There’s a scene in the hit TV series Mad Men where Creative Director, Don Draper, says to the Account Director, “You’ve got to spend more time selling my ideas to the client than trying to sell their ideas to me.”
Sound familiar?
It’s the latest question posted on Ask The BrainsTrust, by Anon and on just this afternoon who says,
“All too often I’ve shared Draper’s frustration. While management pays lip service to creative integrity and the need to invest time into the process, sales people are trained to provide the client with instant gratification and to get the schedule on air ASAP.
With the commercial imperative management’s number one concern, it seems little wonder that they are biased towards sales. How can I convince them to stick up for creative and production just a little more in front of the client?”
Five of our panel have responded so far; Director of radio specialist agency, Eardrum, Ralph van Dijk; Perth 96FM Program Director, Brad McNally; SCA Sydney GM, Jeremy Simpson; 2GB & 2CH Creative Director Chris Gregson and Ideas Director, DMG Create, Wade Kingsley. Also check out the other topics tackled by Today’s Radio Industry Leaders on the BrainsTrust.
The state of production at SCA ….
When talking creative, its hard to ignore production. With SCA’s upcoming in-house masterclass for imaging producers, Kyle and Jackie Ohave prepared their own instruction video.
“Couldn’t agree more with Kyle,” says Abe Udy, the boss at Abe’s Audio.
Radio Imaging is the glue that sticks a radio station together…
….but often it’s the last thing planned for in the yearly budgeting, when it should be one of the first. After all, the imaging is the station’s unique ‘fingerprint’, and essentially, what the sales executives are selling.
There are many components that make up radio programming including music, talk & content breaks, ads, credits, competitions, news, weather & traffic, and it’s the imaging that connects, or ‘glues’ this all together.
Some imaging producers make the mistake of thinking more is more. More workparts, more sound effects, more beat mixing and more ‘zaps’ maketh better promos or a sweeper. But this is not always the case. Sometimes the most simple voiceover with subtle processing and effects is the best solution. After all, the hero of most radio stations is the music, and not the workpart/sound effect collection the image producer has amassed over the years!
Imaging should help tell a radio station’s story. Engage listeners, make them laugh, and most of all, showcase the music. However, it doesn’t have to be predictable, and formulaic.
Radio imaging is the glue that sticks a radio station together. It pays to invest it high quality, high strength glue so the station does not come unstuck.
Read more of Abe Udy’s Creative and Production advice