Radio showmanship (Jan-Dec 1947)

into the minds of ) our listener by the type of program he is listening to. Obviously, you won't have the same type of people listening to the Sunday afternoon symphony that you had listening to the Saturday night barn dance. \\'ithin a program, keep your commercials in tune with the type of listeners yotu' program attracts. 2. The product (i.e. the idea), and the listener's need and desire for it. Be sure you know^ what segment of your audience is yoiu' most likely group of customers. Are they housewives, car-owners, homeowners, commiuers, children, teen-agers, farmers, etc.? Is the product a necessity or a luxury? Is it high or low priced, competitively speaking? Is it consumable or diuable goods? Is it mass sale goods or slow turnover? Does the product have a good reputation . . . good customer acceptance? How well does it live up to its advertised claims? 3. The availability of the product. Poor distribution means that you'll have to throw more emphasis on the listener's quest for the product. This most often applies to new products opening up the market. One good way to overcome this handicap is with extra gimmicks— samples, combination sales, etc. In general, with poor distribution, be more specific in "where to buy it." \Vith retail store commercials, an out-of-the-way location corresponds to poor distribution, and obviously you should use more detailed location plugs. 4. The timeliness of the appeal. Try to catch the listener with his sales resistance down. You can most readily sell the idea of buying something at the moment the listener is most likely to need it. You can sell the idea "buy at Blank's store" most easily if you can catch the housewife at the moment she is planning a shopping trip. Keep alert to timely angles — holidays — seasons — current events, and slant your copy to take advantage of them. 5. The listener's probable mood at the time of hearing the message. Obviously, all listeners won't be in the same mood, Init there are a few generalizations which you can assume, such as a relaxed mood in the early evening, a bright mood in mid-morning, etc. Major events often effect general moods, too, such as the death of President Roose\elt. 6. The probable amount of distraction at the time of hearing the commercial. Not much you can do about it, except perhaps to keep conmiercials a bit simpler during distraction periods, such as mealtime. 7. The effectiveness of the announcer. The ability of the announcer is a vitally important factor. Try to use phrasings that come naturally to the particular announcer who will read your commercial. Do all you can to make it easier for him to do his most effective job. With these factors in mind it's time to begin to plan the specific commercial. First, write down every salespoint you can think of, every reason that might influence someone to buy. These salespoints should have an emotional appeal, fulfilling a desire for comfort, convenience, beauty, admiration, etc. Test each one by asking yourself how many people would buy the product on the strength of that one reason alone. You will likely end up with five or six solid salespoints. Pick the ONE primary salespoint— the one reason most people buy the product (or objective-idea, of course). There you have the key, the hook, of your commercial. In a very brief commercial, it may be the only salespoint you use. In all commercials depend upon that one to carry most of the weight. This hook should suggest the specific lead you'll use. Whatever it is, make sure there is a direct thought-line straight to \our hook! You can write a great many different pieces of copy on the same identical hook by just leading into it from different angles. Shoot the works on your primary salespoint, then use your other basic salespoints as supplements— as extra, added attractions. Never use a weak salespoint. It is excess baggage and actually takes a lot of punch out of your solid, basic salespoints. A common mistake is to use a minor salespoint in place of the primary one just to get a "different" piece of copy. In a series of commercials on the same product or service use that "best" salespoint in all of them. NOVEMBER, 1947 • 369 •