Radio Ad #1
I love all Progressive Insurance commercials. I think that this commercial entitled “Elk Country” is very funny. This ad aired in 2019. The ad was created by Arnold Worldwide. The chief creative officer is Icaro Doria. One of the main reasons to have a commercial is to entice the consumer to listen to it and remember your business. In this case, Karen’s camper sewage tank is spewing all over her camper. She is screaming and they compare it to a bull elk.
The commercial successfully tells what the company does. You will remember it because the commercial is so off the wall. While there is no time frame on this ad, the ad encourages you to call today. This ad also emphasizes that Progressive will cover even the strangest claims. Since there was not a time frame, measuring the success of this ad through sales might be difficult.
The target customer for this ad would be outdoor travelers. I think this ad would appeal to campers and travelers. I also think that the uniqueness of the ad will bring brand awareness to all.
The ad encourages you to call today to get insurance from Progressive Insurance. I interpret the ad as insurance that covers the unexpected. If you get Progressive Insurance you will not have to worry about paying to fix the crazy, odd events that can come your way.
Awards are given for this ad:
D & AD Awards Graphite Pencil Award
Radio Mercury Award 2019
https://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2019/writing-for-advertising/231001/elk-country/
Radio Ad #2
This ad was created by The Richards Group and won the Best Radio Commercial 2019. It is a funny take on the current trend of vocal fry. Tom Bodett is the famous Motel 6 voice in the commercial. The writers of this commercial were Wendy Mayes and Chris Smith. This commercial, like all of Motel 6 commercials emphasize the low price and the availability.
The target customer for this ad is someone looking for a place to stay at a low price. The ad is consistent with the usual Motel 6 ads. The ads mention the low price and that they will leave the light on for you.
Radio Ad #3
Her Man Can Do It
This ad is for Herrmann Services which provides services for heating, AC, electric or plumbing. In 30 seconds this commercial is quick to tell you that whether you have a pipe burst or problems with your heating or cooling you can call “her man”.
The target market for this commercial is anyone that does not have the skills to do the repairs. You would think that the target market is women but Audrey is trying to tell the narrator that her husband can’t do the repairs. This radio ad even supplies the number and website for easy contact.
The value proposition of this ad is the service that can be provided by this company. This company can handle multiple household problems. In addition to being effective in getting you to listen to it with its catchy spin on the name, you have the companies telephone number and website address by the end.
This commercial was awarded the Best Radio Station Commercial and was produced by Hubbard Radio Cincinnati.
Radio Ad # 4
Glad Force Flex Odor Shield garbage bag
This ad features a catchy song. The song is about the tolls and turmoil of a trash bag. It is funny and makes you think of possible accidents you could have with a subpar garbage bag. I think the objective of this ad is to get you thinking of the quality of the Glad garbage bag. The song emphasizes the new features which are Odor Shield and Force Flex. This ad’s target market would be broad. This bag would be for anyone that wants a great smelling bag that is durable against tearing. The ad even mentions recycling. I think that this ad would have you seeking out this bag at the retailer. The value proposition on this bag is made clear by the commercial, durable and odor resistant.
This ad won the Best Student Produced Spot award given by Radio Mercury Awards 2019. It was created by the Miami Ad School.
Radio Ad # 5
This quick 30-second ad won the Best Radio Station Commercial. It was created by Entercom communications. The product featured in this ad is pest control. The ad gives you an image of a raccoon in the attic eating your wiring. I think it is funny, but it could provoke fear in some people. The company that is being advertised is Allied Termite and Pest. This ad aired in 2018. This ad is designed to quickly give you an image of one of the problems this company could solve for you. I think the ad is designed to get you to call immediately because the telephone number is supplied. The ad is memorable enough that you would possibly remember the company and call later. The target market for this ad would be people that do not have the expertise to catch wild animals or pests. This ad may be short but the value proposition is clear. This company offers quality professional skilled technicians for pest removal.
Big Ivy Naturals 
Hi Tina,
You have done a great job of analyzing these five radio ads. I appreciate the detail you have provided when describing each of these and particularly how you have included the writers and creative officers.
It seems that each of your ads leans into humor to appeal to the consumer. In fact, there’s an element of the ridiculous with most of them – space raccoons, elk country, vocal frying, etc. These companies must have clear research that suggests they must:
1. Come up with a subject matter that is so “off the wall” the consumer will pay attention to the spot AND be able to associate it with their specific company afterward
2. Bring a smile, a chuckle, or even a laugh to help with positive brand association and “cement” the ad in the consumer’s mind
Thanks for linking these ads together and providing food for thought!
-Trip
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Thank you, Trip. I enjoyed watching these ads so much. I love funny ads. I am always being accused of being too happy. My feeling is that we only go around once so you don’t want to waste it being unhappy.
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Tina,
There is a degree of difficulty in conveying value in 30 seconds. I think you made a good point in the ads that you reviewed. The main idea is generate the general idea of the value of the product and brand awareness. Like in the home repair services ad, humor is used to get the listener’s attention. By the end of the ad, they made the point that many people identify with which is that a lot of people do not have the skills or motivation to complete a home repair project. When the call is made, then additional value can be added through direct interaction with the consumer.
Best regards,
Mike Weimar
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Mike,
I like the way you identified the value as the actual service from the call to pest control. Thank you for your feedback as you always have some good insight.
Tina
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Mike,
I like the way you identified the value as the actual service from the call to pest control. Thank you for your feedback as you always have some good insight.
Tina
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Tina,
Thanks for these great reviews, I appreciated reading through them. We actually picked a few of the same ads and I had listened to most of these while surfing through the AEF site!
One that I didn’t end up picking was the space raccoons, and the reason why was because it made me uncomfortable and reminded me of the time I walked down to our basement to find one! It had come in through the cat door to get food and scared the living daylights out of me! So I am glad you called attention to the fear approach because that was certainly evident and why I did not want to listen to it multiple times for an analysis! This ad calls attention to the terrible things that pests and animals can do to a home and it certainly made me fear what else the raccoon could have been doing down there other than snacking on my cats food! Maybe I will have to call Allied Termite and Pest if he returns!
Thanks,Caitlin
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Tina,
I was pleasantly surprised and amused by all the different perspectives many of us had on the same ads especially the Elk Country, Her Man Can Do It, and Sad Glad Bag. The ME program certainly does not lack creativity or fresh perspective. Great job on the reviews. I look forward to seeing more content in the upcoming weeks.
The Space Raccoons is an interesting ad that most of us can relate to. We recently had an issue at work; some co-workers intended to feed a stray cat at work, but rather attracted several raccoons that made themselves at home in our dumpster. These critters are difficult to deal with so best to call the professionals :).
-Semir
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Tina,
I enjoyed reading through your radio ads analysis, you wrote in an interesting easy format, making it an easy read and you gave an informative details on the objectives of the ad. I particularly liked your analysis on Her can do it and Glad sad bad, Well done!
Bolanle Akinyemi
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Bolanie,
Thank you for your kind words. I enjoy radio ads so this was a fun review.
Tina
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Tina,
For me, radio ads are always the most fun to analyze. It is difficult to not only grab people’s attention, but to only do it with audio is a task I would never want placed in front of me. I appreciated one of your ads because it wasn’t just simply your usual humor ad that seems to be the default. Being serious can grab listener’s attention and, more importantly, keep it throughout the entirety of the ad. Your analysis of each ad were in depth and not only described what the listener was hearing, but what the director was trying to convey.
Thanks for sharing!
-Colin
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Colin,
Thank you for taking time to review these radio ads. I think that radio ads fascinate me most because you have to create the visual component with words. The listener will have to relate the words to your product or service.
Tina
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As always, fantastic work. I enjoyed that fact that the ads had a humorous element, and my favorite was “The Elk Ad.” It was surprising (and hilarious) how similar the elk and the woman sounded, and I would have had difficulty telling them apart if it weren’t for the narrator.
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I think that most of the insurance ads are so original and creative. I really enjoyed the Elk Ad.
Tina
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