Why a certain kind of radio spot really gets under my skin.

Radio ads (heard more often these days inserted into podcasts) have always been a favourite of mine. Theatre Of The Mind and all that jazz. But there’s a certain “concept” that pops up frequently that irks me.

Gonk

It’s a medium that offers so much room for creative expression at the lowest of production budgets. When done well it brings out the best in copywriters and the clients that understand the need for a compelling story and 30 seconds of entertainment. Here’s one I did a while back that I still kind of like.

In general, I find most radio spots to be lacklustre. They’re missed opportunities for brands to stand out.

But the one I find the most lazy are the ads in which the scenario being painted is the sound engineer/director talking to the Talent as they produce the spot we’re listening to.

Inevitably we hear, “can we try it again, only more smiley” or some such direction, from the other side of the glass.

First of all, it’s a little inside baseball. Agencies and clients have experienced recording studios so they get the idea immediately, but the average person who, sorry, doesn’t give a rats ass about your ad, might not pick up on the scene.

But let’s say they do.

It’s still lazy. It’s been done a million times.

Whenever I hear a spot that uses this “idea” it tells me they couldn’t come up with an idea.

Imagine having the freedom to create any setting, any style of humour or level of heart strings, and that’s the default.

Having said that, this actual recording of an engineer talking to the Talent never gets old.