Creating Effective Internet

Audio Commercials

Written By
David Childers

www.ScenicRadio.Com
Relaxing Entertainment for the World

www.BroadcastingWorld.Com
Global Broadcast Information Portal

Creative Common License

This body of work is released under the Attribution-ShareAlike version 3.0, Creative Common License.
The work may be freely distributed or modified for commercial or non commercial purposes.
If this work is modified, compliance with the Attribution-ShareAlike version 3.0, Creative Common License is
required.
These requirements include:
- Any derivatives of this work must be attributed to David Childers.
- Alterations, transforming, or building upon this work requires distributing the resulting work only under the
same, similar or a compatible license.
For the complete legal code, please refer here:
www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
Cover graphic Megaphone Clip Art, Public Domain image.
www.clker.com/clipart-28873.html
Foreword graphic Saint Agnes Icon, Public Domain image.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2872-saint-agnes-domenichino.jpg

About The Author

David Childers is the Content Manager for the Global Broadcasting portal www.BroadcastingWorld.com. He is
very active in the Internet broadcast industry and has written numerous guides and a book about this growing
technological field. He is also the webmaster of www.ScenicRadio.com, the global destination for relaxing
entertainment.
Mr. Childers' work has been cited in several national and International publications, including these:
Five Essays on Copyright In the Digital Era
Turrer Publishing
Research On High-Profile Digital Video Production
Digital Content Association of Japan
Video Podcasting in Perspective: The History, Technology, Aesthetics and Instructional Uses of a New Medium
Journal of Educational Technology Systems
Video Podcasting: When, Where and How it's Currently used for Instruction
The National Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology
IP Packet Charging Model For Multimedia Services
National University of Rwanda
Preservation of audiovisual mediums: Problems and challenges
Platform for Archiving and Preservation of Art on Electronic and Digital Media
P2P Technology Trend and Application to Home Network
Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute Journal
Peer To Peer Computing - The Evolution of a Disruptive Technology
Idea Group Publishing
Peer-to-Peer Systems and Applications
Lecture Notes In Computer Science
Springer Berlin / Heidelberg

Feedback
Please feel free to contact the author if you have any questions or comments. Your feedback is greatly
appreciated.
You can contact the author here: www.KL7AF.com

Foreword
Welcome to the guide for creating effective Internet audio commercials.
What started off as a single handbook has continued as a series of guides and handbooks for the Internet
broadcasting community. Internet broadcasting is a new and challenging technical field that breaks the mold
of traditional broadcasting and opens up and exciting world of opportunities.
I would like to thank Terrence Romero of El Mero Mero Media for contributing to the guide, Scarlet Coker for
providing assistance with the editing of the guide, and James Davey at Broadcasting World for allowing me
the opportunity to create this handbook.
It is my sincere hope that the reader finds this handbook a valuable resource.
David Childers
February 2011

Posveeno Nei Vidmar

Lahko pretrpi gorje sam, vendar sta potrebna dva za obutek sree.

Commercials capture your attention, that's all.

Calvin Klein

Index
- Introduction
- Concepts Of Advertising
- Planning
- Equipment
- Implementation
- Public Domain / Creative Commons Music And Sound Effects

Introduction
Advertising is the ability to influence the purchasing habits of people. This ability to influence people uses a
blend of psychology, emotion, visual and audio to stimulate and motivate a consumer's reaction. Effective
advertising can be distributed using several mediums to reach a large target audience.
Advertising has evolved into a multifaceted industry that has continued to grow and expand in various forms.
Print, broadcasting and the Internet have allowed the advertising industry to become a global force that has
tremendous potential and ability. Radio commercials are able to use the power of the spoken word and sound
to impact the audiences feelings, moods and thoughts. Audio can present information in a method that
allows the imagination to interpret the content through sound association.
Production and distribution costs for audio commercials are considerably lower than the costs for video
advertising commercials. Regardless of the price differential, audio can still generate sizable interest and
sales potential. Sound imagery can be effectively used to transport the listener to virtually any place or any
type of situation. Audio commercials can also easily be designed to appeal to specific target audiences.
It is important to master the concepts of creative advertising so that you can maximize the return on the
investment for your audio commercial campaign. The advertising business is a constantly changing career
field that requires perseverance. You should also network with other people associated with professional
broadcasting, to stay knowledgeable of production and distribution techniques.

Concepts Of Advertising
Propaganda advertising
Advertising is similar to propaganda, which is also a method that can be used to influence the attitudes of
people. There are several types of propaganda techniques that are effectively used within the advertising
industry.
These techniques include:
- Bandwagon
This method persuades people to use specific items or services because many other people are using them.
- Testimonial
This method uses the words of an expert or a famous person to promote a particular product or service.
- Transfer
This method uses qualities of a known person which are associated with a product or service to promote it.
- Repetition
This method repeats a product or services name many times during an advertisement.
- Emotional words
This method generates positive feelings in the minds of people when words are used to evoke emotions.
Theories of advertising
There are several theories that can be used to explain different approaches to creating advertising.
- Hierarchy Of Effects Model
This approach suggests that there are six steps a consumer goes through when making a purchase.
These steps are:
*
*
*
*
*
*

Awareness
Knowledge
Liking
Preference
Conviction
The actual purchase

- Means-End Theory
This approach suggests that an advertisement should contain a message or means that leads the consumer
to a desired end state.
- Leverage Points
This approach is designed to move the consumer from understanding a product's benefits to linking those
benefits with personal values.
- Verbal and Visual Images
This approach suggests that audio and graphics can lead the consumer to a desired purchasing decision.

Planning
Effective planning is a must for creating a successful audio campaign. This planning should incorporate key
elements which are important in making an effective advertising commercial campaign.
These elements include:
- Be creative with the commercial.
* Do not create carbon copies of existing commercials that promote similar concepts.
- Determine the timed length of the commercial.
* This will establish how much wording can be used in the commercial copy.
- Pace the voice presentation at a normal conversational speed.
* The commercial copy needs to be written for speaking, not reading.
* Do not include excessive word content that would require a really fast voice delivery.
- What information do you want presented in the audio commercial?
* Define the message so that it becomes a simple thought.
- What is being offered.
- Why it is being offered.
- Why this is needed.
- Emphasize the results of the service or product being offered.
- Contact information.
- The more information you provide, the more interest and sales you can generate.
- Define the target audience.
* Age group.
* Gender group.
* Ethnic group.
* Geographic location.
The audio commercial should be divided into three sections.
These are:
- The first section should include:
* Strong opening statement.
- What is being offered.
- Why it is being offered.
- The second section should include:
* The core information.
- Why this is needed.
- What are the benefits.
- Contact information.
- The third section should include:
- Summarize the commercial.
- Reinforce main points.
- Call to action.
* Alert the audience to get a pen or pencil and write down the contact information.
- Repeat essential information within the commercial several times.
- Make
* Use
* Use
* Use

the commercial appealing and relevant to the target audience.

proper music.
proper emphasis.
proper background audio effects.

- It is important that the audio commercial makes a statement.

* Make the commercial entertaining.
* Make the commercial informative.
* Make the commercial interesting.
* Make the commercial distinctive.

* Make the commercial persuasive.

* Make the commercial enthusiastic.
* Motivate the listener to do something, not just make a purchasing decision.
-

The
The
The
The
The
The

commercial
commercial
commercial
commercial
commercial
commercial

needs to be simple.
needs to present a clear message.
needs to be consistent
should focus on one or two concepts or products only.
should not use clutter or filler material.
should not use clichs.

- It is important to use all of the sound as effectively as possible in audio commercials.

* Use sound effects as a backdrop to the commercial to enhance the overall effect.
- This enhances the audience listening experience without overwhelming them.
- This creates an audio tapestry of both voice and background audio.
- Consider making special offers for listeners.
* This is not required to make an audio commercial effective, but it is one more bonus that can be offered to
attract people to use your service or purchase your product.
Common pitfalls of a commercial include:
-

Too
Too
Too
Too

much information.
many details.
many prices.
many ideas or themes.

Equipment
Proper equipment must be used to maintain a high standard of quality for the audio commercial. No amount
of planning or implementation can overcome sub standard equipment.
Microphones
-

Use external dynamic directional broad frequency microphones.

Ensure that a wind screen is used reduce the affects of environmental or ambient noise.
Ensure that there are adequate lengths of audio cable available.
An audio mixer board is necessary if there are multiple microphones being used.
The microphones should have a tripod or other piece of equipment that will prevent it from moving around.
Use caution in the placement of the microphone.
* Avoid using the microphone around speakers or audio output devices.
- Avoid microphone feedback.
* Avoid placing microphone in areas that absorb sound.
* Avoid placing microphone in areas that produce echo.

Environment
It is important to protect all equipment from harsh elements.
These elements include:
- Moisture.
- Extreme temperature.
- Dirt.

Implementation
Effectively communicating thoughts and ideas is absolutely critical and care must be taken to avoid poor
speaking habits.
Things to consider for the voice presentation:
- Will a global audience understand the people speaking in the commercial?
- Will the people speaking persuade the audience members to continue listening?
- Will the people speaking use terms and concepts easily understood by a global audience?
-

Use proper grammar.

Avoid using slang grammar.
Be articulate in speaking.
Use Que cards or scripts to avoid memory lapses.
Do not shout or raise your voice.

Basic tips for using a microphone:

- Speak into the microphone, not away from it.
- Practice reading the commercial in front of the microphone.
* This will help you overcome microphone phobia and allow you to concentrate on delivering a quality voice.
- Use proper distance between the microphone and your mouth.
* Get close enough to the microphone so that your voice will not be obscured by ambient noise.
* Avoid getting to close to the microphone as this will allow sounds from your tongue or lips to be picked up.

Public Domain / Creative Commons

Music And Sound Effects
You can incorporate music and sound effects for commercial production that do not require royalty payments
for distribution. You must choose the content that is licensed in the appropriate category.
The license that this multimedia content falls into is covered under three categories:
Multimedia specifically placed into Public Domain by the creator
All Intellectual Property rights have been waived and the material is released to the public for any commercial
or noncommercial use. The material can be mixed with other content as well, however the derived work must
also be placed into Public Domain.
Multimedia that has been placed into Public Domain because the Intellectual Property rights assigned to that
specific content have expired
The material is released to the public for any commercial or non commercial use. The material can be mixed
with other content as well, however the derived work must also be placed into Public Domain. (Rules,
governing expiration of Intellectual Property rights vary with individual nations.)
Multimedia specifically placed under Creative Commons licensing
Creative Commons licenses differ from Public Domain, because the Creative Common license grants the
creator specific rights. These rights differ according to the type of Creative Common license the material is
placed in.
The four Creative Common licenses are:
Attribution (by)
Licensees may copy, distribute, display and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only if
they give the author or licensor the credits in the manner specified by these.
Noncommercial (nc)
Licensees may copy, distribute, display, and perform the work and make derivative works based on it only for
noncommercial purposes.
(If the commercial is promoting a FOR profit item or service, then you cannot use Creative Commons material
released under this license.)
No Derivative Works (nd)
Licensees may copy, distribute, display and perform only verbatim copies of the work, not derivative works
based on it.
ShareAlike (sa)
Licensees may distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs the
original work.
www.creativecommons.org
Creative Commons search:
search.creativecommons.org
Creative Commons sound clips:
www.freesound.org
www.free-loops.com
Creative Commons music and independent musicians:
www.soundclick.com
www.artistserver.com
www.jamendo.com/en
www.tribeofnoise.com
freemusicarchive.org/curator/creative_commons
dig.ccmixter.org
www.mutopiaproject.org

Public domain audio sound clips:

www.pdsounds.org
www.freesfx.co.uk
www.soundboard.com
www.pacdv.com/sounds
www.simplythebest.net/sounds
www.freesfx.co.uk