Local Advertising

How emotionally engaging was the last digital ad you saw?

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Not very, right?

I’m not saying digital ads have no benefit… I’m just saying they don’t have much on their own.

A good radio campaign will engage your prospect emotionally.

First, let’s understand why emotion in advertising is king. If we didn’t buy emotionally… every person would drive the ugliest, cheapest car that effectively got them from Point A to Point B. We would all wear the same generic shirts, pants, and shoes. We would never get excited about a new 60-inch TV, we would just say, “That’s overkill. It’s unnecessary.”

But you know that’s not who we are. Emotion is involved in almost every decision we make.

Back to emotion in advertising…

Doesn’t it make sense that we create ads that are emotionally engaging, then? Of course it does. Yes, a picture can create emotion… but what happens when a voice tells us a story and engages us in something that we can relate to? What happens when you put the proper music to match the mood we’re trying to set? Theater. And that’s what good radio is… a theater of the mind.

Logic in ads can only go so far. Emotion is what will take it farther than you thought was possible. But what if you’re a pencil pushing, logical, type of business owner? About half of you are. Well, that just makes my job a little tougher is all. I have to convince you that people are emotional beings and that you’re going to get more bang for your buck if you choose advertising options that can deliver an emotional and engaging message.

How easy is it to dismiss a digital ad? Pretty easy. That’s why you have to put even more work into digital ad “creative”. And your digital ad should just be another memory anchor of your “sound” advertising. You know… the emotional kind. It should all work together.

Not satisfied with your digital advertising immediate results? Stop trying to make people buy now. Be yourself, be sincere, be emotional… and people will begin to remember you and eventually love you and do business with you. You can’t force success. It’s earned. It’s for sure not a magical “digital” formula.

Whenever you’re asked to buy any kind of online or offline advertising, just ask yourself: Is it emotionally engaging?

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls, SD

P.S. I actually sell and create digital ads and campaigns (not just radio). But I’ve never sold them by themselves without an emotionally engaging radio advertising strategy to be the primary driver of the complete marketing campaign.

What if you decided to give $20 to the first 100 people who called a special phone number? No strings attached. You call…you get twenty bucks.

So, would an online ad work to advertise this cash giveaway? Absolutely.
Would newspaper work? Yup.
Would Radio work. You bet it would.
TV, Billboard, or Facebook ads? Dang right it would.

All advertising mediums give you access to an “audience”. You get access to PEOPLE. When you buy advertising space or spots, you are renting an audience. Some ad mediums just have bigger audiences than others. It’s part of the reason why one might cost more than the other.

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So, doesn’t that help you realize that all advertising mediums can work? All you’re trying to do is reach people with a persuasive message.

Think of it this way…

The Porsche 911 Turbo – everything about it drips performance, class, and testosterone. But what if the legendary Porsche engine is replaced with something you would find in an old Yugo? Performance just went down the toilet. It’s the same with your advertisements. The MESSAGE IS THE ENGINE. The message is what drives your advertising success. Without a message that has “beefyness” to it…you might as well save your money.

But before you just pick an ad medium to get your message across, you need to understand that each have different ways to be most effectively used. Some allow you to use a lot of words. Others are for short, direct messages where the point you’re trying to make doesn’t need a lot of explaining. Radio and TV can tap into emotions and make a huge impact when used properly. Personally, I like Radio most of the time versus TV for small businesses. It’s easier to produce an ad. And cheaper. Plus, you can make people visualize whatever you want in a Radio ad.

The greatest branding gets us emotionally involved. Print and Internet advertising can make things happen pretty fast when you use a picture of a product, a punchy headline addressing a problem, a possible solution, and a sweet bonus offer at the end. They each have strengths and weaknesses and

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have different rules to be followed regarding placement, the number of ads you buy, and the length of time you run those ads.

Just remember that the message is what drives advertising success. Give your message some FLAVOR! Are you going to serve up some high school cafeteria turkey loaf? Or would you rather give them a piece of Mom’s blueberry pie that causes them to sit back, shut their eyes, and roll them back into their head? If you want above average advertising results, you have to advertise with horsepower and flavor.

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media (marketing rep)