• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Overused Cliches in Commercials

Diary placement is the key. It's funny the number of diaries that get placed in a certain area. I think Arbitron is an ok tool for programmers. I'm not sure how the new PPM's will work as they are being rolled out in the majors. I remember when I was in the market, the station I was at took the book and when the ratings came out we were on top! By the next book corporate decided not to pay for the book, we took a nose dive the next ratings. Keep in mind nothing changed in the market or on our station. I always thought that was funny.
 
surfdude said:
I think most Managers and PDs would rather there were no ratings.
It's the National and local ad agencies that use the ratings to place their clients
ad schedules. Yet, radio pays for Arbitron!

If there were no ratings, the station with the best local image and salespeople would
get the most advertising dollars. If the ads were good, the clients would get results,
and everyone would win!

I do believe the ratings are reasonably accurate. To make them more accurate
would be cost prohibitive. Individual station subscriptions are VERY expensive.

Look at the Raleigh 12+ ratings objectively. The best stations, with the best signals, are near the top.
Click to expand...

The loud bang you just heard was Surferdude hitting the nail on the head!!
 
Most PDs I know hate the ratings! Here's an interesting thing to discuss on this board: "If there were no ratings services to play to, what would you do differently on your station?"
 
Good question.If I had a station ratings or no ratings system would not change my programming philosopy in any way.It would be different from everything else that is going on and I think listeners and advertizers would respond in a positive way.I would work hard to make my station the best... ratings or no ratings.The listeners and the clients would give me all the feedback I would need...

Allen
 
A world without ratings......Say it ain't so....Then GM's,OM"s & PD's would get raises and performance evaluations based upon revenue and listenership through phone calls,emails,contests,requests,serving the community and keeping a staff in harmony.They'll be none of that....The very idea......C'mon....

Allen
 
allenv said:
A world without ratings......Say it ain't so....Then GM's,OM"s & PD's would get raises and performance evaluations based upon revenue and listenership through phone calls,emails,contests,requests,serving the community and keeping a staff in harmony.They'll be none of that....The very idea......C'mon....

Allen
Click to expand...

Not to mention they MIGHT have to actually THINK and DO something for a change, imagine that...
 
Ok here's some I can't stand..

No Money Down!

Bad credit, no credit, horrible credit we'll sell you a car(or whatever)

No interest for x months/years (yeah IF you pay it off BEFORE the interest kicks in)

Finacing available (yeah spend all day there waiting for their inept people to research you and they raise the price while they're out of the office)

"..products you never have to see, store or pay for" (that's a really good one! with WHO's money and just where ARE they going to be stored then?)

This product is GUANTEED to make you loose weight (No one has invented such a porduct yet. Who do they think they're fooling?)

For a limited time only!

Call within the next x minutes (or be the first x number of callers) to call about this product and we'll give you.. (How do they know when the spot plays so that these rules would apply?)

And this one really gets me it's just after the beginning of a new year in January and they say something to the effect "the best whatever of the year!" (are you kidding me? the year has just started sounds like someone forgot a kill date on that spot for sure!)
 
I have some of those old Tanner LP's and I love the the jingles especially the Christmas ones.They have a warm quality to them and take me back to what radio sounded like when I was 4 or 5 years old.Some may call that stuff hokey.
I call it charming.They had an innocence to them that is lacking today.

Allen
 
Double J said:
Ok here's some I can't stand..

No Money Down!

Bad credit, no credit, horrible credit we'll sell you a car(or whatever)

No interest for x months/years (yeah IF you pay it off BEFORE the interest kicks in)

Finacing available (yeah spend all day there waiting for their inept people to research you and they raise the price while they're out of the office)

"..products you never have to see, store or pay for" (that's a really good one! with WHO's money and just where ARE they going to be stored then?)

This product is GUANTEED to make you loose weight (No one has invented such a porduct yet. Who do they think they're fooling?)

For a limited time only!

Call within the next x minutes (or be the first x number of callers) to call about this product and we'll give you.. (How do they know when the spot plays so that these rules would apply?)

And this one really gets me it's just after the beginning of a new year in January and they say something to the effect "the best whatever of the year!" (are you kidding me? the year has just started sounds like someone forgot a kill date on that spot for sure!)
Click to expand...

Most of these examples are not cliches as much as fact.

NO MONEY DOWN means uhhhhhh, no money down.

BAD CREDIT-NO CREDIT-we can sell it to you but you'll pay a huge interest rate because your credit stinks.

NO INTEREST FOR X NUMBER OF MONTHS OR YEARS-I've done this one. Bought a freezer at Lowes, paid it off before the interest kicked in.

FINANCING AVAILABLE-OK, they have financing available.
Sorry you had problems with their employees. For me, it's as easy as giving your social security number, they run it through for a credit check and in less than 5 minutes I have my stuff.

LOSE WEIGHT-not as much a cliche as a claim, all be it false.
I've found the best way to lose weight is, put the fork down.

A LIMITED TIME-expiration date. this one is clear.

CALL WITHIN X NUMBER OF MINUTES-simply an advertising gimic, it's worked for years.

The last one? Yup, human error.

Could they use different wording? You could risk confusing the message.

NO MONEY DOWN? No cash out of your pocket
BAD CREDIT? For all you stiffs that don't pay your bills on time, come see us for the highest interest rates allowed by law.
NO INTEREST FOR 6 MONTHS-Buy today-pay within 6 months before the interest kicks in.
FINANCING AVAILABLE-We know companies that will give you the money, just pay them back.
LOSE WEIGHT-Hey fatso, put the fork down!!!!
LIMITED TIME ONLY-Sale ends Sunday. Monday. Next Friday. End of the month.
CALL NOW-and we'll give you more crap that won't work in a week.

Last one-We're human, we make mistakes, which is why we're all being replaced by robots and computers. :D
 
I think the unnatural conversation is becoming a cliche.
There's an Arby's tv commercial on now where the dude is talking to someone on the cell phone and asking questions to the counter girl. He ends up saying "I love you" to the counter girl but meant it to the person on the phone.
The person on the phone asks about the Arby's $5 Roundup which the dude who is in the store should have seen on the signage, which is in every store. He could have answered it better looking at the sign instead of having an inane conversation with the counter girl, for the big payoff of a misplaced "I love you."
It just makes no sense.
 
quadraphonic said:
I think the unnatural conversation is becoming a cliche.
There's an Arby's tv commercial on now where the dude is talking to someone on the cell phone and asking questions to the counter girl. He ends up saying "I love you" to the counter girl but meant it to the person on the phone.
The person on the phone asks about the Arby's $5 Roundup which the dude who is in the store should have seen on the signage, which is in every store. He could have answered it better looking at the sign instead of having an inane conversation with the counter girl, for the big payoff of a misplaced "I love you."
It just makes no sense.
Click to expand...

yeah, but it's still a great commercial IMO.
 
12 In a Row said:
Double J said:
Ok here's some I can't stand..

No Money Down!

Bad credit, no credit, horrible credit we'll sell you a car(or whatever)

No interest for x months/years (yeah IF you pay it off BEFORE the interest kicks in)

Finacing available (yeah spend all day there waiting for their inept people to research you and they raise the price while they're out of the office)

"..products you never have to see, store or pay for" (that's a really good one! with WHO's money and just where ARE they going to be stored then?)

This product is GUANTEED to make you loose weight (No one has invented such a porduct yet. Who do they think they're fooling?)

For a limited time only!

Call within the next x minutes (or be the first x number of callers) to call about this product and we'll give you.. (How do they know when the spot plays so that these rules would apply?)

And this one really gets me it's just after the beginning of a new year in January and they say something to the effect "the best whatever of the year!" (are you kidding me? the year has just started sounds like someone forgot a kill date on that spot for sure!)
Click to expand...

Most of these examples are not cliches as much as fact.

NO MONEY DOWN means uhhhhhh, no money down.

BAD CREDIT-NO CREDIT-we can sell it to you but you'll pay a huge interest rate because your credit stinks.

NO INTEREST FOR X NUMBER OF MONTHS OR YEARS-I've done this one. Bought a freezer at Lowes, paid it off before the interest kicked in.

FINANCING AVAILABLE-OK, they have financing available.
Sorry you had problems with their employees. For me, it's as easy as giving your social security number, they run it through for a credit check and in less than 5 minutes I have my stuff.

LOSE WEIGHT-not as much a cliche as a claim, all be it false.
I've found the best way to lose weight is, put the fork down.

A LIMITED TIME-expiration date. this one is clear.

CALL WITHIN X NUMBER OF MINUTES-simply an advertising gimic, it's worked for years.

The last one? Yup, human error.

Could they use different wording? You could risk confusing the message.

NO MONEY DOWN? No cash out of your pocket
BAD CREDIT? For all you stiffs that don't pay your bills on time, come see us for the highest interest rates allowed by law.
NO INTEREST FOR 6 MONTHS-Buy today-pay within 6 months before the interest kicks in.
FINANCING AVAILABLE-We know companies that will give you the money, just pay them back.
LOSE WEIGHT-Hey fatso, put the fork down!!!!
LIMITED TIME ONLY-Sale ends Sunday. Monday. Next Friday. End of the month.
CALL NOW-and we'll give you more crap that won't work in a week.

Last one-We're human, we make mistakes, which is why we're all being replaced by robots and computers. :D
Click to expand...
Granted they're not cliches, but you hear them quite often and could be misleading. I don't like them.
 
hillbillyhomeboy said:
quadraphonic said:
I think the unnatural conversation is becoming a cliche.
There's an Arby's tv commercial on now where the dude is talking to someone on the cell phone and asking questions to the counter girl. He ends up saying "I love you" to the counter girl but meant it to the person on the phone.
The person on the phone asks about the Arby's $5 Roundup which the dude who is in the store should have seen on the signage, which is in every store. He could have answered it better looking at the sign instead of having an inane conversation with the counter girl, for the big payoff of a misplaced "I love you."
It just makes no sense.
Click to expand...

yeah, but it's still a great commercial IMO.
Click to expand...
But it didn't make any sense. It was jarring in its nonsensicalness.
Maybe it was a satire of an unnatural conversation commercial?
Maybe it's whimsy they were shooting for, like that Burger King commercial with Hootie in it?
Maybe that would make it more "great." :D
 
Double J said:
12 In a Row said:
Double J said:
Ok here's some I can't stand..

No Money Down!

Bad credit, no credit, horrible credit we'll sell you a car(or whatever)

No interest for x months/years (yeah IF you pay it off BEFORE the interest kicks in)

Finacing available (yeah spend all day there waiting for their inept people to research you and they raise the price while they're out of the office)

"..products you never have to see, store or pay for" (that's a really good one! with WHO's money and just where ARE they going to be stored then?)

This product is GUANTEED to make you loose weight (No one has invented such a porduct yet. Who do they think they're fooling?)

For a limited time only!

Call within the next x minutes (or be the first x number of callers) to call about this product and we'll give you.. (How do they know when the spot plays so that these rules would apply?)

And this one really gets me it's just after the beginning of a new year in January and they say something to the effect "the best whatever of the year!" (are you kidding me? the year has just started sounds like someone forgot a kill date on that spot for sure!)
Click to expand...

Most of these examples are not cliches as much as fact.

NO MONEY DOWN means uhhhhhh, no money down.

BAD CREDIT-NO CREDIT-we can sell it to you but you'll pay a huge interest rate because your credit stinks.

NO INTEREST FOR X NUMBER OF MONTHS OR YEARS-I've done this one. Bought a freezer at Lowes, paid it off before the interest kicked in.

FINANCING AVAILABLE-OK, they have financing available.
Sorry you had problems with their employees. For me, it's as easy as giving your social security number, they run it through for a credit check and in less than 5 minutes I have my stuff.

LOSE WEIGHT-not as much a cliche as a claim, all be it false.
I've found the best way to lose weight is, put the fork down.

A LIMITED TIME-expiration date. this one is clear.

CALL WITHIN X NUMBER OF MINUTES-simply an advertising gimic, it's worked for years.

The last one? Yup, human error.

Could they use different wording? You could risk confusing the message.

NO MONEY DOWN? No cash out of your pocket
BAD CREDIT? For all you stiffs that don't pay your bills on time, come see us for the highest interest rates allowed by law.
NO INTEREST FOR 6 MONTHS-Buy today-pay within 6 months before the interest kicks in.
FINANCING AVAILABLE-We know companies that will give you the money, just pay them back.
LOSE WEIGHT-Hey fatso, put the fork down!!!!
LIMITED TIME ONLY-Sale ends Sunday. Monday. Next Friday. End of the month.
CALL NOW-and we'll give you more crap that won't work in a week.

Last one-We're human, we make mistakes, which is why we're all being replaced by robots and computers. :D
Click to expand...
Granted they're not cliches, but you hear them quite often and could be misleading. I don't like them.
Click to expand...

How is No Money Down, Bad Credit, No Interest, Financing Available, Lose Weight, Call Now, misleading?
What would you replace them with?
 
Well 12, maybe I should have typeed just that I didn't like them I mean you hear them so much that I think most listeners don't really "hear" them.
 
"Do you have a job? Do you have $200? Then you will be approved!"

This one has gotten so bad they've changed it to "Do you get up in the morning or at night and go to work?" :p
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom