Sponsors who love to hear themselves on the radio.

[A#1]

It drives me nuts. In the Evansville area it's rampant. Do these people really think they have the pipes and the talent of persuasion of a paid radio professional? In most instances, with very few exceptions, they stink up the place. Yeah, I know, it's a way to get em' on the air and their buddies say "I heard you on the radio", but gee, gimme a break. I can remember back in the old days before all the new fangled digital equipment when it took forever to edit these wannabes. It might be easier now, but please, somebody should have the courage to say....."hey, let's try something different this time." Furthermore, my post wasn't just meant as a rant against this practice, but also to say how talented our radio people are and that they should be the one's pushin' the stuff on the shelves.

 

[Keith Kidd]

Do these people really think they have the pipes and the talent of persuasion of a paid radio professional?

Most of them have more persuasive power than the average "radio professional". You don't need pipes or to be an egotistical radio head to sell products on the air. Actually, business owners and/or employees coming in to do commercials was originally dreamed up by "radio professionals". It's more personal, and if done right, more believable to hear from them than you. It's a good way to keep the station sounding local as well. As far as the buddies saying "I heard you on the radio", a lot of times those buddies listened to their friends ad because they were told ahead of time it was going to air, thus being a great way to gather in more listeners.

 

[cspotrun]

AND... get me a "Barf" bag when one of these sponsors put one or (all) of their "Adorable" little children on the commercial too! i refuse to shop at any business who uses this "cheap" self serving gimmick on their commercials...YUK!

 

[Stephen-novice]

BJ, Cindy, and Carter really need to hang it up. And speaking of jewelry commercials, Distictive is probably at the other end of the spectrum. It's like read the script for the first time and tape on the next. But on the other hand, most jewelry commercials are awful.

Owners' kids on commercials is one of my parents biggest pet peeves.

 

[cspotrun]

ONE guy who pulled it off and became a local legend by doing his own commercials was car dealer Bob Catterson in Indianapolis....he started doing the commercials for Charlie Stuart Oldsmobile where he was a salesman and became so popular he got his OWN dealership! remember the line ? "NOOOOOOOOOOBODY....."

 

[N_D_Radioguy]

ONE guy who pulled it off and became a local legend by doing his own commercials was car dealer Bob Catterson in Indianapolis....he started doing the commercials for Charlie Stuart Oldsmobile where he was a salesman and became so popular he got his OWN dealership! remember the line ? "NOOOOOOOOOOBODY....."

I didn't think Catterson ever had his own dealership; I only knew him from the Dave Mason Buick ads.

 

[jnewkirk77]

ONE guy who pulled it off and became a local legend by doing his own commercials was car dealer Bob Catterson in Indianapolis....he started doing the commercials for Charlie Stuart Oldsmobile where he was a salesman and became so popular he got his OWN dealership! remember the line ? "NOOOOOOOOOOBODY....."

I didn't think Catterson ever had his own dealership; I only knew him from the Dave Mason Buick ads.

I think you're right, N-D, because Catterson also did the commercials for the old Bill Ledford GM dealership over in Henderson, KY. "'Cause old Bill needs the money."

Speaking of Bob Catterson, my grandpa used to tell us kids a joke about Bob back in those days, it went like this:

"Hey, did you hear about that guy from the Dave Mason commercials? He died in a car accident. They found his head but NOOOOOOOOOOBODY!"

 

[justalurker]

As with anything in radio it can be done right or wrong ... the concept itself isn't to blame.

"Character" clients bring attention to their ads - perhaps too much attention which is why you want to shut them up. But done right and for the right reasons real people in advertising is good. Consultants keep telling announcers to stop sounding like a DJ and sound like a real person. Real people have that done (as long as they don't try to sound like a DJ if they don't have the "pipes").

The other extreme is to have all of your commercials in a "radio guy" voice ... the stopsets turn in to painful four minute monotones where one commercial sounds like the next. Even if all the spots in the set were all done by different "radio guy" voices it is just "blah". Use outside voices such as the actual advertisers wisely and you can break up the monotony.

 

[11south]

ONE guy who pulled it off and became a local legend by doing his own commercials was car dealer Bob Catterson in Indianapolis....he started doing the commercials for Charlie Stuart Oldsmobile where he was a salesman and became so popular he got his OWN dealership! remember the line ? "NOOOOOOOOOOBODY....."

I didn't think Catterson ever had his own dealership; I only knew him from the Dave Mason Buick ads.

I think you're right, N-D, because Catterson also did the commercials for the old Bill Ledford GM dealership over in Henderson, KY. "'Cause old Bill needs the money."

Speaking of Bob Catterson, my grandpa used to tell us kids a joke about Bob back in those days, it went like this:

"Hey, did you hear about that guy from the Dave Mason commercials? He died in a car accident. They found his head but NOOOOOOOOOOBODY!"

Catterson had a dealership for a while IIRC. Dave Mason bought it. The Catterson campaign went regional as I used to work with a guy that sold it. I think Catterson had something to do with Eastgate Chrysler also, and I think his family might still be the owners.

 

[radio lover]

If you don't have a Dave Mason Buick price... then you really don't have a price..Then the guy rips the contract in half and says, "Think about it". Hey it's their money, if they can do a decent job then let them.

 

[N_D_Radioguy]

If you don't have a Dave Mason Buick price... then you really don't have a price..Then the guy rips the contract in half and says, "Think about it".

No, THAT was Chuck Callahan Ford.

 

[Onesimus]

Say what you want about Tom Shane...but that man believes in the power of radio. That's why I'll buy from him when it's time to propose to wife number four! LOL

 

[bigtime]

Shane company has been off & on the air since the early 70s with that "now you have a friend" line. Howard Houser did a very homey approach to his car dealer spots in the 70s. He was way out in the country in Oaklandon. He may have used the line "drive a little and save a lot". These days the most unavoidable auto dealer is Andy Mohr. He's been all over tv and radio with his very irritating delivery. I'm sure he turns up that the grating sound for the spots. It makes him stand out.

 

[IndyDan]

dealer is Andy Mohr. He's been all over tv and radio with his very irritating delivery. I'm sure he turns up that the grating sound for the spots. It makes him stand out.

Nope, I just recently purchased a vehicle from his Ford dealership and when I was sitting in the showroom waiting to see the F&I guy, I was graced with the honor of Andy's presence. He talks the same way in person as he does on TV. It was unmistakable as he wandered around yucking it up with the salespeople and thanking those of us who were there spending the big bucks. I still change channels whenever one of his annoying spots comes on.

 

[radio lover]

Thanks for the correct info. I can rember the Sharp Ford ads on WNDE "Where the deals keep on coming". Good stuff!

 

[cspotrun]

Say what you want about Tom Shane...but that man believes in the power of radio. That's why I'll buy from him when it's time to propose to wife number four! LOL

i guy with one of the best voices i ever heard used to do the commercials for the shane Company his name was John Doremus, i think he was out of chicago.

 

[jnewkirk77]

Thanks for the correct info. I can rember the Sharp Ford ads on WNDE "Where the deals keep on coming". Good stuff!

I miss them. "6 o'clock SHARP on the 465 dial."

 

[JoeNobodyX]

I agree with what each of you have mentioned. Whenever I hear an ad from Reiss-Nichols, Tom Shane or Andy Mohr, I will immediately turn the radio off. Just plain annoying. The worst ones, though, have to be for the Muncie/Anderson/Daleville/Richmond/(fill in the blank) Furniture outlets. The "I'll save you money!" guy... I think his name is Roger. Can't stand his commercials. Plus, Backyard Broadcasting always plays them in sets of two. Double the annoyance!

 

[informant1977]

I have to go on record about the children doing radio ads thing. That is one of those things that just drives me nuts. Most of the time, these kids aren't capable of saying the lines right or they just so young that you can't understand what they're trying to say. For some reason, people seem to think that we give a crap about their kids. Hey sponsor--let the professionals handle it. If you must have a child's voice, let one of the jocks imitate one. It may not sound like an actual child, but at least you'll be able to understand them.

And, as far as ads go, there are some ideas that have just worn themselves into the ground. For instance, (for those of you familiar with Sycamore Chevrolet in Terre Haute) if I never hear about Dennis Meng and his blimp again, I'll live a happy life. And if I never hear some guy from American Freight screaming at me again, it'll be too soon. Although, I have to admit, at least in the case of American Freight, it is effective (I can't forget their phone number). But Sycamore Chevrolet's commercials just make me want to change the channel.

 

[Keith Kidd]

More and more as I read these post, it is sounding like the jocks vs. the advertisers. It isn't about that. This is about Joe & Jane public with a business speaking to Joe & Jane public who is listening. With that being said, yes, you all do (at least most of you) have a more seasoned voice as a jock then they do. The advertisers aren't supposed to have the seasoned voice though. Their goal description is different than yours. They are supposed to represent their company, not the station. Now, some come with a gimmick or sayings like, "I'll saaaaave you money". That's fine. It's him not being a jock, but being a salesman, giving the audience something to remember. And it sounds like he's having a little fun at the same time. Those ads have been running since WLBC was in automation, so something must be working.

About kids, I couldn't agree with you more, and some of these commercials are annoying to me as well. That's me, and they probably aren't targeting me or people like me in their ads. The reason those kids are on the air is to instill trust in the company being advertised. It doesn't matter if you can understand the kids gibberish or not in most cases. Some of these people hear a kid, especially in an ad for a family run business, and think in the back of their minds "wow, they must be honest, they have a cute kid!" A kid in a jewelry store ad, bingo! Young woman wants to shop for wedding rings, the ad with the kid will sell her over every time. Imitating a kid is counter productive to the ads goal and will take away from the purpose of the ad.

It isn't about the jocks. You have your shows, be satisfied with them. These advertisers pay your bills. They have to do what they have to do to sell their products, or they can't pay your bills or theirs. Be happy with your positions. It isn't you vs. them.