that can afford the best voice-overs, in this case they have used 5 or more of the most popular or most well known speakers, this gives us the impression that they are a successful company that you should trust and buy from.

Task 5: In 300 words explain the role of MCPS and PRS generally. Explain how fees for using commercial music are decided upon and explain the annual fee for PGFM to use commercial music when creating adverts and explain the fees for Classic FM, Radio Aire and Galaxy.

The MCPS exists to collect and pay royalties from radio and TV stations and advertising agencies that would want to play a song from respective members such as recording artists on their show or advert. Also people who have illegally posted songs on things such as Youtube are making it harder for MCPS and other companies to do this job and collect the money.

When a radio station has to pay an amount of money to MCPS or PRS they have to pay set amounts for the amount of listeners they gain. For example our radio station, PGFM would gain 0-100,000 listeners, which is the lost group, so they would pay £2775.15 to gain permission to play their songs each year. Also Capital FM gains roughly 6,000,000 and so do Classic FM, which puts them in the top price bracket of 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 listening figures and means they must pay £10,562. However Radio Aire, which is a local Leeds radio station, gains 158,000 listeners meaning they pay £4,401 each year.

Task 6: Identify a client and the sector your client is working in.

My client is ‘UPVC Fascias’ which is a small local business who sepcialize in fascias. The ways in which this business could benefit from this advertisement is by gaining new customers, and making people more aware of what they are being offered in their local area.

Advertising on a radio can help specifically local businesses in a number of ways because radio would be primarily listened to by local radio listeners meaning big national companies are unlikely to to use local radio stations, therefore local businesses will be the only advertisers and possible customers in the local area would here the adverts and immediately think of that company for the job advertised.

Also by using a radio advertisement it gives the company a more professional appeal to it. Having a radio advert can set them aside from other local businesses because it gives the impression they have a good reputation and have money to afford to advertise etc. connoting they are a successful company and would be good to use. Therefore the name of the business will stick in the customers mind and they would be used by a wider variety of customers and the company would grow.

Task 7: Write up your clients’s brief. Explain the service or product they are offering, who they want to sell to and why. You sshould set out your brief in the same way as the example posted below.

Client Brief

Radio advertisement for UPVC Fascias.

Prepared by: Jade Gill, Scott Glynn, and Stacey Capstick

Staceylouise--x@hotmail.co.uk

PGS Marketing and Communications

Mount Pleasant road, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28 7ND

Background / Overview

Melvin Gill is an experienced and trained fascias fitter.

The ad is aimed at all types of possible customers.

What is the objective and purpose of the ad?

The purpose of this ad is to appeal to new customers, also to give information about the services provided.

The ad also appeals to local companies and businesses, who may require these services.

Target Audience. Who are we talking to?

The target audience of this ad is all ages, and both genders.

There is no specific target audience, as any class or gender person could require fascias.

What’s the single most important thing to say?

It is a direct service, directly dealing with the fitter.

What are the supporting rational and emotional ‘reasons to buy?’

Melvin Gill offers an honest reliable service, as he is self employed the overheads are low, which results in lower costs.

Details that will assist the creative team…

Possible detail

Consumer insights: Vox-pops of local people saying positive things about Melvin Gill.

"He is fast, reliable and affordable." "Arrived on time and did a jolly good job!"

Description of brand personality: Your key 2 peace of mind! (website tagline)

Positioning Taglines: Cut out the middle man, deal direct with the fitter.

Creative thought starters:

The orange van-man….

Support your local community…

Direct response offers? Tell us that you heard about us on this ad and receive 10% discount on your first order.

Mandatory Details:

mgilllocksmith@aol.com

10 Rossefield Parade, Bramley, Leeds, LS13 3RW. Telephone: 01132553183

Fast & reliable & affordable.

Trained fascias fitter.

Budget

1 play per day = £10

3 plays per day = £ 20

5 plays per day = £ 30

Task 8: Produce 2 proposals for scripts based in different 2 different styles and then report back to your client.

Proposal

We propose to make a radio advertisement for the fascias fitter, Melvin Gill, which will be broadcasted on Radio Grangefield. Our advert will consist of ways to convince listeners to use his services. The ways we will convince them will be to use repetition, and a tagline. This tagline will be 'cut out the middle man & go straight to the fitter'. The target audience for our advert will be age 18 onwards and for both genders.

One of the ideas we had, was to have it set in a woman's house, where we would have various sound effects, such as a kettle boiling, and birds singing outside. The woman and her neighbour are having a conversation about the disgrace of the woman's house and guttering when Melvin Gill comes to the rescue. The woman complaining, will have a high pitched voice, but once she knows Melvin Gill is here to help, she soon has a cheerful tone to her voice. When the woman is complaining there will be a music bed, of a sad genre, but when the hero comes on it will change to some upbeat cheerful music, to connote the woman's mood.

An alternative idea we had was set in Pudsey while someone is promoting Melvin's services. The type of things that will be included will be, ambience such as people talking, cars passing by, and a general outdoor sounds to make it sound more realistic. The person promoting will a man, as in a stereotypical world, men listen to men and it would be men who would most likely require these type of services. There will be no music bed included as this advert is outdoors. Some of the quotes they will use are;

"Cut out the middle man, go straight with the fitter" and also, "Do you need new fascias? Then you need Melvin Gill!"

Task 9: Complete first draft of script and then consult the client and document feedback.
Jade: Oh I’m so ashamed at the state of my conservatory; it’s the worst on the street!
Stacey: Well I know what you need dear; you need the superhero fascia’s fitter, Mr Gill. He even fixes the guttering.
Scott: Did someone call for a fascias fitter extraordinaire?
Jade: Mr Gill I need help!

Scott: Don’t worry madam.
Jade: Wow! Thank you Mr Gill.
Scott: No problem, remember cut out the big hitters, go straight to the local fitter.
Stacey: And it’s cheap too.
Christy: Mr Gill I need help!
Scott: Gotta go.
Mr Burkinshaw: Melvin Gill, fascias fitter in Leeds, call: 0113 2553183 that’s right 0113 2553183.

Task 10: Complete final draft of radio script and print of sufficient copies for voice actors.

Jade: Oh I’m so ashamed at the state of my conservatory; it’s the worst on the street!

(sound effect of traffic passing by)

Stacey: Well I know what you need dear; you need the superhero fascia’s fitter, Mr Gill. He even fixes the guttering.

(superhero introduction music)
Scott: Did someone call for a fascias fitter extraordinaire?
Jade: Mr Gill I need help!

Scott: Don’t worry madam.

(superhero music finishes)

(drilling, hammering, sawing- sound effects)

(fairy wand twirl)
Jade: Wow! Thank you Mr Gill.
Scott: No problem, remember cut out the big hitters, go straight to the local fitter.
Stacey: And it’s cheap too.

(birds tweeting for 20 seconds)

(sound of something crashing)
Christy: Mr Gill I need help!
Scott: Gotta go.

(bird stop & backing music comes on as voice over starts and ends)
Mr Burkinshaw: Melvin Gill, fascias fitter in Leeds, call: 0113 2553183 that’s right 0113 2553183

Task 11: Create a radio commercial for your chosen client.

Task 12: Complete an evaluation using the template below and be sure to include the feedback you have received from your client.

Purpose

For the advertisement for Mr Gill fascias fitting, the purpose was mainly to inform about the service provided and how to contact him for the service, also the other purpose of the advert was to entertain, in order to attract the audience. I think we achieved both these purposes because we provided all the information necessary to contact and use the service and we used a parody of Mr Muscle adverts to create the entertainment and humour of the advert.

Audience

We showed our advertisement to a small number a people from our primary target audience which is preferably home owners and the secondary target audience would be any adults aged 18 and over. The response we got was mostly very positive. The majority of people said that they liked the sense of humour in the advert and thought it was informative enough and give the required information. There was a few people who thought that they would of preferred an original idea for the advert rather than a parody of the Mr Muscle advert, but they still did think the advert worked well and was memorable after hearing it a few times. Everyone from the group we showed got the preferred reading of the advert as being a entertaining and informative advertisement.

Representation Issues

We only give positive messages in our advertisement, which is what almost every advert would do, because we didn't insult or slander any other companies, we just give the positive impression of our client. We were biased in this advert but that is common for advertising in general. Our radio advert included both girls and boys in the advert to connote that it could be for both male and female customers, however different ethnic groups weren't included in this advert but there was no reason for this, it just wasn't necessary to include different ethnic groups. The different music beds used in the advert added to the mood of the advert by, firstly having the superhero music bed creates tension and excitement and also could connote that the most important or exciting part of the advert is coming. The music bed at the end, beneath the phone number and general details, is a calming and soothing tune which could connote that it is separate from the main part of the advert and it contains vital information for the audience and any possible customers. The language used in the advert was appropriate for the target audience because it was said in a local accent which appeals to the local customers, also the language used is very general language which people of any age can understand which means it can appeal to all our target audience.

Technical issues.

I believe that the levels in our advert were almost perfect, we spent a lot of time making the music fade in and out at the right moments and making the voice levels all level with each other. I think we definitely achieved this. Also nobody's voice was cut off in any part but if we had done this, then the obvious solution would have been to re-record the part cut off, or all of that persons speech in order to make the voice levels, tone and pitch same as the rest of the speech. in my opinion and judging by the response from the audience we had enough variety in the advert to keep the audience interested and entertained, whilst still supplying the vital information. the editing took possibly a bit longer than expected but was worth the effort and went smoothly. we made sure the voice clips went together without overlapping or having too long a gap, and also made sure that the sound effects used, were used subtly and not over used. Although we still added the desired affect.

Conventions/Narrative

The genre we used was humorous and also informative, the things i think are typical of this genre are: it would contain the vital information about the company e.g. contact details, would possibly have slapstick humour or sarcasm.