Archive for category ad campaign
Scripting a radio campaign within a radio campaign
Posted by dan in ad campaign, radio advertising campaign on August 20, 2012
I concepted and scripted television and radio advertising for a chain of TV and appliance stores called Handy Andy.
I’ll be sharing several of these commercials and their genesis over several posts.
The client’s basic promise and tagline, which I could not persuade them to rethink or reword, was “Nobody but nobody sells for less.”
In such situations, rising to the occasion means not just living with such a requirement, but breathing life into it.
So I retired to my concept couch to explore how the fact that ‘nobody sells for less’ could play out over several engaging and persuasive ads.
One way it could play would be that you’d have to be insane to buy from anyone else.
Another thought bubbled up. There must be somebody who could sell these TVs and appliances for less…
Or, somebody could be so rich that the claim is meaningless…
Or one could be too dumb to care…
And just when I began to get self satisfied with all these directions, I shifted 180 degrees on my couch and realized I could have someone care too much.
Anything but:
“Gee, your store really is the best store to go to.”
“Yup.”
“Thanks, Handy Andy!”
Each of these areas yielded more than one commercial.
And as these ads clustered around these creative directions, they seemed to form little campaigns within the larger campaign.
In the end, the dumb tagline became my friend by allowing me to have a few flavors of fun persuasion and still round all these radio and television commercials into a unified message.
As often happens, confinement became freedom.
This point about confinement seems particularly appropriate for this first mini-sub-radio campaign:
“Bureau of Bewildered Persons”
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“National Bureau of Bewildered Persons Revisited“
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Stay tuned for further spots covering who could sell for less, who doesn’t care, who’s too dumb to care, and cares too much.
And, as always, let me know what you think.
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Radio Ad Script Antihero Under Investigation
Posted by dan in ad campaign, copywriter, Radio, radio advertising campaign, Radio Commercial Producer on November 11, 2011
As the campaign builds, this radio ad script puts Tim Dauber under closer scrutiny.
Well, maybe wife Claire isn’t quite as oblivious as all that. In this radio commercial she’s hired a P.I. (Paint Investigator) to check Tim’s work.
The radio ad script, “A Spy in the House of Dauber” presented creative and technical challenges for this radio commercial producer.
The timing and distancing of sound effects and dialogue had to be handled with great precision and at the same time creative interpretation to present an understandable, realistic and funny ear picture of goings on behind closed doors and out back windows.
Big fun here to have the audience root for mispainting malefactor, Tim Dauber, to escape detection and dodge Kelly-Moore Paints again–even as they take in the message of how this paint company offers friendly, expert advice and sells top quality paints at great prices.
”A Spy in the House of Dauber”
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Antihero Hangs On Through Another Radio Commercial Script
Posted by dan in ad campaign, copywriter, radio advertising campaign on November 3, 2011
In this next radio commercial script, Tim Dauber continues to whitewash wife Claire . 
But the neighbors are upset about the neighborhood eyesore that is the Dauber residence.
It was fun to paint a new dimension of Claire’s obliviousness and innocence in this radio commercial script.
And doubly fun to script Tim playing along to sidestep a lynch mob.
“No noose is good noose”
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Radio Ad Campaign Antihero Squeaks Through Another Script
Posted by dan in ad campaign, Radio, radio advertising campaign on October 28, 2011
Visual Radio Ad Production
Part of the secret of the visual nature of this radio ad campaign‘s radio commercials is in the scripting, acting and production that keep Tim shifting points of view between confiding in his listeners, and putting on another face for his wife and others. 
I cast Mike McShane, a wonderful actor, to play Tim Dauber. Mike has gone on to perform lots of great roles in film, television and stage. Some may remember him on Seinfeld as Kramer’s nemisis, Franklin Delano Romanowski.
He masterfully shifted between chatting openly with us, sidestepping into his glad handing domestic persona for Claire, and even craftily slipping us an occasional conspiratorial aside right in front of his adversaries–and then getting caught at it–and then wriggling out of it.
In this radio commercial, Tim Dauber continues his career in bad house painting despite Nosey Neighbor Neil, who’s wise to him.
“Nosey Neighbors”
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Radio Advertising Campaign Antihero Tim Dauber Has Legs
Posted by dan in ad campaign, copywriter, Radio, radio advertising campaign on October 21, 2011
That’s what they say about an advertising concept
that is extendable, expandable, and, hopefully, effective.
It can keep going.
Tim Dauber seemed to walk that talk by engaging the listener in his ongoing domestic struggles with wife Claire.
As I was asked to create radio spot after radio spot in this radio advertising campaign, Tim’s backhanded advocacy of Kelly-Moore Paints played out many ways.
Here’s how it went down when Tim’s wife wanted to move out of their mispainted house…
Tim Dauber paints the door shut on moving in
“Realtor”
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Stay tuned to hear me and Tim Dauber keep slapping down this radio advertising campaign and painting more indelible radio spots.
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About Freelance Copywriter Dan Goldstein
I write copy to get results.
But flat-footedly asking for those results doesn't always work. You have to get your customers' attention, convince them you understand their problems, needs and desires, and then present a compelling solution in a memorable way. I offer copywriting services in all media, including the Web, that jump through all these hoops with enough style to enhance your image while scoring sales.
I spent the first part of my career as a copywriter at major advertising agencies.
I worked for a wide range of clients on everything from food and beverage accounts to financial services to travel, real estate, restaurants, and much else. Along the way, I picked up numerous awards, including a Clio.
I now offer my copywriting services directly to businesses as well as advertising agencies and design firms.
You can contact me with questions about copywriting or to get to work on your next piece of powerful communication.
You can also subscribe to my blog for hopefully pithy and entertaining insights on advertising copywriting and the creative process.
