Listening to radio spots on most FM channels in India is nothing less than torture. Most of the spots follow a template – a conversation between two characters centred around the brand. The spots usually lack an idea and the production quality will be amateurish to say the least. The voices almost always seem unnatural, bored and hammy.
The ad agencies may blame it on clients who aren’t willing to spend money on a well-produced radio spot and usually leave it to the radio station (as part of the media buying deal) to produce the radio spots too. It is natural for the radio station to keep costs low and use the in-house RJs for the spot. And follow the tried & tested route when it comes to scripting. There’s hardly any experimenting with professional voices, SFX, music and such like. From the agency’s side, the copy team usually does not have any formal training in using the audio medium well. And the focus is largely on the TVC anyways.
In that context, it is refreshing to hear Indian radio spots which have an idea and are well produced. Even with the greatest of scripts, it is the execution that matters. Herewith 6 well-produced radio spots from the 2010 Mirchi Kaan Awards.
1. HBO
Agency: Mudra
2. Vodafone: VJ
Agency: Ogilvy, Chennai
3. Bajaj Mixer
Agency: Leo Burnett
4. Supractive
Agency: Orchard
5. Andromeda Marketing
Agency: JWT
6. McDonalds
Agency: Leo Burnett
Which ones were your favourites? What does it take for revival of radio creative in India? Do comment in.
1 Comment
A big thank you!