VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Philip Banks]

On Saturday we head west to Inverness, we will stay overnight here http://www.glenmoristontownhouse.com/index.htm and in the evening will have an Indian meal at the Jeera restaurant. Mmmmmmmm need to phone it to book a table. It's a new place so no directory enquiries service has a number. A couple of months ago I was the voice of a radio commercial for this venue so I called the commercial producer at the radio station concerned and he gave me the number.

Only one thing to point out to any radio advertising client. If the man who read the copy on two occasions, each involving several takes can't remember the phone number what chance does the listener have?

To be fair, most evenings I can't remember what I did that morning.

[billelder]

You're absolutely spot on. (HA! play on words..radio..spot? on?)

I think phone numbers are useless in a radio advert. Maybe a number that spells something or is insanely simple. But a regular number?

The other thing that gets to me is having to say "www" before a web site. People who usually want web sites in commercials normally already have 42 seconds of copy to be read in :30. <g>

Please know that my opinion may not cross the atlantic very well. In 1992 I was asked by a caller to pack my bags and leave the UK as quickly as possible. I was a guest on BBC's Radio Norfolk and they played a tape of me doing a Ronald Reagan impression.

[Deirdre]

Phone numbers are pointless unless they spell the name of the client or partly spell the name of the client and are sung.

1-800-52 GIANT

Everyone in New England knows this jingle.

Poor clients.
It's the sales exec's responsibility to tell clients that numerical phone numbers are a waste of airtime.

Too bad too many radio stations' sales departments are geared only toward collecting checks, not helping a client's business.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Lizden]

...and what's even better is when they have to say the number TWICE!

Call 201-555-5555 Today! That's 201-555-5555!

(If that's anyone's number I apologize! I just made it up to make a point!)

Liz

EDIT: OK in order not to make a certain person in Paramus paranoid about getting VO-BB calls I've changed the nuimber of my "point"!
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Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[mcm]

Somebody in Paramus New Jersey is going to be awfully cross with you Liz...

[Lizden]

[audio'connell]

I'll always be the non-conformist on this topic as I think phone numbers are NOT a waste of time in a spot.

I do agree the creativity with which they are used makes them enormously more valuable than a mere read.
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- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

[Jowillie]

As you know, the theory of radio's "gross impressions" says the target average number of times a listener needs to hear a spot before it makes enough of an impression to inspire action is around 3.2-.6 times.
The 1st time they hear it--"hmm, that's interesting."
2nd time--"I've got to remember that."
3rd time--"Mama, hand me the phone, I'm making reservations."

I agree that the number must be very important to the "call to action" to include in a radio spot. And if it is, it should be presented in as creative means as possible.

And if you believe that....I'll bonus you overnights for just 10% more.
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Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com

[Deirdre]

Most of the time the call to action is mussed up with a web address as well.

I honestly can't imagine, Peter, how a phone number that is purely numeric can have an impact unless it's 15 of the 30 seconds.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Don G.]

[mediaking]

How about Empire Today?
800-588-2300...Empire!!!

I need new carpets...
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www.jclsound.com
Hear It Right. Now.

[DaveChristi]

I am a believer in APPROPRIATE use of web addresses. NOT “www.my-website04.com”. I have counseled clients that their phone number should be near the top of every page if they’re going to use a website in their spot.

A good URL is a lot easier to remember than almost ANY phone number. Plus, on average a URL is 4 to 7 words in a spot (don’t say w-w-w dot). A phone number is always at least 7 words and can be as much as 11 words.

[case]

I had a new client from my old town (Grand Junction, CO) call me to create a spot. A garage door repair business. He works out of his home office. His phone number won’t be in the white-pages for nine months and is not mnemonic at all.

How do we tell people to get a hold of him? He’s investing in a long-term radio campaign. I told him to spend a few bucks on a domain name that matched his business name. Then I put his phone number on his website (and almost NOTHING else). I created an ad that would drive listeners to his site when they needed his service. It also drives his name home (TOMA),

Here’s the spot.

[/case]
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Dave "Christi" Felton
The Character Voice Actor

[Frank F]

I have reserved posting on this issue until now, as I feel Dave has hit the nail on the head (so to speak), I felt compelled to add my two cents.

It used to be the phone number was the only way people could get in touch with a business. So advertising geniuses would write it three to five times in a commercial. Especially in those pesky info-mercials... one hundred fifty times hearing a phone number and just when you think the announcer is done telling you the phone number, it is repeated again.

The most imporatant item which listeners (viewers) need to know is the name of the business. The "call to action", or what the business wants of the listener/viewer, is actually not as important as the name of the business.

Create an image in the mind of the consumer (this is called branding), spell out the benefits of using the products or services offered, and give the customer a reason to find where the products or services are offered - and you have a commercial - radio or otherwise.

Telephone numbers do not get results, good brand imaging does.

Customers create brands, brands create customers. Going beyond the brand are LoveNotes.

If you are writing commmercials or voicing commercials, a simple suggestion as to placement of the extra information (phone numbers) may be necessary. But the first and formeost thing to remember as a voiceover talent is: the customer's copywriters get paid a lot more than you do...

Toodles

F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[CWToo]

[Deirdre]