U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

V. S. RABIO niRFRK Agencies and Independent Commercial Producers View Current Trends in Music and Copy for Radio Spots Radio The past year has seen a continuation and intensification of recent trends in radio commercials. In general, these trends have revolved around the use of music, humor and off-beat copy approaches, and the full utilization of the latest recording and production techniques. The result has been radio announcements that can compete successfiUly, in terms of musical content and quality of sound, with any professional recording being aired. In a discussion of radio commercials, Richard J. Mercer, vice president and a radio and tv copy head at BBDO Inc., New York, voiced an opinion held by many agencies and advertisers. He said "American taste in advertising art has grown up. American taste in advertising copy has certainly become more sophisticated. . . . With so much advertising being broadcast and telecast and printed and painted and mailed and sky-written and theatre-screened at the public every waking minute, competition for adult attention is tougher than it has ever been in history. Advertising has had to improve to get noticed. You can no longer get adidts to waste their time. You must give them something worthwhile in return for their attention." Expanding on his remarks, Mr. Mercer said that while specific devices, such as humor, might be in and out of favor at various times, commercials will continue to reflect the higher priority that people put on their listening time. "I doubt," he stated, "if we will ever return to the days when two annoimcers shout at each other." Turning to one of the major ingredients found in radio commercials today — music — Mr. Mercer forcefully expressed his views. "I say to any advertiser who wants to reach an adult radio audience with a musical message today — it's got to be good music before it can even begin to be good advertising. Good music doesn't necessarily mean corn ball or nursery rhyme. The old rule of 'just make sure I can hum it the first time I hear it' is a nice, comforting prejudice— but life in our business is no longer that simple. There is much more to music than a melody line, just as there is more to an advertising theme than a rhyme or alliteration or clever pun. ... A piece of music must have a point of view. And all the simplicity in the world won't help it — if it's dull." One of the major causes behind the rise in the quality of the music being used in radio commercials is the effort of jingle specialists working closely with agencies and advertisers. The firm of Sande & Greene is one of the pioneers in this area, and has developed some definite points of view about what can and cannot be done with music. "Whether the music is as simple as a children's ninsery jingle, or as complex as modern, progressive jazz," Larry Greene said, "the objectives are always the same. These are to enhance and heighten the effect of the actual message; to act as one of the dominant themes of the radio campaign, or possibly the overall marketing approach, and to help establish and sustain brand identity through a combination of words and music, or just the music itself." The importance of the repetition of a musical commercial series in helping to establish brand identity, Mr. Greene pointed out, shoidd not be imderestimated. "We have often found that when a sponsor gets tired of the campaign it is just starting to U. S. RADIO AIRFAX 1961 107