The core ingredients of effective, engaging, award-winning, breakthrough radio creative are an intense focus on storytelling, stimulating imagination, creating theater of the mind, passion for words, silence and language, simplicity, originality and outstanding production quality.

RAISE THE VOLUME OF RADIO WORK BY HEEDING ADVICE FROM THE CREATIVE EXPERTS:

Plot Twist

Chris Smith

Principal/Chief Creative Officer
Plot Twist Creativity

Write like you talk and read your dialogue out loud.

Mark Gross, Highdive Advertising

Mark Gross

Co-founder/Chief Creative Officer
Highdive Advertising

Write what you think is good, then keep going. Your first ideas in radio are never good.

Robin Fitzgerald

Chief Creative Officer
BBDO-Atlanta

Edit mercilessly. Cut lines and words, even though you hate to do it. You need to give the idea room to come to life.

FCB Chicago

John Fiebke

Head of Copy/FCB Chicago

Leave empty spaces. Silence can be more engaging than yelling when everything else is screaming for attention.


Robin Fitzgerald

Chief Creative Officer
BBDO-Atlanta

Figure out what you want from talent before you get in the studio and be ready to articulate it. Don't hold back. This is your creation.

Aldo Quevedo

CEO/Creative Chairman, BeautifulBeast

Put in the time and don’t settle for the first thing that comes to mind.

Josh Grossberg

Executive Creative Officer
McCann Health

You have to know who you're talking to and understand them as real people. Find the human element.

Mark Gross, Highdive Advertising

Mark Gross

Co-founder/Chief Creative Officer
Highdive Advertising

Read your ads aloud to yourself as you write them. Hearing your spot read aloud helps you get out of your own head.


Mark Gross, Highdive Advertising

Mark Gross

Co-founder/Chief Creative Officer
Highdive Advertising

Study great radio and why it's great before you begin to write your ads. Be straightforward, concise and focused.

Robin Fitzgerald

Chief Creative Officer
BBDO-Atlanta

Know the feeling you want people left with after your radio spot. And make sure the music, SFX, talent and everything is there to pay that off.

FCB Chicago

John Fiebke

Head of Copy/FCB Chicago

Don’t use somebody who sounds like a traditional, deep-overpronounced-professional voice over unless you’re using that to make a self-aware point. Have more fun.

Wendy Mayes

Creative Officer/Writer
Plot Twist Creative

Make every word count. Don't have ten seconds of entertainment followed by straight facts. Make the boilerplate copy sing too.


Josh Grossberg

Executive Creative Officer
McCann Health

Know exactly what you want to say. If the brief isn't precise, it's not helping. You don't know what you don't know.

Wendy Mayes

Creative Officer/Writer
Plot Twist Creative

Step back and really be objective about the work. Is it great or just good? Be honest with yourself.

Aldo Quevedo

Chief Creative Officer/BBDO-Atlanta

Read - the more you read the more you can write by exploring different points of view, vocabulary and inspiration.


Plot Twist

Chris Smith

Principal/Chief Creative Officer
Plot Twist Creativity

Cast your brains out and really look for the voice you haven't heard before.


Mark Gross, Highdive Advertising

Mark Gross

Co-founder/Chief Creative Officer
Highdive Advertising

Be straightforward, concise and focused.

Wendy Mayes

Creative Officer/Writer
Plot Twist Creative

Don't be afraid of a really well-written spot. It doesn't always have to rely on audio trickery or heavy sound effects.

Erik Fahrenkopf

Creative Director
Wieden + Kennedy

Write with a partner because two brains are better than one to get to the great idea.


Aldo Quevedo

Chief Creative Officer/BBDO-Atlanta

Bounce things off other people and ask them, Is it funny? Did I miss anything? Is it something worth pursuing?



Plot Twist

Chris Smith

Principal/Chief Creative Officer
Plot Twist Creativity

Remember the tennis ball metaphor. If I throw six tennis balls at you, you won't catch any. If I throw one tennis ball, you will. Same thing applies to radio advertising - if it's 60 seconds packed with copy points, people won’t listen or remember. They WILL remember one thing told really well.

Josh Grossberg

Executive Creative Officer
McCann Health

Walk away from your script before you decide if it's good and even better, read it to someone who doesn't know the assignment so they can tell you what is missing.

MORE CREATIVE INSPIRATION

Raising the Volume on Creative Inspiration

All creative is not created equally, click to read as award-winning radio creative experts discuss what it takes to create great radio ads.

30 Years in Your Ears

Marketers that effectively and successfully use radio across all audio platforms immerse the listener with the true essence of the brand and include the consumer within its story. Check out 30 years of Radio Mercury Award winning campaigns and read about brands that have innovated their story telling with audio to remain timelessly relevant among their target audiences.

Dialing Up Creative Strategies for Radio Ads

In today’s audio-centric, voice activated world, it is more important than ever to breakthrough with powerful and engaging radio creative. In this piece, you will find creative best practices and tips born out of both empirical evidence and insights to guide the creation of engaging and effective radio creative. 

Crafting Radio Creative That Works

This on-demand webinar, hosted by RAB for ANA members features best practices for creating radio creative including the importance of production, effects and other tools to help the messaging break through and engage.

Radio Mercury Awards

The ultimate destination for audio creative inspiration. The Radio Mercury Awards website provides an audio library filled with 30+ years of award-winning radio creative, creative insights and research.

Ready for a Creative Workshop for
YOUR Brand?

Contact Tammy Greenberg, SVP, RAB Business Development

Phone: 212.681.7208
Email: tgreenberg@rab.com