1. Lucas Yates – Andersen
Media Studies A2
Conventions of Radio Advertising
In this report I will be providing the conventions and characteristics of radio advertisements
through the use of a different number of media related sources.
‘A well-produced radio spot can inspire the imagination like nothing else. Without a
video aspect, the listener's mind is free to wander--to conjure up splendid and
impossible scenarios to hold their interest, make them laugh, and, most of all, to pay
attention! People listening to radio are usually doing something else at the same time-
-driving, working in the home or at the office, or exercising--so they don't necessarily
hear every word in a commercial. It has to be good!’ (Online)
This short paragraph tells us that good radio advertisements have to be attention grabbing
because of fact these adverts are non – visual so it is easy for the target audience to
become distracted therefore it has to stand out, if the radio ad is not attention grabbing then
it is going to become easier for listeners attention to be diverted somewhere else which
means the radio ad is a fail because no one is listening.
‘Make your message RELEVANT and about THE LISTENER
By creating a message that’s relevant to your target demo’s life, they’ll create an
interest in your commercial, and want to know more. Once you get a listener
WANTING to learn about your product or service, their minds are open to absorb
information, and you can brand your company’s name into their long term memory’.
(Online)
Here we understand that radio advertisements have to be relevant to the listeners so that
they become interested in what they are listening to and have the desire to know more about
the product or service. If the radio advertisement doesn’t create a message which is
appealing to the target audience’s you will lose their attention and the message will not stay
with them for very long.
‘In 30 or 60 seconds, a good radio ad grabs attention, involves a listener, sounds
believable, creates a mental picture, spins a story, calls for action, and manages to
keep the product on centre stage and the customer in the spotlight — all without
sounding pushy, screamy, obnoxious, or boring’ (Online)
From this information we can conclude that radio ads have to be all of the criteria above within
the short time period of 30 to 60 seconds otherwise you may lose listeners and drift from the
purpose of the radio ad. The radio advert has to have a large amount of features within a short
amount of time without it sounding dull or like you are reading a list of uninteresting topics.
‘You have sixty seconds. Packing too much into the ad overwhelms the listener,
triggering the natural cognitive processes that minimize sensory overload. Leave the
kitchen sink in the kitchen. If the kitchen sink is what's so impressive about your
product or service, then at least test a focused approach next to it so you can learn
which performs better.
One way to think about this is 'don't bury the lead'. Make sure that the most
impactful aspect of your ad is expressed early on. Don't wait until 20 seconds into the

2. Lucas Yates – Andersen
Media Studies A2
ad to make your first point.’ (Online)
By reading this text I learn that when creating a good radio ad there is a maximum of 60
seconds that you have to reach the full purpose of the advert. You should not include too
much information into the ad because the listeners will become uninterested with what they
are hearing. Make sure that that most important part of the advertisement is within the first
20 seconds so that it is spoken about early and the listeners know what you are trying to do
with the radio ad.
‘You will recognise independent or commercial radio by the advertisements which
take up a significant part of the time, as much as 12 minutes in every hour’. (Book)
Radio adverts can take up to as much as 12 minutes every hour which indicates they are an
important part of radio therefore they have to be interesting and captivating for the listeners
otherwise they will have no attention towards to advertisement.
‘Radio, by its very nature, does not have any pictures to back up your story, and you
should bear this in mind at all times. Phrases like ‘as you can see’ or ‘what you can
see in front of me’ should be avoided at all costs. All radio ads should have a ‘hook’
that commands the attention of listeners, drawing them into the ‘story’ and making
them want to hear more.’ (Book)
This quote emphasises the fact that radio ads do not have an images so the content within
the advertisement has to be entertaining and attention grabbing throughout. In addition to
this the advert should have a phrase or saying which grabs the listener’s attention so that
they are keen to know what the whole radio ad is telling them.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/76824
Date accessed: 24/10/2013
Author: Kathy J. Kobliski
Article title: How Radio Ads Are Produced
http://www.radioadvertisingtips.com/4-tips-for-effective-radio-ads/
Date accessed: 24/10/2013
Author: N/A
Article title: Tips for Effective Radio Ads
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/producing-radio-ads-to-promote-your-
business.html
Date accessed: 24/10/2013
Author: N/A
Article title: Producing Radio Ads to Promote Your Business

3. Lucas Yates – Andersen
Media Studies A2
http://www.strategicmediainc.com/radio-advertising-
articles/the_top_ten_keys_to_creating_great_radio_ads.html
Date accessed: 21/11/2013
Author: Jeff Small, CEO and Brett Astor, Vice President
Strategic Media, Inc.
Article title: The Top Ten Keys To Creating Great Radio Ads
Creative Media Production – Edexcel
Author: Paul Baylis, David Brockbank & Andy Freedman
Page Number: 157
ISBN: 978-1-846906-72-5
Practical Media – A guide to production techniques
Author: Nick Dimbleby, Richard Dimbleby & Ken Whittington
Page Number: 96
ISBN: 0-340-59548-5