Vote for Me and I'll Set You Free

Ahhhh, the political season is upon us once again. How can I tell? Hey, gas prices dropped below $3.00 a gallon here in the first caucus in the nation state. That and all the commercials...and the personal appearances and recorded phone messages from candidates.

But what's this I hear? A change in commercial style. Well, maybe not a change...with so many people running I guess it's early for them to start calling each other liars and cheats, flip floppers and "Wrong for America". But I loved the first batch of tv ads for Bill Richardson. Honest, there he is being interviewed for the job of president of the United States. If you haven't seen them in your neck of the woods, just go to you tube and do a search. Believe me, they're there.

Wow, creativity in campaign commercials. Whoda thunk it? I cuts right through the "Vote for me and I'll set you free" hype that most Washington Agencies push down our throats. Honest, if I had to choose a candidate based only on commercials....Bill would be my man. There's a lesson here for everyone hoping to cut through the clutter. Try a little humor. No, it's not a guarantee that your business will suddenly become number one in your field. But I guarantee more people will notice. And maybe even talk about you. OOOOOOHHHH. Thanks for reading and we'll leave the mic on for ya.

Have Fun or You're Fired

Two blogs ago, I promised to talk more about the element of fun in producing commercials. Then I got distracted by something shiny and wrote something on customer service. Hey, you'll be my age someday. But let's talk a little about having fun. I think it's important, heck I think it's vital to producing the best possible product. After all, we don't produce in a vacuum. We're producing a product that ultimately people will listen to. So, do we want to bore them to tears, or hope to connect and have a little fun? As I said in the previous blog...."DUH!"

In that blog I talked about fun in the script. Now, let's talk about fun in the voice. (For those of you aspiring to be voice talents, this is the most important thing you'll ever read.) FOR GOD'S SAKE, SMILE! When you're reading a script, depending on the subject matter of course, you should be just short of sounding like you've just seen your absolute best friend from college with whom you hooted and hollered and haven't seen in fifteen years. Sound extreme? Try it.
Every producer I've ever worked with (and that's a few since 1969) has told me they'd rather tone a voice actor down than try to boost them up. Oh sure, there are times when Ben Stein's delivery is absolutely right on, but for the vast majority of voice work we have to be having fun and the listener has to be able to tell it.

How many movies have you watched and commented, "Oh I'll bet that was fun to do."? Wouldn't it be wonderful if everything in life could be that much fun? Well, it can't. But producing voice talent should be. That's Radio Garage's stand. Are you in good hands?
Oh, sorry....thanks for reading and we'll leave the mic on for ya.

A Tale of Two Purchases

Okay, so a lesson to be learned for all business owners or service providers or shopkeepers or...okay, anyone to wants to treat customers better. My wife told me about a book I needed to read...(no, not the latest Harry Potter, though I'll get to it). So off I went to Barnes and Noble to look for it. I stopped at the information counter to ask where I might find it. Now, I would have been satisfied with the young man telling me which section of store to look, but he walked me up the stairs and right to the section, picked up the book and handed it to me, then suggested a couple of other books on the same subject. Now that is customer service. Of course he could have paid for it, but not even my expectations are that high.

Then I went to my local Tru Valu the other day to pick up deck stain. Now, I'd asked a couple of people what to look for, but still wasn't sure. So, I went looking for someone to help me. I found the owner helping someone else, so waited until they were done. I asked him where the deck stain was and he told me, "The next aisle over". I went to the next aisle and looked for a few moments, but not being a deck stain expert, I still had no idea what to buy. No one ever came near and being the impatient jerk I am, I finally left. Yes, I bought deck stain elsewhere. Now, having bought deck stain, I know that Tru Value lost about $70.00 in deck stain purchases by not walking me the one aisle over to make sure I got what I came for.

Have you learned the lesson here? I mean this is powerful stuff. And how simple. It's just golden rule business practice. Treat your customers as you'd want to be treated. Put yourself in their shoes...and walk them to what they want to buy. Oh, and be sure to share this with everyone that works for you too. At least those that deal with customers. Now, get back to having fun, thanks for reading, and we'll leave the mic on for ya.

FUN FUN FUN

Okay, so the question is simple. Would you rather be bored to tears, or would you rather have fun? I know..."Duh" comes to mind. Fun is what makes life worth living. Those moments that just make you laugh uncontrollably or smile without reserve. Yet in this wonderful world of communicating verbally, apparently many believe that boredom is the best way to get your message across. If we can get you to a near comatose state, your brain is more receptive. And while this approach may have actually worked in a "quieter" era, today we have way too many other things vying for our attention. Listeners and viewers are quick to turn away the moment they're faced with a "mundane" message.

Believe me, since 1969, I've personally voiced some incredibly boring audio projects. Everything from internal corporate communications to on hold messages to training videos to radio and tv commercials. I've also voiced some of the driest material on the face of the earth that was written so as to be fun to listen to. Too many writers are afraid to offer an alternative approach to the old tried and true, "JUST THE FACTS" mentality that seemed to permeate those educational films from our youth.

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT! Come on, you're a creative genious. You're blazing new trails. You have the opportunity to redefine how your message is communicated in a brave new way. "But Steve", you say, "I wouldn't know where to begin". Well then, I suggest you find someone who can. Whether it be someone in your company or an ad agency with a good reputation for cutting through the clutter. It's not a sign of weakness. You have your strengths, or your company would be belly up by now. I, for instance, am not an accountant. My algebra teacher once told me I'd never be anything more than a factory worker. That's why the first person we searched for was a good accountant....to keep us sailing through the rough seas of finance.

HIRE THE RIGHT VOICE! Too many companies believe that the c.e.o. or Bob from accounting that gave that talk last year on maintaining the bottom line would be a great choice to represent the company on their latest promotional video. And some actually can. But the odds are stacked against you. Finding a person that can reach through the microphone and make contact with perfect strangers to make your message interesting or (dare I say it)...entertaining, is a real art in itself, and every bit as important as the script.

MAKE THE PROCESS FUN! Fun begets fun. Fact of life, no discussion here. Sitting in a stodgy board room and being told to have fun rarely works well. Find a casual spot, invite people with a good grasp of the material at hand, order pizza, maybe beer and let the ideas flow. Yes, you'll need one person with good organizational skills to keep this group on task. Maybe Bob from accounting that gave that talk. Hey, he likes to have fun too. And if you're in a company big enough to have a communications department, have them organize the meeting. I'm just guessing that they spent big money on that college education and would be biting at the bit to show off just how much they learned.

MORE FUN! In the coming days, I'll do my best to give you some examples of how a "fun" approach is far more effective and how to make it happen for your company or client. Until then, thanks for taking the time to read and we'll leave the mic on for ya. Oh yeah, and Have a Little Fun Every Day.