RAB TEST

RADIO - ROCK SOLID AND GROWING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

RADIO

- ROCK SOLID AND GROWING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH As the South African ad industry heaves a sigh of relief at the healthy flow of business 2011 has delivered, internationally we’re still on uncertain economic ground. And as much as the unknown can feel threatening, we’ve also seen it sharpen our swords with many savvy advertisers tapping into the wisdom that in the age of tight, highaccountability budgets, successful campaigns demand the time, effort and nurturing of an involved team.

Take FNB for instance, the incredible results achieved through the ‘Steve’ Gold Card campaign, with durations extending to 65”, 85” and even two back-to-back 90” ads, are an excellent example of how a hands-on marketer and an equally passionate creative and production team, can generate tangible impact.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RADIO - ROCK SOLID AND GROWING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

The ‘Steve’ campaign is just one of the many case studies we’ve featured in this valuable radio read as some of the cream of South Africa’s advertising crop unpack the healthy returns they’ve received from their smart use of radio this year.

Creatives often feel that radio is the most daunting medium to create for; “it’s just you and your words, with nothing to hide behind”. Despite that, South Africa again tops the Cannes Lion Radio charts, bringing home 10 awards, including the coveted Grand Prix. Well worth the read are the copy writing tips from award-winning Jenny Glover of Net#work BBDO, and some insightful commentary from Cannes Radio Panel Jury President Eugene Cheong.

Read on as we share the thoughts of Media and Creative leaders Rui Alves of LoweBull, Ross Sergeant of MediaCom, Neo Mashigo of Draftfcb and Justin Gomes of FoxP2, on the challenges and wins of radio in SA right now.

We’ve also gone right into the coal face of radio, and gathered insights from some of the radio business heavy weights including Ryan Till of Primedia Broadcasting, Nick Grubb of Kagiso Media, Rivak Bunce of United Stations and Eugene Zwane from SABC. The local sound engineering sector is also showing signs of increased resuscitation, all thanks to some clients who have slowed down and given some focussed attention to their radio campaigns. Read all about this new radio production renaissance as you prepare for your next campaign We also unpack the latest international research which shows that listening to the radio makes people feel most happy and most energised when compared with other media types. This feel-good pulling factor prompts listeners to inspired action in an upbeat setting - great news for advertisers.

As we take stock of these outstanding achievements in 2011, it’s important to remain mindful that radio remains well positioned to be the all-knowing friend, the trend-setter who synergises with new media platforms and engages its listeners with these innovations.

No other medium can match this kind of intimate connection in both a targeted and flexible manner, and with the reach needed to capture market share.

As radio continues to dominate the commuting and workplace environments, with a newfound focus on writing and producing great campaigns that drive results, advertisers will see the upturn in the results they get from the medium in 2012 and beyond.

You’ve heard of the Slow-Food movement, well here’s to the Slow-Radio movement!

Enjoy!

Gilda De Araujo GM RAB South Africa RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

REASONS WHY I DID NOT “TOUCH THAT DIAL” IN 2011

REASONS WHY I DID NOT

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

REASONS WHY I DID NOT “TOUCH THAT DIAL” IN 2011

Simple. Frank.net machettied through the radio clutter in 2011 with its straight talking, tell it like it is, honest brand voice. And on radio it was very literally a brand voice.

I loved its unapolagetic tone. So matter of fact. It delivered some hard truths about a very weighty and delicate subject matter that other brands in the category go to great lengths to skirt around. It also made me smile – while of course contemplating the dark possibilities of being struck down before my time or even worse - having my job vaporize into a recessionary fog.

It has liberated the entire category to talk more openly about the curve-balls that life throws at us without pussy footing around them. I’m already seeing some copy-cat behaviour with more brands in the category suddenly realising that maybe it’s ok to be more transparent and revealing. More real. That the public can handle it and doesn’t need to be molly coddled into a safe bubble of denial.

According to FoxP2’s Justin Gomes, Frank.net sold R1-billion worth of direct cover within the first four months of operation and has to date sold R5-Billion. (source: Liberty Holdings) I was rewarded for not touching my dial, with humour, and it left me wanting more, not less.

I hope that what is coming is more Frank.net radio in 2012 and beyond.

Continuing with the very high levels of excellence in communication that Mercedes Benz has always exercised, we were proudly South African once again at Cannes this year when Jenny Glover, Brent Singer, Rob McLennan and a bunch of brave behind-the-scenes agency and marketing people brought home the radio Grand Prix again this year (Network BBDO won a Radio Lion Grand Prix for Virgin Atlantic Airlines in 2009). The approach was once again unexpected, imaginative and rewarded the listener for, well, listening.

I think it’s worth mentioning that I also really enjoyed the KIA and Cinema Nouveau radio spots during the Loeries 2011 judging session. The fact that more than 150 radio entries were received this year is further testament to the popularity of this channel. All in all a great year for radio!

So what’s left to say except that I hope that what isn’t coming is a tsunami of copycat executions of all the above mentioned spots. Every year brings new surprises and delights and I’m quite sure that next year’s winners will sound nothing like this year’s.

Rock on Radio!

Rui Alves Executive Creative Director: LoweBull *At the time of going to print, Rui Alves had just been appointed Executive Creative Director for agency, Y&R.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Radio CreativeS: Time to Raise the Bar

The South African advertising industry has long had a reputation for creating powerful radio campaigns, and has earned many international awards over the years. The award-winning work is excellent, but sadly, not a true reflection of the general standard of radio creativity in this country. There is in fact much work to do to improve our current use of this medium.

The reality is that we’re operating at two extreme ends of the spectrum – either producing international award-winning work, or work that feels like the newspaper classifieds translated into radio (dumping information without engaging or rewarding the audience in any way).

Radio is a fantastic medium - it is one of the big four in the media mix - along with print, television and outdoor. There is thus a need and an opportunity for us to give it the attention it deserves, and to focus on the craft of creating a good radio campaign.

Audiences can easily switch between stations, so the programme content, DJ line-up and advertising all need to work to keep the audience engaged. In short, it is critical that we realise the true potential of this medium, and raise the standard of our work. Radio should always engage the senses - it is theatre of the mind – and that will never change.

RADIO CREATIVE S Wayne Naidoo CEO LoweBull,Chairman of the Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Radio CreativeS: Time to Raise the Bar

TIME TO RAISE THE BAR RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

AN ANTIDOTE TO ‘CREATIVE’S BLOCK TO BE TAKEN DAILY - FOREVER

AN ANTIDOTE TO ‘CREATIVE’S BLOCK TO BE TAKEN DAILY - FOREVER Struggling to get the creative juices flowing? I’d like to share what you could call my ‘lightbulb moment’ - the basis for my Radio for Art Directors© sessions.

I’ve worked with the same sound engineer, the remarkable André Jacquemin in London for more than 30 years. Many of our spots were radio playlets (still are) and with stereo, we could place or move characters left or right, up or downstage.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

AN ANTIDOTE TO ‘CREATIVE’S BLOCK TO BE TAKEN DAILY - FOREVER

There came a point, though, where I began to draw crude diagrams to indicate how I saw the blocking. This kind of thing.

I created these for André and I but I also showed them to agency guys to help involve them in the process. Sometimes I came up with adventurous stereo stuff with voices and sounds coming from all over, and diagrams made them much easier to explain.

I don’t remember when exactly I started drawing storyboards before the recordings, but it sure helped agencies get a feel for… well, the story! It also helped them sell spots to clients.

Although I sometimes hired real storyboard artists for important jobs, I mostly did - and still do my own scribbles – like this one for an anti-speeding spot I directed in 2009 for M&C Saatchi.

My light bulb took around 15 years to illuminate, but my visual approach to creating radio, e.g. the storyboard, is at the heart of the radio workshops which I’ve now taken to 33 countries. I’m thrilled to say that I get a constant stream – well, trickle, of e-mails from all over the world saying how it’s helped them approach radio writing in a new way.

Tony Hertz Creative Radio Specialist RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

TRUE COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORMATION WILL BENEFIT RADIO

TRUE COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORMATION WILL BENEFIT RADIO Having begun my media career briefly in Johannesburg and spent most of it working across the UK, Ireland, Nigeria, Kenya, and Cape Town, it’s incredibly refreshing to see just how dramatically diverse our industry has become. Our choice of media selection sadly, hasn’t.

Thinking back to a time when some people referred to some radio stations as ‘the vernaculars’ and advertising agencies went in to a long (horrifically inaccurate and borderline racist) justification that people who speak, for example, Xhosa, preferred to speak English when their income increased and they moved in to a townhouse complex in Sunninghill, I laugh as I remember that it was this stage that I honestly assumed change would happen rapidly and that the radio landscape eight years later would be a very different one.

It isn’t. The same radio stations that were dominant then are dominant now. Why? RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

TRUE COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORMATION WILL BENEFIT RADIO

I put it down to simple demographics. When you compare the demographics of media planners (and clients) to the demographics of the market, media planners and clients are still largely white, female, aged between 25 and 35, living in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg and shopping readily at Fourways Mall.

Added to that most of us are targeting a premium market such as LSM 6-10 and half of these premium people are men, and just short of half of the total personal income sits with people who are Black.

I sat down to pull the top indexing radio stations for the media planner and client demographic and came up with 94.7 Highveld stereo, Jacaranda 94.2, 5FM, Metro FM and RSG. Unsurprisingly, these stations often feature at the top (if not exclusively) of a media schedule aimed at the premium market.

When looking at the LSM 6-10 market, however, the highest indexing radio stations paint a different picture all together. 567 Cape Talk, Talk Radio 702, Radio Tygerberg, Lotus FM, Heart 104.9FM, Classic FM and SAFM are just some of the few that feature.

Even on pure slightly wasteful reach numbers, the highest reach stations for the media planner and client group would be very similar to the indexing stations; Metro FM, 5FM, Jacaranda, Highveld, East Coast Radio, and RSG. For the LSM 6-10 market, these highest reach stations become Metro FM, 5FM, Ukhozi FM, Lesedi FM, RSG, Jacaranda 94.2, Motsweding FM, Kaya FM and Umhlobo Wenene FM. Back to the age-old debate...what’s the problem, then?

Is it innocent, slightly-out-of-date legacy knowledge and preference amongst planners and clients that leads us towards the same usual suspects, time and time again?

Are commercial station group practices affecting spend share? Or is it, that whilst the industry is dramatically more diverse today, we are still not fully committed to transformation?

Don’t get me wrong. I am sure that I am just as guilty of having begun numerous briefs for the ‘premium market’ with ideas that are right only at the departure point for people who fall in to my very tiny demographic, being upmarket, over 30, Joburg northern suburbs, married, gay, White, and male.

It takes quite a bold step, however, as a media planner or client, to go beyond one’s familiar territory and acknowledge that we’re often not representative of the broader target market.

It’s only then that we’ll truly see transformation in media strategies and station selection that is truly reflective of the richness of our Rainbow nation.

Ross Sergeant Strategist, MediaCom JHB RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

BUILDING A NEW BRAND...

BUILD ING A NEW BRAND...

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

BUILDING A NEW BRAND...

“Building a new brand like Capitec requires establishing stature, trust and credibility. It also means that the bank needs to be represented in a unique way in order to stand out from the four traditional banks who dominate the market and the communication airwaves.

As a bank, we’re striving to improve our simplified service to ensure all communication, fee structures and pricing is in plain language that is easy to understand.

Radio helps us to deliver greater detail on the product offer and enables discussion with participants that’s necessary to ensure understanding.

The delivery of concepts to consumers via radio, where they can use their imagination in a way which is directly connected to the core feature or value of a brand, works very well. It clarifies the feature and ensures recall of the message. Radio is the perfect fit for the message that we want to get across to our market”.

Riaan Stassen CEO, Capitec Bank RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

LUCI HIRSCH… ON WOOING THE CUSTOMER

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

52 x365 x7

LUCI HIRSCH… ON WOOING THE CUSTOMER

52 x365 x7

“We’ve been advertising on radio 52 weeks a year for 7 years. We’re not necessarily advertising a product, but radio is helping us market and preserve the integrity of our brand - who we are.

Because of our ‘HI, I’M LUCI HIRSCH’ campaign, I often get people come up to me to say ‘hi’, and that’s exactly what we want – for people to feel that they’re a part of our family and that if they have a problem, question or concern, they can come and see me/ us. Like we say in our family, ‘adverts don’t work, but advertising does’. Our campaign might not creatively be all the bells and whistles, but it works!

Radio lets us woo and entice the customers – we can give them snippets of information and then direct them to our website or store for more detail. It’s a good way to measure the success of our adverts. We know what times our spots are flighted and we can then monitor this. The sheer volume of calls after a promo has been aired shows us that radio works”.

Luci Hirsch Advertising and Marketing Director, Hirsch Appliance Group RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

2011 - WHAT HAPPENED TO RADIO AS WE KNEW IT?

WHAT HAPPENED TO RADIO AS WE KNEW IT? RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

2011 - WHAT HAPPENED TO RADIO AS WE KNEW IT?

The definition of ‘advertising’ has been changing over the last few years, with the most exciting thing about 2011 from a radio perspective, no doubt being how radically the definition of ‘RADIO’ has changed in response to this shift.

Go back twenty four years ago and I remember Stan Katz lecturing a couple of us novices with the words; “There has never been a simpler business invented than Radio - we build a great audience and then we deliver that audience to advertisers”. This was the definition of ‘Radio’ and to an extent it still rings true today. The product is the key. The passion oozing from the speakers delivers the listeners and the listeners deliver the advertisers.

What has changed forever is that Radio stations have morphed into multi-media brands generating content and experiences on an extensive range of platforms. The radio presenter in 2011 bears little resemblance to the DJ of old. Today, that presenter is creating, ingesting and re-purposing content and distributing it through multiple channels, on-air, on the web, on mobile and on tablet products.

Programming Managers who were once slaves to format, formulas and audience research, are seeing themselves as content managers and advertising has found respect as part of the content.

The new breed of programmers are smart, strategic and tactical thinkers able to use the abundant creativity in their station to increase the value of the commercial space.

This fresh focus on creating quality and value and making Radio’s customers happy, is bringing new enjoyment and satisfaction to those of us lucky enough to work in this business. The best consequence will be even better results for our business partners.

Rivak Bunce Managing Director, United Stations RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

THE FUTURE IS LOUD

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

THE FUTURE IS LOUD

Against the backdrop of a recovering economy, radio in South Africa continues to grow its market share. Radio is on a roll and isn’t looking back anytime soon. About time the industry sat up and took notice, don’t you think?

When it comes to making that all-important and meaningful connection between brands and listeners, advertisers today are speedily realising that with useful content such as news, weather, traffic, economic reports, sport updates, beauty, financial literacy and cookery features to take advantage of, maximising these positive environments through sponsorships is the ultimate differentiator in an otherwise cluttered media space.

More and more radio stations are reporting growth in sponsorship revenue as a result and advertisers continue to reap the returns.

Not so new to the circuit, but with a profile that’s growing, is the concept of ‘branded content’. Sometimes referred to as ‘destination programming’, commercial messaging is cleverly embedded into regular programming and thus, not easily discernible as advertising. The obvious benefit for the advertiser is that listeners are more likely to experiment with brands that educate, empower, entertain and reward them.

That said, there is little doubt that social media platforms have strengthened the voice of the consumer, in much the same way as they have enhanced the stations’ ability to connect and get feedback from consumers in real time.

The extent of immediacy created by radio and social media platforms is frightening – in a good way! Through listener votes, tweets and facebook ‘likes’, new-age consumers can easily indicate what they want and are likely to purchase.

More and more brands are leveraging this positive environment coupled with presenter credibility and building qualified databases through which they can send targeted messages.

Adding short codes to radio ads along with a call-to-action has become commonplace. And it is this affinity that exists between Radio and social media that is driving the growth in Radio revenue.

Eugene Zwane General Manager, SABC Commercial Enterprises.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

RULES OF EN GAGE MENT

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Radio is the future – that’s a given. But if online reaction to on-air content is a fair indicator of what drives listeners to our brands, three great examples stand out; There was the weekend where Jacaranda 94.2’s ‘kiss our morning stunt guy A-rod’ generated record views, so did East Coast Radio’s (ECR) Sardine Run sightings. Did I mention the time ECR asked KZNers to post pics of snow in the Drakensburg, the servers simply couldn’t cope.

Why are these events significant? Simple. They demonstrate what our audiences are taking from our brands, their willingness to join in the fun that we have the power to create, and the ability to act as a focal point for communities to talk about things that are happening around them – regional, local, personal stuff.

If radio stations haven’t already realised that formulaic, sanitised playlists with soulless talking heads are not the way to people’s hearts any more, 2011 was yet another opportunity for them to get the memo.

Reflecting on the big takeouts for this year; we’ve learnt that our talent is our future and we want to look after them. We’ve learnt that if we invest in ideas and excellent execution enough, huge growth is still possible in this ‘mature’ radio industry; That our clients are sometimes great content generators, and working with them can create compelling entertainment, whatever the commercial message.

We’ve learnt that the sum of parts can be bigger than the whole. Kagiso Broadcasting was borne from that learning – and is now constituted as an operations-oriented division within Kagiso Media that uses the power of all of our content, information, digital and broadcasting efforts across the group to take radio into a strong and colourful future.

Nick Grubb Chief Operating Officer, Kagiso Media RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Radio the driving force behind MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

RADIO THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Radio the driving force behind MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

After riding through recessionary waves, emerging stronger and louder, 2011 has once again reminded us of the power of radio as a medium. A quick glance at the numbers and it’s safe to say that radio has proven its mettle time and time again…

With its unique ability to deliver unrivalled levels of immediacy, intimacy and recency, it is our belief that the emotional connection people have with the medium is what’s largely responsible for this success.

Radio has the ability to make people shed a tear, smile, want to share an opinion, be part of something and want to burst at the seams with pride. Radio has conversations with people, it talks one-on-one. For these reasons, radio can be very persuasive.

A sterling example of this is the Lead SA initiative which was launched last year. Built on a premise that calls on South Africans to be the change they want to see, it truly has received an overwhelmingly positive responses from listeners.

In 2011, Lead SA rallied South Africans to get behind the Bokke; to support the Police Widows and Orphans Fund to the tune of R2.1-million; to sing Happy Birthday to Madiba and to even chase down a taxi driver who had broken the law!

From an advertising perspective, a definite highlight for 2011 has been FNB’s ‘Steve’ campaign. It has truly been encouraging to see a client who really understands the medium and how this can be translated into tangible results. The campaign was impossible to ignore and competitors followed with adverts that spoke directly to Steve.

Radio’s speedily carving itself the role of medium to ‘watch’ in 2012 and beyond. Despite the sexiness of our growing digital offerings and the unpredictability of our buisiness, radio’s real power is in the connection we make with our listeners, this is where the impact lies.

It’s also immediate and as such, programming can change from moment to moment, bookings can come in at the last minute and we need to be flexible enough to accommodate these changes.

Ryan Till Chief Operating Officer, Primedia Broadcasting RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

HAPPINESS STUDY SHOWS HOW BRANDS CAN HIT A LISTENER’S ‘SWEET SPOT’

HAPPINESS STUDY SHOWS HOW BRANDS CAN HIT A LISTENER’S ‘SWEET SPOT’ Emerging at a time when radio listening in South Africa is at its most stable (Source: RAMS 2010 - 11) is the ‘Emotional Multiplier study’ which shows that listening to the radio makes people happier, more so than going online or watching TV. Obviously sending positive ‘waves’ across the globe, the study conducted by Sparkler Research in the UK earlier this year, set out to explore how media affects people’s moods.

As a method, several times each day, across a one month period, more than 1 000 Britons were polled via their smartphones and asked to record what media they were consuming and to rate their mood and energy levels while doing so. This was cross-tabulated against their media consumption (or non-consumption) at those times.

The beauty of using this smartphone technology is that it stripped out any potential media bias, enabling respondents to text in real time in response to survey questions. This survey consisted of three simple questions (current media consumption, happiness and energy levels, free text comment) allowing people to respond quickly and instinctively.

The five key findings from the study are:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Consuming any medium (TV, Online, Radio) has a significant uplift effect on people’s moods

Radio generates the highest Happiness and Energy levels of the three media measured, and on more occasions across the day.

On average, when consuming radio, Happiness & Energy scores increase by 100% and 300% respectively compared to when no media is being consumed

Radio is the highest scoring medium for Happiness & Energy in 70% of day parts across the week

Radio, when consumed concurrently with online, forms the most potent mood-enhancing media combination.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

HAPPINESS STUDY SHOWS HOW BRANDS CAN HIT A LISTENER’S ‘SWEET SPOT’

Interestingly, some respondents participating in the qualitative phase talked about how they didn’t realise how important radio is in their lives until they had participated in the exercise.

In addition, the nature of radio programming also plays a role. Rather than the peaks and troughs that people claimed to experience with TV and Online, radio provides a consistent environment themed and shaped to suit the listener’s needs at any given time of day, and one that is generally upbeat in tone. Radio presenters are also focused on delivering a positive experience for the listener.

This is of particular interest as academic and advertising research shows that we process advertising messages heuristically i.e. more instinctively and in a way that is strongly influenced by the context – and that we are more inclined to do this if we are in a happier mood.

Even more good news is the fact that this mood-boosting effect of radio editorial extends into the ad break generating 30% higher levels of positive engagement with the advertising.

For advertisers, radio, therefore presents a unique and powerful opportunity to reach consumers in a positive frame of mind, when they will be more receptive to advertising messages.

Senior Lecturer at the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Strategic Communication, Andrea Crystal says; “People who are very happy will see great brand value. The ‘new consumer’ is fickle when it comes to brand loyalty. How they arrive at their enhanced consideration set is nothing new – consumption has always been affected by mood.

What helps to heighten their energy levels is a sense of ‘I’m not alone’ as the content gets diffused and ideated.

“To heighten their serotonin levels (the ‘happy hormone’ which regulates mood and influences an overall sense of well-being), they want that which can be perceived as more personal, namely transparency and flexibility.

“Even more important is what makes the person happy and this would involve engagement, experiential, symbolic meaning and dialogue. Here the person does not feel worthless, rather they feel effective and emotionally relevant as they are able to share, listen and partake in open communication”.

But why is that important?

“It’s simple. Emotional engagement is known to be major contributor to overall advertising effectiveness. Emotions can be considered as the gatekeeper for further advertisement processing. While some media excel at conveying information or reinforcing social connections, radio is the most personal of ad-supported media, and its advertising is perceived as sharing that one-on-one relevance”, she adds.

The findings should strike a chord with advertisers as they deliver a potent reminder of the influential emotional role that radio plays in people’s lives and suggest that, beyond its often used tactical function, the medium should be given far greater consideration for brand communication plans.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

CREATRIX DOES ‘THE BEST THEY CAN DO’ FOR KOO - AND ESKOM!

Creatrix does ‘the best they can do’ for KOO - and Eskom!

Lynn Joffe CEO, Creatrix

Fresh from turning up the heat – in India nogal, for their Eskom ‘Viva Street’ radio campaign, Creatrix did it once again. Their client, KOO bagged a Grand Prix at the Sunday Times Top Brands Award – no doubt with a lot of thanks to the Creatrix developed and produced special radio edutainment feature.

CEO Lynn Joffe spills the ‘beans’ on two impressive wins…

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

CREATRIX DOES ‘THE BEST THEY CAN DO’ FOR KOO - AND ESKOM!

RAB: What do these awards mean for you and your agency?

FOR KOO: KOO is this year’s Sunday Times Top Brands Overall Favourite Brand Grand Prix winner and our client Gladys Amoah, Category executive at Tiger Brands cites The Mama Koo Show as vital to the success of the brand.

Aired on key vernacular stations around the country, the success of the campaign, demonstrates that advertising ‘on the listener’s terms, on their turf and in their language’ builds loyalty, credibility and sales. This award is a testament to the effectiveness of Creatrix’s edge and ability to craft campaigns that cut through the clutter with excellence and verve. We are very proud of this achievement.

We were invited to present our latest Radio Edutainment project at the ‘Entertainment in Education Conference’ aka EE5 in New Delhi, India. The campaign was selected from hundreds of submissions based on the valuable contribution it would make to the conference and the field of EE.

for Eskom Viva Street:

Creatrix was also selected as a finalist in the ETA awards for energy efficiency awareness.

RAB: Take us through the thinking behind the campaign; any interesting crafting features that really made it work?

FOR KOO: The Mama Koo show was created from unpacking the ‘human truth’ behind the proposition ‘Everyone has a Koo Story, what’s yours?’

The aim was to create a synergistic package that combines emotional and functional brand benefits. The thousands of stories that listeners wrote to Mama KOO have provided an ongoing interactive brand experience.

for Eskom Viva Street: ‘Viva Street’, as the community radio edutainment feature is known, is broadcast in 4 South African languages and rolled out on community stations such as the Voice of Tembisa. The series revolves around characters in an imaginary community and is helping to raise awareness on the provision of the most basic of commodities – hot water.

RAB: Please share some top tips on writing for radio. What would you caution against?

At Creatrix we believe strongly in engaging and interacting with the target market versus speaking at them in a condescending tone or with spots that interrupt their programming.

Our motivation as a creative team is not to write work for awards but rather to deliver effective work. If we win an award as a result of an idea that is relevant to our target market, then it’s a welcome bonus.

FOR KOO:

for Eskom Viva Street: Tell a story. Set the scene, introduce the character(s) and include appropriate script directions. Treat your script as if it were a full on productions. After all radio is theater of the mind. Give them a play they’ll want to listen to.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

140BBDO PUTS SNICKERS ON THE D&AD MAP

140BBDO PUTS SNICKERS ON THE D&AD MAP

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

140BBDO PUTS SNICKERS ON THE D&AD MAP

Never happy letting outstanding advertising go unnoticed, 140BBDO’s Mike Pearson & Ross Nieuwenhuizen deserve a special mention for taking the prestigious D&AD In Book Award for their Snickers radio ad! And hey, we don’t argue with success, we just interview it…

RAB: Tell us a bit about the awards. What impact do they have for you, your agency and local radio creative as a whole?

MP: D&AD is a notoriously tough award, so it’s a huge boost for the agency to win, especially as we’ve only recently re-launched. It puts us on the map in a big way - for all the right reasons. Winning for a radio ad is hugely satisfying; it’s a massive medium and a lot of good work gets done, so to stand out is really difficult.

RAB: Take us through the thinking behind the campaign?

MP: Snickers gives young guys the energy to keep doing what they’re doing. Because this market is so marketing-savvy, we really needed to talk to them in way they could relate to.

So, we took slice of life moments, where guys wouldn’t like to be left behind and gave them a Snickers twist, for example: our winning ad revolved around a game called ‘Would You Rather’ where guys try to one-up each other by being crazier or more disgusting with the questions they ask their mates. Imagine you had so much energy, you never had to stop playing. Things could get hectic…

RAB: Any interesting features that really made it work?

MP: A big thing that had to come through in this campaign was an element of authenticity.

This market knows when they’re being ‘sold’, so the ads had to feel fresh and engaging.

When we first recorded the campaign in studio, with voice artists, the spontaneous and fun nature of the campaign was lost. So, we tried again, casting two real (non-actor) guys and recording in-house. This allowed our ‘actors’ to relax and give a performance that didn’t feel like a performance – with natural timing, intonation and responses.

RAB: Where’s SA radio creative getting it right and where are we getting it wrong?

MP: South Africans are, by their very nature, creative folk and I think too often we dumb down our advertising to try and appease the lowest common denominator; the same applies to vernacular radio – which is too often seen as an ugly cousin to English and Afrikaans.

We’re convinced we have the passion and talent to nail it, evidenced by the bevy of awards won by our industry over the last few years.

Mike Pearson & Ross Nieuwenhuizen 140BBDO RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

FRANK.NET THE THRILLS WITHOUT THE FRILLS

FRANK.NET THE THRILLS WITHOUT THE FRILLS RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

FRANK.NET THE THRILLS WITHOUT THE FRILLS

FoxP2’s - dare we say - ‘frank’ approach to insurance advertising for Frank.net is not only refreshing, it’s a reminder to us all that an honest, well-crafted message will pay you over and over and over again! Executive Creative Director Justin Gomes has the figures and stats…

RAB: Tell us a bit about the awards. What impact do they have for you, your agency and local radio creative as a whole?

JG: Awards are always nice to win, but they’re the result of great work and not a means to an end in themselves. What is sad to see is, as soon as a radio campaign wins an award, creatives want to imitate the structure and sign up the VO before you can say; ‘Virgin Atlantic’.

South Africa has experienced a real radio renaissance of late and this medium is where we’ll continue to be competitive with the relatively level playing fields. We don’t stand much of a chance when it comes to big TV production budgets, but in radio, concept is always king.

Neither the Frank.net nor the Mercedes Benz winning radio this year had much in the way of frills. Just great script-writing and voice casting.

RAB: What’s the thinking behind the campaign that really made it work?

JG: Frank.net is a brand that tells it like it is without any sugar-coating and the campaign needed to reflect that. So no bells, no whistles. Just the straight-talking voice-over of Adam Behr talking about subject matter other brands in the category aren’t comfortable talking about.

RAB: please share some top tips on writing for radio.

JG: Radio is the most unforgiving of mediums. There is no place to hide. An average print ad can hide behind pretty pictures, a TV ad, the treatment of a great director. But in radio, it’s all about your idea. So when you present your script to client service, gauge how you’re feeling while reading the radio script to them. Do you feel slightly embarrassed and self-conscious?

If so, chances are the script should never get in front of the client, let alone on the airwaves where you know its heavy rotation could end up in road-death.

RAB: Your thoughts on the awards vs. advertising effectiveness debate?

JG: There is no debate. The most effective ads are creative. The agencies that try and pit creativity against efficacy are the ones that don’t have the ability to be creative. Frank.net sold a billion’s rands worth of direct cover in its first four months of launch and six months later, we’ve just hit the R5-billion mark. If your clients want to read more about it, refer them to the recent UK analysis that cross-referenced the Gunn Report [global creative league table] with the IPA Effectiveness Awards [the UK equivalent of the Apex Awards] and you’ll see that, on the basis of a sample of more than 430 campaigns across 16 years, creatively awarded campaigns are seven times more efficient than non-awarded ones (Campaign, 17 June 2011).

Justin Gomes FoxP2 RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

THATH’ AMA CHANCE, THATH’ AMACHANCE, THATH’ AMA-AWARDS!

THATH’ AMA-AWARDS!

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

THATH’ AMACHANCE, THATH’ AMA-AWARDS!

Draftfcb was right on the money this year, winning Gold at both the Loerie and Pendoring Awards for the Lotto campaign. Associate Creative Director Grant Sithole is on hand with the winning formula…

RAB: Tell us a bit about the awards. What impact do they have for you, your agency and local radio creative as a whole?

GS: Being awarded at both the Loerie awards and the Pendorings is of significant importance to the agency and to me. It’s recognition for the hard work and crafting we put into our work. That the awards are for work done in one of the languages that seem to play an unintentional second fiddle to English on the radio medium, makes them that much more special. SA radio advertising is getting better and more colourful by the day.

RAB: Take us through the thinking behind the campaign; any interesting crafting features that really made it work?

GS: Lotteries are very well trodden territory when it comes to creative ideas and it’s very easy to find yourself doing work that somehow sounds like something you’ve heard before.

We developed the character of ‘Donnie’ a sort of ‘anti-hero’ or the guy you wish would never win the lottery and had some fun with him boasting about the ridiculous things he’d done with the winnings. The colourful and beautiful language of Xitsonga made the spots that much more special.

RAB: please share some top tips on writing for radio. What would you caution against?

GS: People don’t switch on the radio to hear ads. If your ad is gonna get in the way of me listening to my favourite song or favourite DJ (huh?) then it better be good. Humour does of course help, but we shouldn’t neglect the quality of the writing. Also, people love hearing characters they recognise or can put a face to. Oh, it doesn’t hurt to have a good concept either.

RAB: Your thoughts on the awards vs. advertising effectiveness debate?

GS: There’s no reason why award winning work and effective work shouldn’t be the same thing. But it’s gonna take advertisers acknowledging that our audiences are a lot smarter than we sometimes give them credit for. The thinking seems to be that we can be braver when it comes to ‘awards’ work but have to play it safer when we make the work we put out into the world. The sooner we bridge that gap the better.

Grant Sithole Associate Creative Director Draftfcb RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

SA RADIO CREATIVE TIME FOR A SHAKE UP

SA RADIO CREATIVE TIME FOR A

SHAKE -UP

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

SA RADIO CREATIVE TIME FOR A SHAKE UP

2011 has indeed been a great year for South African advertising in general, especially where radio is concerned. Having said that though, I think we still have a long way to go as radio hasn’t moved forward in terms of innovation in the medium.

Before you haul out the machine guns, allow me to explain…

We’re still making radio ads the same way we have been for years. Conveniently forgetting that people are listeners first before they are consumers and that no one listens to radio so that they can hear our ads. We’re still producing 30”, 45” and 60” radio ads, live reads and competition promos and haven’t looked at other ways of using this great medium.

We’re boring the listener. It’s a shame and quite frankly, we’re making the radio a pain to listen to.

Think for a moment with me; When last did you see the medium used tactically to promote a product? Have you ever noticed any product placement in a radio drama and yes, radio dramas still exist and they’re big.

Think back to a time when we changed a show’s format for a day, just to make a point to the listener. Didn’t think so.

If the truth be told, there’s nothing fresh that’s coming out of the radio category. We keep awarding the same stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, the radio ads that win are great. I just think we’re all sleeping on this amazing medium and we’re all to blame.

The stations are too rigid, the clients aren’t brave enough and the advertising and media agencies are lazy.

I’m sure we all have different reasons for neglecting the glaringly obvious need for innovation when it comes to radio advertising, but I think it’s about time we pushed each other into new areas of radio, and there are a lot of them - other media channels have proven this.

Hoping next year we’ll see a fresh take on radio, and of course a focus on getting better results for our clients.

Disclaimer; Contrary to popular belief, Neo Mashigo has not gone into a witness protection programme following his submission of this article. Tucked away in the leafy suburb of Sandton, he continues to safely peddle his trade as Executive Creative Director at Draftfcb Johannesburg.

Neo Mashigo Executive Creative Director, Draftfcb Johannesburg RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

BUILDING A NEW BRAND...

BUILD ING A NEW BRAND...

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

BUILDING A NEW BRAND...

“Building a new brand like Capitec requires establishing stature, trust and credibility. It also means that the bank needs to be represented in a unique way in order to stand out from the four traditional banks who dominate the market and the communication airwaves.

As a bank, we’re striving to improve our simplified service to ensure all communication, fee structures and pricing is in plain language that is easy to understand.

Radio helps us to deliver greater detail on the product offer and enables discussion with participants that’s necessary to ensure understanding.

The delivery of concepts to consumers via radio, where they can use their imagination in a way which is directly connected to the core feature or value of a brand, works very well. It clarifies the feature and ensures recall of the message. Radio is the perfect fit for the message that we want to get across to our market”.

Riaan Stassen CEO, Capitec Bank RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

DRAFT FCB CT GOES FOR GOLD AT PENDORING AWARDS!

DRAFT FCB CT GOES FOR GOLD AT PENDORING AWARDS! Draftfcb CT duo Andre de Wet and Riaan van Wyk walked away with Gold in both the Radio and original Afrikaans categories for ‘Die Burger’ at the Pendoring Awards, proving that in 2011 – even print needed a little radio to get results!

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

DRAFT FCB CT GOES FOR GOLD AT PENDORING AWARDS!

RAB: Tell us a bit about the awards. What impact do they have for you, your agency and local radio creative as a whole?

AdW: To win a Gold Pendoring is no easy feat, especially in the radio category. Afrikaans is a very expressive language, and radio is the perfect medium to showcase its diversity and character. We are immensely proud of this achievement.

RAB: What’s the concept behind the ‘Kiwi-Kapenaars’ campaign that really made it work?

AdW: As rugby-loving, proudly South African Capetonians, we regularly watch games at Newlands. It puzzled us why so many Cape Town fans are rooting for New Zealand teams, so we wanted to put this topic in the spotlight.

Our client, Die Burger Newspaper, continuously encourages its readers to debate topics and form their own informed opinions – so we knew they were the perfect vehicle to kick off the debate. We started brainstorming and after throwing around some ideas we thought it would be really funny if these Kiwi-Capetonians started singing the New Zealand anthem in their own distinct, colloquial Afrikaans.

RAB: please share some top tips on writing for radio.

AdW: If you’re having fun while writing a radio spot, you know you’re in the money. You won’t write effective radio if you don’t put your heart and soul into the characters and the message.

Write, rewrite and rewrite again – a script very seldom flies on the first take.

RAB: Your thoughts on the awards vs. advertising effectiveness debate?

AdW: Both have merit. As a creative team we always welcome an award. We need our egos stroked from time to time, but we also understand that we have a duty to our clients to deliver effective work. At Draftfcb our aim with every job is to create ‘ideas that matter’. Not only when it comes to answering our clients’ briefs, but also when coming up with ideas that are relevant to our audience. There’s nothing more rewarding than making an ad that wins awards and at the same time gets talked about.

Andre de Wet & Riaan van Wyk Draftfcb Cape Town RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

YES WE CANNES!

YES WE CANNE S!

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

YES WE CANNES!

From a festival at which the world’s biggest and best strive to make the cut – Cannes – SA radio Creative really shone brightest and silenced the critics in 2011. Allow us to boast a little…

Having walked away with a first for their Virgin Atlantic Plain Insanity radio campaign in 2009, local agency, Net#work BBDO proudly brought home the 2nd Cannes Radio Lion Grand Prix this year.

Not happy resting on our laurels, South Africa also bagged 10 Radio Lions, almost twice that of the next runners up, Germany with 6, and America and Australia, each with 5.

This strong radio communication culminated in SA taking 13th position in this year’s Cannes country rankings report. Enough said! We’ll stop here and let someone more qualified, that being the President of the Cannes Radio Jury 2011, Eugene Cheong, say his piece…

President’s Message They say Radio is the lowest hanging fruit in the South of France.

I disagree.

With visionless radio, all you have is A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z and a prayer. There is simply nowhere to hide.

However, if you are a genius you can rearrange the 26 amigos into The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, I Have a Dream, The Goon Show and, of course, ‘Hi, Tom Bodett for Motel 6’.

I spent my entire career avoiding radio for fear of being found out.

Terry couldn’t have found a better man to be President of the Radio Jury.

Eugene Cheong President Cannes Radio Lion Jury Regional Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

FNB ‘banks’ on radio to communicate a myriad of Product and Service offerings

HI I’M STEVE...

The Challenge Drive acquisition and account growth on FNB core products Why Radio “Much as we as marketers could see the golden ribbon and how it all worked so well together, the reality is people don’t listen to ads the way we plan them. The challenge is that banking products are often the last thing people think about. At the same time, we need to build and grow our customer base. As financial institutions, we’re often bound by terms and conditions and other industry-related compliance issues, which have to be included in our ads. Radio was identified as the key medium that could integrate together the various propositions in one sitting. It could provide the quick turnaround times required on the campaign”, says FNB. RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

FNB ‘banks’ on radio to communicate a myriad of Product and Service offerings

Implementation The campaign came about by trying to turn a slice of life insight on its head. A prime example of this is incorrigible telesales agents who just won’t take no for an answer. The ads were then written, as long as they needed to be, to get the story across. The generic spots varying in length between 45 and 90 second ads, depending on the message to be communicated were flighted.

Realising that no one sits in their cars, homes or work for hours in order to hear and ‘get’ an entire construct, messages were rotated equally across different stations, with each advert focused on benefits available to customers across products and channels.

The Results On average there’s been an increase of over 40% in sales across key products and services. FNB also benefitted from added exposure from, amongst others, Kaya FM presenters waxing lyrical about the campaign in programming time, as well as other channels using the topical Steve campaign as editorial content. This has all contributed to making ‘Steve’ a household name.

Learnings

An ad has to be as long as it takes to get the message across.

Radio is something you get involved with from the onset.

t’s not something you leave to an engineer to do.

Don’t let the duration of the spot hamper the creativity.

Media maketh the spot. There’s no such thing as too much exposure.

We decided that in the first hour, listeners should at least hear 2 to 3 ads.

Lastly, use sonic triggers if you can.

We start and end the ads the same way, with the same ‘beeps’.

Stop painting by numbers. It has to be entertaining for the listener. Be topical.

If you can’t be topical, be entertaining. Everyone loves a soapie.

RAB Commentary Impressive results from FNB. The campaign intelligently demonstrates that an ad needs to be as long as it takes to get results, proving that the quality of the message is more important than the length. The active involvement of the client from conceptualisation to flighting is a positive step indicating that when creative and professional marketers begin to approach radio campaigns with the right intent and production commitment, the results speak for themselves.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

SAB HAS ‘NO REGRETS’ ABOUT USING RADIO TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING

SAB HAS ‘NO REGRETS’ ABOUT USING RADIO TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING

The Challenge As the next step in its Reality Check advertising campaign, SAB’s ‘No Regret Friday’ initiative calls upon all South Africans to ‘Regret Nothing’ by consuming alcohol responsibly over the weekend. Given the fact that regret is a particularly complex emotion to evoke or express, the alcohol brand needed to utilise a medium that could make this message more accessible and as a result, more powerful.

Why Radio Radio’s strength as a ‘theatre of the mind’ medium provides an effective means of expressing a difficult emotion like regret in a way that a billboard or a print ad can’t. In addition to reaching a wide and varied audience with good penetration, the medium also enabled us to speak to our target market in apt environments, when they are in the process of going out after work or in their car, says Corporate Reputation Manager, Jessica Yellin.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

SAB HAS ‘NO REGRETS’ ABOUT USING RADIO TO PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING

Implementation In order to inspire behavioural change, the campaign was launched using radio to generate awareness around ‘No Regret Friday’. Radio was chosen as the key medium for this element of the campaign, and we opted initially for two national stations, 5FM and Metro FM. These allowed us national reach against two sets of audiences, which we supported with the big SABC ALS stations to broaden our reach across a further segment. Every Friday, SAB reminds consumers to behave responsibly through radio advertising spots, brand ambassadors such as 5FM’s Gareth Cliff as well as through its website.

The Results Radio was the only medium utilised to advertise the No Regret Friday Movement along with support from chosen ambassadors and bloggers. On the day of the launch, there were 1 183 unique visits to this site. #noregretfriday has twice been a trending topic in South Africa.

To date, there have been 2 342 online conversations, 2 768 pledges and mentions by more than 50 blogs and newspapers. More than 4.3-million people have been exposed to the campaign through social media.

Learnings After this particular Reality Check campaign, we’ve learnt that radio is a fantastic medium to generate awareness through ambassadors and live reads and to create a movement.

Using radio alone, we managed to draw people to our ‘No Regret Friday’ website where they could pledge their support.

RAB Commentary Tapping into the credibility that goes along with DJ endorsements as well as radio’s strength as a personal medium is a great way for brands to literally ‘drive a message home’.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Partnering with a station to get rewards – the MiWay way

Partnering with a station to get rewards – the MiWay way

The Challenge MiWay were looking for an original and contemporary campaign to enhance their brand profile within central South Africa. They wanted to get close and personal with OFM’s loyal and affluent listeners, in a way that drove home the MiWay brand attitudes.

Why Radio Appreciating that radio listeners have a loyal and emotional bond with their station and favourite presenters, MiWay Insurance realised that, with the right campaign, radio could position their brand in a closer and more personal manner within their central South African market.

With radio being able to deliver across multimedia platforms, from online, social media and sister publications, the campaign could be further extended, while maintaining the station – listener relationship.

Implementation MiWay Insurance had been advertising on OFM for more than 18 months, with great results.

OFM’s 25th birthday celebration, which took the party to Mauritius, presented an ideal opportunity for MiWay to further extend their brand relationship with their market in a manner that could drive their brand attitudes home.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Partnering with a station to get rewards – the MiWay way

OFM’s morning show, The ‘Breakfast Club’ got behind the campaign, using the power of radio’s theatre of the mind to creatively conjure up ‘warm’ holiday images. – albeit in icy cold June Free State conditions.

Listeners saw themselves slipping their toes into warm beach sand and soaking up the sun in anticipation of the grand prize to Mauritius. Over the next 5 months, a series of fun promos and hilarious on-air antics were executed by the ‘Breakfast Club’ team. ‘Mildred’, a character created by MiWay Insurance became a regular guest on air in the build-up to the trip and the team spoke to her often whilst she was having fun in Mauritius.

OFM delivered continuous momentum right up until the listeners departed for Mauritius on the 24th of October, including weeks of outside broadcasts in Mauritius.

The ‘Breakfast Club’ entertained listeners in Mauritius and posted updates on their blog.

Listeners who did not have the opportunity to go to the island were able to share in the experience via posted videos and pictures.

The Results This campaign engaged OFM’s listeners from beginning to end. MiWay Insurance was positively showcased by integrating their brand into the heart of OFM programming. MiWay Insurance has seen an increase in leads and conversions over this time. They have attributed this to a more interactive campaign, buy in from OFM and their presenters who brought the campaign and their brand character to life on air.

Learnings Head of Marketing at MiWay, Carine Conradie-Haffejee says; “The MiWay Mauritius initiative gave our brand an opportunity to get up close and personal with a very loyal and affluent OFM listener on a high frequency basis. Rather than focus on hard sell messages during this campaign we aimed to be playful and give the audience a taste of the MiWay brand attitude. This approach and the dedication of OFM (and Thompsons Holidays) meant we were able to reach our audience in a less obtrusive and much more positive way - the results speak for themselves”.

RAB Commentary Adding even more weight to radio’s argument as the medium that makes listeners most happy and energised, this campaign is an excellent demonstrator of how advertisers can benefit from engaging with listeners in a ‘feel good’ environment, with great results. It’s also worth noting that the most impactful radio campaigns not only start well but also sustain interest throughout.

*Conceptualised and executed by United Stations on OFM RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

NATIONAL TREASURY USES RADIO TO ENGAGE LISTENERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIKE

NATIONAL TREASURY USES RADIO TO ENGAGE LISTENERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIKE The challenge RSA Retail Savings Bond is a Savings product that was initiated by the government in 2004.

It allows South Africans to save / invest without incurring any costs. With South Africa not traditionally being ‘saving nation’, the aim was to create awareness, inform and educate about the product, maintain the current investor base, as well as create / attract a younger investor base, ultimately driving sales. In addition to this, the National Treasury wanted to; Increase the amount invested Highlight the advantages of savings for individuals and for the country Promote the Retail Savings Bonds as the safest savings toolavailable to consumers Provide insight into the bigger picture stressing the importance of savings in relation to economic growth for the country Highlight the advantages of saving with the country such as the possibility of decreasing tax Why Radio Radio has proven to be the most effective medium as it has great reach, while remaining cost-effective. Most of our advertising spend has, in the past, been channeled towards this medium. The results received prove that it’s been money well spent”, says National Treasury Marketing & Outreach Manager, Sinombulelo ‘Ace’ Mlisa.

“It provides a platform to inform and educate listeners with flexibility as we’re able to change creative material as when the need arises. It’s also enabled us to outsmart some of our competitors rather than outspend them through the creative use of the medium”.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

NATIONAL TREASURY USES RADIO TO ENGAGE LISTENERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIKE

Implementation With a broad target market, a two-pronged strategy; one targeting high-end stations, as well as one guided by its mandate of educating, informing and communicating the message of saving to people was rolled out.

Themed generic spots which were cognisant of the time of the year e.g. the focus on Heritage month or the ‘Save your bonus’ drive in December were flighted on a national, regional and community level.

These carried an educational message aimed at the community radio and African language platforms where the bulk of the market is.

Part of the solution was to also create a credible brand association through short and long term sponsorships, this being done with stations aimed at upper LSM groups. News, Traffic and Finance updates were sponsored due to the programming environment around this content.

Live reads were used to drive attendance at provincial / mall promotions. The campaign was also strongly anchored by interviews which provided details on the product and were not paid for, but formed part of added value.

The Results The results have been phenomenal, proof of this being the significant number of new registrations received. These are people who have received the information, but possibly don’t have the money to invest. In terms of new investments, when the campaign launched the National Treasury was receiving approximately R160-million a month in investments.

Through the use of this medium we have witnessed outstanding growth over the past 3 years. The money invested in RSA Retail Savings Bonds grew by R2 billion in 2009/10 and 2010/11.Our use of radio has placed us in a position where we’re now able to share our learnings with our colleagues in the Public sector, the incredible results we’ve achieved through the use of the medium.

Learnings Mlisa says; “For us, radio’ has been the best platform for brand building and awareness and for increasing sales through reach and frequency. We did not have a huge budget to work with meaning we could not outspend our competitors but we did enough to outsmart some of them”.

RAB Commentary A thorough understanding of the different mindsets of listeners the campaign was targeted at as well as the different station groups and their offerings was key to the success of the campaign. Radio’s offered the opportunity for high reach with minimum wastage, in targeted environments. *Conceptualised by specialist radio agency, RadioHeads RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

WHEN RADIO ‘MET’ J&B... / 1 - 3

WHEN RADIO ‘MET’ J&B...

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

WHEN RADIO ‘MET’ J&B... / 2 - 3

The Challenge Looking to further entrench their brand within the young black Gauteng market, J&B needed a vehicle to drive greater participation and attendance of this market to the J&B Met. Why Radio J&B believed in the synergy between YFM’s audience profile and their target market, and ultimately wanted to use the association to create a high level of awareness for the brand. In 2011 YFM was chosen by J&B as an official radio partner for the prestigious J&B Met event held in Cape Town. J&B believed that their association with YFM would drive greater participation and attendance of the young black Gauteng ‘movers & shakers’ to the event.

Implementation By maximising the relationship YFM has built with its listeners, via content and on-air personalities, the station delivered a 360 degree campaign which kicked off by engaging the YFM market with a number of events, generic campaigns and competitions.

These drove on-air participation, helped to establish the brand as the ‘Start a Party’ whisky and ultimately laid the foundation to successful attendance of this market at the J&B Met event. The campaign was comprised of the following elements; High frequency generic ads, Competition promos, Live reads, interviews with the organisers, J&B Brand Managers, Horse Racing experts and celebrities attending the J&B Met. Prominent YFM personalities lent their expertise as fashion judges and MC’s, giving greater credibility to the ‘hip factor’ around the association.

This was complemented by a live on-air competition where listeners could call in with a ‘Larger than Life’ shout-out and stand a chance of winning a trip to join the YFM DJs at the 2011 J&B Met. RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

WHEN RADIO ‘MET’ J&B... / 3 - 3

The Results J&B Met reported a marked increase of attendance and sales from the Gauteng region following this campaign. Brandseye (an online reputation management tool) who conducted an online post campaign analysis of the J&B Met reported that the volume of online conversation about the J&B Met accounted for 1 277 mentions from one day before and after the event’ http://www.brandseye.com/blog/post/2554/jb-met-on-track-and-online In addition to this, Brandhouse Marketing Manager: Premium Whiskey, Dominic Malan says; “It’s important to note that the J&B brand is actively moving away from a historically staid ‘white’ brand to one that is aimed at and is representative of a younger, vibrant, upmarket and trendy demographic.

This year was also the first year that we’ve actively targeted that consumer segment.

We conducted on the ground research via the Consumer Insights Agency (CIA) on the day of the event and found that 30% of the respondents were from Johannesburg and had heard of the Met via YFM. The collaboration with the station definitely enhanced the listener experience, making it a rich and tangible one – even for the listeners listening back home in Johannesburg”.

Learnings The client identified YFM as having played an instrumental role in creating on the ground hype in Gauteng for J&B Met 2011 amongst the media, celebrities and young people eager to experience the event. The on-air hype created by DJs appealed to the listener’s senses and created a desire to be a part of what is being communicated.

RAB Commentary A brilliant demonstration of radio allowing brands to capitalise on the credibility/ ‘cool factor’ of a station’s DJs. This case study demonstrates the infinite opportunities available through radio for brands to extend beyond the generic recorded spot and amplify their engagement with their target audience.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

NATIONAL TREASURY USES RADIO TO ENGAGE LISTENERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIKE

NATIONAL TREASURY USES RADIO TO ENGAGE LISTENERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE The challenge RSA Retail Savings Bond is a Savings product that was initiated by the government in 2004.

It allows South Africans to save / invest without incurring any costs. With South Africa not traditionally being a ‘saving nation’, the aim was to create awareness, inform and educate about the product, maintain the current investor base, as well as to attract a younger investor base, ultimately driving sales. In addition to this, the National Treasury wanted to; Increase the amounts invested Highlight the advantages of savings for individuals and for the country Promote the Retail Savings Bonds as the safest savings tool available to consumers Provide insight into the bigger picture stressing the iportance of savings in relation to economic growth for the country Highlight the advantages of saving with the country, such as the possibility of decreasing tax Why Radio “Radio has proven to be the most effective medium as it has great reach, while remaining cost-effective. Most of our advertising spend has, in the past, been channeled towards this medium. The results received prove that it’s been money well spent”, says National Treasury Marketing & Outreach Manager, Sinombulelo ‘Ace’ Mlisa.

“It provides a platform to inform and educate listeners with flexibility as we’re able to change creative material as and when the need arises. It’s also enabled us to outsmart some of our competitors rather than outspend them through the creative use of the medium”.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

F_CS_NationalTreasury.indd 1

2011/12/09 10:59 AM

NATIONAL TREASURY USES RADIO TO ENGAGE LISTENERS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIKE

Implementation With a broad target market, a two-pronged strategy was rolled out; one targeting high-end stations, as well as one guided by its mandate of educating, informing and communicating the message of saving to people.

Themed generic spots which were cognisant of the time of the year, e.g. the focus on Heritage month or the ‘Save your bonus’ drive in December, were flighted on a national, regional and community level.

These carried an educational message aimed at the community radio stations and African language platforms where the bulk of the market is.

Part of the strategy was to also create a credible brand association through short and long term sponsorships, this being done with stations aimed at upper LSM groups. News, Traffic and Finance updates were sponsored due to the programming environment around this content.

Live reads were used to drive attendance at provincial and mall promotions. The campaign was also strongly anchored by interviews which provided details on the product.

The Results The results have been phenomenal, proof of this being the significant number of new registrations received. In terms of new investments, when the campaign launched the National Treasury was receiving approximately R160-million a month in investments.

Through the use of radio we have witnessed outstanding growth over the past 3 years. The money invested in RSA Retail Savings Bonds grew by R2 billion in 2009/10 and 2010/11.

Our use of radio has placed us in a position where we’re now able to share our learnings with our colleagues in the Public sector, the incredible results we’ve achieved through the use of the medium.

Learnings Mlisa says; “For us, radio has been the best platform for brand building and awareness, and for increasing sales through reach and frequency. We did not have a huge budget to work with meaning we could not outspend our competitors but we did enough to outsmart some of them”.

RAB Commentary A thorough understanding of the different mindsets of the listeners that the campaign was targeted at, as well as the different station groups and their offerings, was key to the success of the campaign. Radio offered the opportunity for high reach with minimum wastage, in targeted environments. *Conceptualised by specialist radio agency, RadioHeads RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

F_CS_NationalTreasury.indd 2

2011/12/09 10:59 AM

‘Vawter’ shows they can - and ‘vil’ build a brand on a limited budget

‘Vawter’ shows they can - and ‘vil’ build a brand on a limited budget The Challenge With a relatively small budget, South Africa’s first and only alcoholic spring water cooler, Vawter, wanted to communicate its unique intrinsic qualities which are premium vodka and spring water. As a differentiator and means of building brand personality, they also sought to reinforce and educate consumers on the pronunciation of the brand name.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

‘Vawter’ shows they can - and ‘vil’ build a brand on a limited budget

Why Radio As a relatively small brand with small budgets, we felt that using Radio was the perfect medium to use to achieve our objectives as it has the greatest reach and allows for us to use audible cues with respect to the brand’s name and personality.

Radio allows us to create a large amount of mystery around, ‘Tatiana’, the character used in our ads as well as creating talkability around the brand, explains Vawter Global Marketing Manager Claudia Mills Implementation Perhaps the most important aspect of the campaigns is the humorous play on a stereotypical human truths – for instance, Book Club. These meetings between ladies are more often than not focused on socialising more than the reading of books. The use of witty humour that plays on stereotypical human truths is a ‘recipe’ that the brand has now come to be known for – and through which objectives are met.

The Results Through consumer feedback via social networking sites, the radio ads have been found to be a resounding success. Testament to this is the fact that people on the Vawter Facebook page engage with the brand in the same humorous tone and manner that the radio executions are so well known for. Advertising objectives were reached by increased brand awareness and likeability scores.

Learnings The intense marrying of radio with digital media to increase a 360-degree interaction and awareness with consumers is essential to making a successful Vawter campaign.

Tatiana –the mysterious on-air character is active on the brand’s Facebook page in the same humorous tone and manner as her radio profile. This further increases brand awareness, personality and engagement.

RAB Commentary This is an excellent example of how brands looking to build or increase awareness on a limited budget can look to radio’s ability to synergise with digital platforms to achieve those objectives.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

ONE SMALL STEP ON RADIO

One small step on Radio, one giant leap for OLD MUTUAL / 1 - 3

one giant leap for OLD MUTUAL

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

One small step on Radio, one giant leap for OLD MUTUAL / 2 - 3

The Challenge With a view to spreading the following central messages; In the right hands, anything, no matter how small, has the potential to be more.

And with over 165 years of knowledge and experience, Old Mutual can help you make the most of what you have, today, Old Mutual embarked on a combined campaign across all Old Mutual divisions, with the objective of driving call centre leads.

The campaign needed to create impact within 3 very different markets, namely mass, affluent and corporate.

Why Radio Taking into consideration, the diversity in markets, and the depth of the message, the campaign needed to be executed on media platforms that could deliver maximum reach, while allowing for more than a generic message. Old Mutual appreciated the power of radio’s relationship with its listeners, and used radio to tap into meaningful engagement with consumers.

The decision to flight across 14 different radio stations including African Language stations and go beyond the use of generic 30 second ads, was the perfect fit.

Implementation A multi-platform, non-traditional radio solution flighting simultaneously across 14 different radio stations was created. A combination of both national and regional stations were used, namely; Metro FM, Ukhozi FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Lesedi FM, Lotus FM, Kaya FM, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Jacaranda 94.2, Talk Radio 702, KFM, 567 CapeTalk, East Coast Radio, Algoa FM and OFM.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

One small step on Radio, one giant leap for OLD MUTUAL / 3 - 3

The 2-week campaign was comprised of 2 distinct parts; Week 1, which was about engaging listeners and making the message tangible, saw 14 stations run with the same competition mechanic, delivered in a tailored manner that best suited each stations format. Listeners were invited to call in and share the goal that they were saving for. The most compelling and inspiring stories won cash to help them achieve that goal.

Listeners entered via the station websites or by SMS (in the case of African Language Stations). This allowed Old Mutual to generate an option where listeners agreed to be contacted by its representatives and generated thousands of direct leads for client.

Week 2 was about capitalising on the momentum created in the first week. It was about pushing a strong call-to-action and driving listeners to contact Old Mutual. This was done through endorsements / live reads by the same presenters who had hosted the competition the week before. They highlighted the best stories of the previous week and reinforced the benefit of starting to save and invest. In addition, a high frequency schedule of recorded generics carried the same call-to-action.

The Results The stories were what made this campaign work, proving that radio is the most personal medium.

Everybody has a savings or investment goal and we immediately relate when we hear others talking about their goals. The beauty of this campaign is that the inspiring goals coming in kept the presenters interested and ensured that they didn’t rush to get through the execution as quickly as possible. As a result, thousands of qualified, direct leads from all sections of the market as well as a massive increase in volume of incoming SMS traffic to the Old Mutual call centre has been achieved.

Learnings Old Mutual’s Thembeka Ngugi says; “Our objective was to engage South Africans from all walks of life around the importance of saving for your financial goals. It is a subject that can easily inspire and motivate. We understand that radio is the ideal medium with which to engage people on issues which really matter to them. By getting ordinary people to share their goals live on air we helped create compelling and meaningful content for the stations. Once you’ve connected with listeners on an emotional and meaningful level they are far more likely to respond to your generic call-to-action message”.

RAB Commentary It’s truly encouraging to see a client like Old Mutual who appreciates that consumers are people too. And that in order to entrench their brand philosophy and generate leads, they need to go beyond the 30” and engage the listener via compelling on-air content. *Conceptualised and executed by Ultimate Media and Carat RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RADIO MOBILISES A NATION WITH LEADSA / 1 - 3

RADIO MOBILISES A NATION WITH

The Challenge Lead SA is a Primedia Broadcasting and Independent Group of Newspapers initiative that was launched in August 2010 with the aim of reigniting the spirit of Ubuntu. It is about active citizenry and promotes nation-building and respect for the country and its laws. With these key driving forces, Lead SA encourages all South Africans to stand up, do the right thing and make a difference.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RADIO MOBILISES A NATION WITH LEADSA / 2 - 3

The Lead SA initiative is a long term project and will focuses on some key areas, including: To challenge and rally each South African to take charge of their moral leadership by respecting the law, from holding accountable those around them to respecting the environment.

The Bill of Responsibility, which is based on the Bill of Rights and ensures the rights of all South Africans are protected.

To strive for leadership by promoting excellence, leadership skills, highlighting and striving to address problems within the education system.

The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) is set to be the most powerful radio telescope ever built. Considering the benefits it will hold for the country, Lead SA will play its role in mobilising South Africans and ensuring the project is a success.

Finally, Lead SA will focus on sport as a way of unifying the nation.

Why Radio?

Yusuf Abramjee, LeadSA Executive and Head of News & Current Affairs explains; “The Lead SA initiative is first and foremost about people and there isn’t a more powerful way to engage them than through radio. Our radio stations (Talk Radio 702, 567 Cape Talk, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 Kfm) have shown us that despite the diversity of our nation, people want to be part of the discussion. They want to be part of the change ordinary South Africans can and do make in our country.

As a media company and with the added benefit of having the support of one of South Africa’s leading newspaper companies, the Independent Group, the reach of the campaign has been widened. The sheer volume of stories that have been aired is phenomenal”.

Implementation A call to action was put out, highlighting how imperative it was for everyone to join hands and stand up against elements that seek to destroy democracy and freedom. This was executed on air through a series of teasers, promos, Q&A’s and editorial. All of this was reflected on social media platforms, websites, the newspapers and activations.

Millions of rands in advertising space is committed to continuously driving Lead SA on-air and via the newspapers. The concept of it has become an integral part of the Primedia value system and is an initiative that is top of mind to presenters who drive it on air.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RADIO MOBILISES A NATION WITH LEADSA / 3 -3

The Results It is important to point out that Lead SA is not an advertising campaign. However, a significant statistic to share is the result of a TNS survey which showed that within 4 months from the launch of Lead SA (August – November 2010) about 1.6-million people in metro SA were aware of the initiative.

The breakdown is as follows:

900 000 in Gauteng, 350 000 in Cape Town 150 000 in Durban

LeadSA has also generated over R250 million in PR exposure.

Learnings The overwhelming majority of South Africans want a better South Africa and Lead SA has resonated with the personal vision that many South Africans have for their country. There is an enormous amount of good work happening in this country and individuals, business, NGOs and government are doing a lot to move the country forward. The success of the World Cup in South Africa was not just a flash in the pan; it was a great example of what South Africans can do with a common purpose. Lead SA is a common purpose, it’s about moving South Africa forward and it starts with every South African being the change they want to see in their communities.

RAB Commentary The success of the LEADSA initiative is a great example of ‘radio with purpose’. Not only does it demonstrate radio’s unsurpassed reach by mobilising the masses and making a meaningful difference, just about everywhere from inside a minibus taxi to the ivory tower office, it’s a true testament of radio’s ability to build a sub-brand.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

BACK TO SCHOOL

BACK TO SCHOOL – VARSITY COLLEGE USES RADIO TO FURTHER ITS EDUCATION OBJECTIVES

Varsity College uses radio to further its education objectives

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

BACK TO SCHOOL – VARSITY COLLEGE USES RADIO TO FURTHER ITS EDUCATION OBJECTIVES

The Challenge In addition to creating awareness for their part time courses in Cape Town, Varsity College also wanted to communicate its offering as an institution that’s not just for school leavers, but one where professionals can further their education.

A secondary objective was to run a test campaign in preparation for the re-launch of the Business School in 2012 and to drive registrations.

Why Radio Radio would allow Varsity College to be integrated into the conversation between presenter and listener in a subtle, unobtrusive way. The college then selected Heart 104.9FM as it best delivered the market they were targeting, and fitted within their budget.

Implementation A high impact information led campaign was created, including promos, interviews and a combination of both live and recorded messages.

Pre-promos flighted a week prior to promote the campaign and encourage listeners to tune in to Heart 104.9FM. In the week that followed, a high frequency radio campaign which included interviews, live reads and generic ads, encouraged strategic engagement with the brand.

‘Throw forwards’ were flighted before each feature to inform listeners of the upcoming Varsity College topic of the day. To keep the on-air elements relevant, discussions focussed on different aspects of the College that would be relevant to the Heart 104.9FM listeners.

The Results “All core objectives of (1) increasing awareness of Varsity College, (2) informing and educating the market about the College’s offerings, and (3) generating an increased number of enquiries were achieved. The client reported a 300% increase in enquiries”, says Pippa Cohen of Ultimate Media.

Learnings To achieve the desired results, the client should always be given the liberty to be involved in the process of briefing the on-air presenters. Information should also packaged in such a way that it becomes valuable content for the presenter to use within the show.

RAB Commentary A good example of how brands looking to raise awareness or understanding of their offerings can align with a station’s programming objectives and leverage their campaign through editorial content.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

CASTLE LITE BREWS UP A CONCEPT THAT’S A PERFECT FIT FOR RADIO

CASTLE LITE BREWS UP A CONCEPT THAT’s A PERFECT FIT FOR RADIO

The Challenge With an objective of driving entries through product purchase, the Castle Lite ‘Enter a State of Cool’ promo needed to take a creative concept that was being executed via an on-pack promotion and bring it to life.

Consumers stood a chance to win a trip to the world’s biggest ice bar in Miami with 3 friends, valued at R300 000.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

CASTLE LITE BREWS UP A CONCEPT THAT’S A PERFECT FIT FOR RADIO

Why Radio?

In order to drive entries via product purchase and gain traction within the attractive Metro FM market, the concept needed to be brought to life on radio to drive awareness and excitement about the brand and the competition.

Radio, being the original social medium was used to continue the dialogue with the target audience and drive excitement for the trip.

Implementation The result of this collaboration was an innovative concept to have a ‘Live’ on-air draw for the winner. 10 Finalists were flown up to SAB’s central offices in Sandton, whilst the Metro FM afternoon drive time show broadcasted live from SAB. Contestants then competed in a series of challenges related to extra cold touch points and Castle Lite. Listeners on the station were kept up to date on the elimination, thus extending the reach to the MetroFM audience.

The Results As the first of its kind (live draw and interactive element), this promotion has driven an incredible amount of hype for the brand, thereby increasing the brand’s credibility within a broader MetroFM listener base. The total promo also recorded the highest number of entries against similar SAB promos run in the same period and exceeded campaign volume targets. Over the promotion period, the Castle Lite Facebook page fan base increased from 800 to more than 10 000, while Twitter followers grew from 184 to more than 2 000.

Learnings “Interactive on-air competitions need to be differentiated and unique to the brand message to break-through the clutter.

Moreover, integrating the brand’s persona with media channels and programming to create engaging branded content can deliver an exciting promotion”, says Brand Campaign Manager for Castle Lite, Gugu Nkabinde.

RAB Commentary While the campaign was short-lived, the mechanics with which the promo was executed helped to break through the on-air clutter, with long-lasting results. *Conceptualised and executed by Stephen Carlton of El Lupo

‘RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

OUTsurance Pointsmen Project – the listeners have spoken

OUTSURANCE POINTSMEN PROJECT –

THE LISTENERS HAVE SPOKEN

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

OUTsurance Pointsmen Project – the listeners have spoken

Born out of a need to alleviate congestion at key intersections during peak periods, the 702 OUTsurance Pointsmen project is a collaboration between principal sponsor, OUTsurance, project managers, Traffic Freeflow and media partner Talk Radio 702.

Having hit the ground running in 2005, this innovative and far-reaching initiative, has not only established itself as a sustainable solution, it’s providing employment for nearly 200 mobile and static Pointsmen and women, as well as their field operations and support staff.

The footprint now spans across Johannesburg including Soweto, Tshwane and even Cape Town, making a positive impact on hundreds of thousands of motorists on a daily basis. Key to the success of the project is the fact that Talk Radio 702 provides an invaluable, real-time mechanism by collecting traffic reports from listeners in real time and relaying this information back to the hundreds of thousands of listeners throughout Gauteng and Cape Town.

Outsurance’s Head of Marketing Peter Cronje says; “With radio as our media partner, we know that we’re speaking to people in their cars, so the broadcast partner/ station becomes the eyes and ears of these people. This is a natural convergence with our bread and butter offering which is car insurance.

“When you’re in the business of providing an intangible product, maintaining a consistent, reliable and physical presence is top of mind. Our Outsurance Pointsmen campaign goes beyond conventional advertising. It’s also about putting something back into the community, creating employment and alleviating some of the traffic problems”.

Amidst its success, the project met with some collision of its own when on the 31st of October 2011, the City of Johannesburg announced that the Pointsmen initiative would be made open for public tender.

During this time, Talk Radio 702 provided listeners, Traffic Freeflow and OUTsurance with the perfect medium to engage in a public forum about the possible implications this decision could have on the traffic situation in Johannesburg.

The sheer volume of feedback received from Talk Radio 702 listeners, provided the stakeholders with an ideal means of measuring the immense level of support and passion that the Johannesburg commuters have towards this initiative. The listeners have clearly indicated that irrespective of who the project managers or sponsors might be, the Pointsmen project will remain a fixture on South African roads.

RAB Commentary Given the fact that the project was born and grown on radio, Ousurance’s trailblazing use of the medium, its subsequent success and listener response speaks volumes about radio’s ability to deeply entrench a brand and change the way people feel about it at an emotional level.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

1-4 IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ‘TOO BUSY FOR RADIO ADS’ 3

IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ‘TOO BUSY FOR RADIO ADS’

David Mashabela

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

Tanja Rea

IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ‘TOO BUSY FOR RADIO ADS’ 2 - 4

Let’s face it, no one likes to read a long-winded article, much like no one likes to sit in a studio all day, toiling over a couple of 30” ads, right? But what happens when the hundreds of thousands of rands invested in airtime are riding on the power of your message? What then?

Surely it’s worth slowing down and giving some focussed attention to the crafting and production element of your radio campaign?

We sat down with a couple of radio engineering and production experts who concur that when it comes to producing well written and engaging messages, you’re better off zigging while everyone else zags - The results in brand awareness and actual sales, as they’ve seen, are worth it!

Mashabela Creatives Founder, David Mashabela says; “Although there are a few advertisers who still enjoy selecting the right voice for a particular ad, getting the music that will capture the emotion they are trying to communicate or just want to be a part of the creative process that happens in the studio, they are, in 2011, fading out. The result of this is that more and more radio ads are starting to have the same tone and feel as super market newspaper inserts - just product and price.

Mashabela insists that herein lies the opportunity for involved advertisers and their passionate engineers to shine - a well written, well produced ad on radio stands head and shoulders above the crowd. And isn’t that just the thing that marketers are forever chasing after?

Executive Electronic Producer at an agency that’s become renowned for its award-winning radio work, Net#work BBDO, Tanja Rae thinks that what it ultimately boils down to, is still always an interesting piece of copy; “Without copy that has a purpose, that evokes an emotion or likeability, you could have the best production team waiting to produce and still come up with pretty much nothing memorable.

Next step is to surround yourself with the best sound engineers, producers, voice artists and language supervisors. The beauty of living in a digital era means that engineers have all the library music, sound effects and a multitude of plug-ins, at their fingertips.

Yet, it still takes an excellent engineer to insist on going on a field trip to record the actual sounds of all the models of cars for a client, so that he can build up his sound effects library for that particular client’s future productions. This is called passion and I suggest finding an engineer that has truckloads of it.

Radio production is an exciting process, where, when all the stars align, there really is no limit to the pictures you can paint in the mind’s eye.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ‘TOO BUSY FOR RADIO ADS’ 3 - 4

IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ‘TOO BUSY FOR RADIO ADS’

André Jacquemin

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

John Culverwell

IF YOU’RE TOO BUSY TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ‘TOO BUSY FOR RADIO ADS’ 4 - 4

From an international perspective, Creative Sound Designer and the man behind the sound design of films such as Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus and Monty Python, André Jacquemin says; “Part of the problem is that, due to budgets, people just aren’t looking at the bigger picture. The bigger picture, here, involves making a story out of a visual idea. Worldwide industry perception still seems to be that radio cannot be visual. The glaring truth of the matter is that you can paint powerful pictures with sound.

This member of the Association of Motion Picture Sounds (AMPS) adds; “Over the 43 years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen hundreds of permutations of the same great ideas and jokes being done over and over and over again. Just because a concept has worked brilliantly, it doesn’t mean that one can’t look outside the box. I’m not sure if it’s the speed at which people have progressed within the industry, but everyone, the world over seems to be working radio so hard, fast and cheap.

Once in a while you come across clever people who will put a lot of thought into what they’re doing, but as a trend, people aren’t thinking about what they’re writing about. As best practice, approach every radio production studio in the country and pick through their show reels to see what other people are doing. Listen to the radio. Find out what’s wrong with the commercials that are being made. The answers are out there”.

When it comes to a potent radio production package, where excellence is the norm, sound engineering doyen John Culverwell believes these are some of the boxes to tick; Too much information is crammed into 30”, where some radio commercials are read far too quickly - with engineers cutting out breaths and every conceivable pause so as to fit everything in. Consider this; pauses are the opportunity that our brains require to process the preceding information. If you leave them out, your ads won’t be heard, much less remembered.

Remember that when you’re in a studio, the creative palette being used is sound.

You should therefore guard against bringing unnecessary sounds into the studio, such as talking on cell phones or having meetings, this could affect the voice artist’s performance (one of the biggest contributors to a radio ad working or not!) or prevent them from hearing the instructions being given.

Proper planning, pre-production, casting, length of script, timing, treatment and the right attitude and intent at the recording, will go a long way in improving the quality and results of your ad campaigns. It’s encouraging to see a small, but growing band of creative and professional marketers such as Kulula, Nandos, FNB (Steve) and Frank.net, who are approaching radio campaigns with the right production commitment. The results in commensurate ROI speak for themselves.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

DON’T YOU LOVE IT WHEN THEY GET IT SO RIGHT!

DON’T YOU LOVE IT WHEN THEY GET IT SO RIGHT! Cannes and Loerie Radio Lion Grand Prix winner and Net#work BBDO Creative Director Jenny Glover on giving radio the respect it deserves…

The phrase; What makes a great radio ad? has the effect of causing eye ticking and lip sweating. The thing is that every creative person worth their salt knows exactly what makes great radio.

So why all the bad radio then?

There’s a particular reason why radio has inherited a reputation for being the slag of all mediums. We give it unreasonable deadlines. It’s always rushed. We cram 60 seconds worth of content into 30 seconds, including a phone number and website, because as we know, listeners are camping out at the radio with a pen and paper, waiting to write out your phone number. We’ll even take a body copy from a print ad or flier and call it a radio script.

Then we’ll get a really bad voice over, to deliver it in the most obnoxious style possible.

There’s no love, no respect – we’re treating radio like a slag.

It, sadly, doesn’t end there. If there’s one thing that can kill great radio, it’s a client. They can be hemlock to great ideas. I do believe that years ago, there was a worldwide radio seminar that gave clients the magic formula for radio: pick a ridiculously unrealistic sounding announcer voice to read your print body copy then finish off with jazz or kwaito music. Hey presto! You’ve got yourself a radio ad.

Now, I wish we could place the blame solely on clients but alas, creatives are equally to blame. You see, we can forgive clients for making bad radio. It’s not their job to push the envelope or challenge the medium. That’s our job. We’re the ones who need to guide them towards better radio.

And what do I mean by ‘better’ radio? Well, not every spot is an award-winning spot but every spot should be as good as it can be. Live reads can be well written and washing powder spots can have flawless production values. Stop treating radio like a slapper. Be kind to it. Show it some love. Create the kind of radio that you’re proud to put your name on - your real name.

We might have forgotten to mention that Jenny also judged the Radio category at the Cannes advertising festival this year... Here, she dispenses some hard-hitting nuggets for Cannes-aspiring Creatives, summed up in the PAWPAWS acronym – yes, seriously!

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

DON’T YOU LOVE IT WHEN THEY GET IT SO RIGHT!

P - punchline. Keep listeners and judges interested. Judges listen to spots up to about 9 times. Make sure yours has staying power.

A - annoying. Judges judge/ listen to ads for up to fours days at a time – many of them atrocious. Sometimes they’re even nursing hangovers, so don’t irritate them any more than you have to with annoying ads.

W - worthy. Make sure you’re able to provide a good argument for your ad.

P - create a seamless logical flow between your product and your idea.

A - audio techniques - if you’re going to attempt these, do it in the freshest, hottest way possible.

W - well done - make sure everything’s perfect, production-wise and creatively. Don’t give judges any reason to find a fault.

S - smart. Make sure your work is compelling, interesting and new.

If you want to wear the badge of Copywriter, work at it, which means you need to write and read a lot.

Jenny Glover Creative Director, Net#work BBDO RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

5 TIPS ON HOW

5 TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE NON-TRADITIONAL RADIO WORK

TO MAKE NON-TRADITIONAL RADIO WORK

With an infinitely greater choice of stations and products, advertisers are now more than ever, on the lookout for breakthrough ways of interacting meaningfully with listeners. Here then are the five top tips on how to navigate those waters, courtesy of Radio Specialist John Walls.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

5 TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE NON-TRADITIONAL RADIO WORK

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF THE PROGRAMME MANAGER Get to know the Programming Managers. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Go see them. Take them out for breakfast. Get to know what their programming priorities are. Aligning your campaign execution with these priorities will help them drive the process better through their presenters.

CO-ORDINATE YOUR ADVERTISING AND PR EFFORTS Most clients would like to leverage their campaigns through editorial content. All too often though, the publicity or public relations effort is seen as separate to the overall marketing effort. In fact, the PR agency is often briefed after the fact; ‘Here’s our campaign, now go and get us editorial content.’ Marry PR and advertising from the get go. The objectives are after all, the same.

YOUR BRIEF SHOULD BE HALF THE SOLUTION Be careful to do your homework on a station’s programming format. As a client, don’t come to the station with the whole campaign and mechanics cast in stone. Have a simple plan, and allow the Programming Manager to tailor-make it or fill in the details so that it’s most aligned to the station’s format and tone.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A ‘CREATIVE’ TO BE CREATIVE Radio has evolved. In the past, media was dictated by the creative. There’s been a shift. It’s called ‘Creative media planning’. So get to know the stations’ products and study their best case histories. You might not win an award but you will create radio that gets results.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK Not every radio station has exactly the same programming philosophy. Just because one station says no to your idea, it doesn’t mean another will do the same. Some stations will experiment with content advertorial, but only if it fits in with the feel of the show and if the programme manager actually feels that it will add to the listener experience.

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ...the programming Manager

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH …THE PROGRAMMING MANAGER

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH ...the programming Manager

Radio advertisers can learn a lot by understanding what frightens radio station programming managers the most, says Jason Brownlee. He should know. He’s tested the effectiveness of more than 400 radio case studies on RadioGAUGE… In my experience, *the* most terrifying thing a Programming Manager has to contemplate is changing the presenter of his breakfast show. It’s no secret that listeners become very attached to their favourite DJs who weave themselves into the routine of daily life and become like real friends.

The second thing would be putting new music onto their playlist. People don’t like songs they don’t recognise and have been known to switch off from a station playing something unfamiliar and cruise around the dial until they hear a song they know and like.

Interestingly, the top 25% of radio ads in terms of creative effectiveness, as measured

by RadioGAUGE, were on average 13% better at generating brand campaign awareness than the bottom 25% of ads. Top-performing campaigns often exhibited common attributes such as long standing creative strategies, familiar jingles, recognisable voices, regular characters and consistent story lines.

What am I saying then?

Here are three things, my points above prove; 1. Personalities need familiarity to be successful on the radio - presenters need to develop a rapport with an audience that, over time, will come to embrace them.

2. Music needs familiarity to be successful on the radio - as a song begins to break its way into awareness it builds familiarity within the minds of listeners, who will eventually take it to heart.

3. Commercials need familiarity to be successful on the radio - advertisers need to develop creative themes or templates that express the personality of their brand on the radio and commit to them over a long period of time.

Bottom line; building familiarity on the radio is crucial for any presenter, song or band that wants to cut through into audience consciousness and be taken into the hearts and minds of listeners. Brands that ‘find their voice’ on the radio build the strongest relationships with listeners, which invariably delivers the best ROI from the medium.

Jason Brownlee Development Director, RadioGAUGE International RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

THE MANY SHADES OF BLACK

THE MANY

SHADES OF BLACK

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

THE MANY SHADES OF BLACK

One of the plusses of living in a multi-cultural country like South Africa is the diversity in language and customs. Admittedly, few media channels can compete with radio’s unsurpassed ability to connect with all listeners in all languages from Pedi to patois.

Sadly, advertisers and marketers who fail to take advantage of this or who fail to understand the segmented nuances of the black consumer sector are speaking to a homogenous nobody. They are likely wasting their money too by creating mismatched messaging and buying ill-placed advertising space by targeting what they assume to be ‘the black market’. A flip of the coin and our research indicates that black consumers have a message of their own for marketers and their agencies – copywriters, take note; What they’re saying is; “Look elsewhere for stories. We’ve moved on.”

Don’t do ads that reflect how things used to be. Have your finger on the pulse. Better yet spend a week in the townships to really get a sense for how things change daily. Learn the language, or at least familiarise yourself with the lingo they’re speaking.

What they’re saying is; “Look elsewhere for stories. We’ve moved on.”

You can’t view the world from the boardrooms; “I’ve done my ads, I’ve won my awards” – is not going to work. Radio is alive. It allows you to adapt and evolve as quickly as these young people are.

The black consumer market is South Africa’s past, present and future. For this market, radio has always featured as the most trusted and accessible media after friends and ‘word of mouth’. It therefore makes sense for brands to be in there. With radio and a deeper understanding of the market, you can be that brand.

Lebo Motshegoa Managing Director, Foshizi RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RADIO HOW DO I COMP ARE THEE?

RADIO HOW DO I COMPARE THEE?

RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA

RADIO HOW DO I COMPARE THEE?

For as long as frequency has been debated, so has Media Inflation Watch been a highly contentious issue. Not ones to mark our own homework, we asked Mike Leahy for a quick synopsis on how radio fared in 2011 and we’re pleased to announce that the results are good – very good…

Media Inflation Watch, an analysis module of Media Manager online, hasn’t been too kind to radio in the last few years.

Whereas station rates were pretty conservative, the performance delivered didn’t quite add up.

In the last few years RAMS data indicated that the average listener was spending less and less time with the medium. Although last 7 day numbers were still high, the numbers for the average ¼ hour and thus the performance of the average commercial spot was falling, placing severe pressure on the competitiveness of the medium as measured.

Fast forward to 2011, however, and a different picture emerges - one in which the average listener is deciding that it is worth devoting time with radio. Looking at the diagram below, and for the most part, audience growth continues to outpace rate card rate increases - (the most positive results seen by radio for some years!).

Radio also has the lowest cost per thousand at 29.02, when compared with television at 42.51 and print at 102.49, meaning that advertisers are able to reach all income brackets more cost effectively.

This, coupled with the audience resuscitation indicated below means that the number of listeners to the average spot is stabilised. It has led to a more competitive MIW index, to the relief of…well, everyone!

Mike Leahy IBIS RADIO. THE BEST OF 2011. RAB SOUTH AFRICA