Radio Advert - Research

As an ancillary task for this documentary film I produced a potential radio advert. This would be used as a resource to give out information about the film and to access a large number of people to advertise the documentary to the target audience. In order for the radio advert to be effective I needed to ensure that it grabbed the audience's attention in a short period of time. I did this by using short questions that related to the topics within the film.

There is a broad range of choices for type and length of radio adverts. With changes in the radio industry and better production technologies, the mode of commercial presentation has changed, and commercial advertisements can take on a wide range of forms. The two primary types of radio ads are 'live reads' and 'produced spots'.

Cousin to the ad-libbed commercial, 'live reads' refers to when a DJ reads an advertiser's spot on the air, delivered from a script, fact sheet or personal knowledge.

'Produced spots' appear to be more common. A spot is 'produced' if the radio station or an advertising agency record it for the client. Produced commercial formats include: straight read with sound effects or background music, dialogue, monologue (where the voice talent portrays a character, as opposed to an announcer), jingles, and combinations of these. Studies show that the quality of the commercials is as important to listeners, generally, as the number of ads they hear.

Anecdotal evidence shows that people generally think listening to commercials in exchange for free radio is a "fair deal". Thus, radio advertising can be an effective, low-cost medium through which a business can reach their target audience. Studies show that radio ads create emotional reactions in listeners. In turn, consumers perceive the ads as more relevant to them personally, which can lead to increased market awareness and sales for businesses running ad schedules. 

Broadcasting my short advert out to the country on a radio station such as BBC Radio 4 would allow me to access a large number of people and give information about my documentary film for example topic and viewing times and platforms.