Commercial Radio Australia hijacks radio ads to share the importance of advertising with the medium
Commercial Radio Australia (CRA’s) has hijacked brands’ radio ads to send a message to advertisers that radio’s audience is growing as more Australians are turn to the medium.
One of CRA’s ads highlight that the radio ads are still able to be recorded and produced while abiding by COVID-19 social distancing rules.
The campaign was created by audio specialist agency, Eardrum.
Founding creative director, Ralph van Dijk, said: “In times of uncertainty, audiences turn to radio to stay connected and informed in real time. So brands can use the medium to stay connected to customers with low cost creative that we can produce remotely.”
GfK data shows that nearly half of radio listening is occurring in the home.
CRA chief executive officer, Joan Warner, said: “Radio is quick to market and can turn around and tailor messages in a matter of hours. This means businesses can easily pivot their offerings and communications as the situation changes and reach consumers directly.
“With many more people now working and listening to radio at home, radio is an effective way for businesses to build brand awareness and stimulate sales.”
The campaign will be broadcasting across 260 commercial radio stations.
Clever idea, well-executed. Do the brands whose commercials are being “hijacked” mind (or have any say whatsoever in this) – or were they consulted ahead of time?
This is radio’s time to shine! Good job, all.
RS
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Sounds great in Isolation, however, I caught the ad this weekend insitu on a metro station and it sounded like someone had hit three buttons at once… it was jarring.
Guess it got my attention.
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There’s nothing new about this as a creative execution on commercial radio and I’m sure Ralph is aware that it was being done across both the Nova and Austereo networks in the early 2000s. They were even being sold to both featured clients as a ‘premium’ execution.
The fact that Commercial Radio Australia is calling their campaign ‘Radio Alive’ suggests they’re currently performing CPR on radio as a medium. It’ll be hard to revive with ideas that are 20 years old.
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If Creg Maygan is correct that’s incredible, it just goes to show, old ideas re-hashed are the best ones right? Radio is at its most powerful right now, the demand for news and content is high. This article though, is an interesting read. These executions, were they made at low cost? Were these messages tailored in a matter of hours? Or stewed over for days and debated in the creative den of Eardrum? If they were made in a matter of hours like the article suggests, that would be a radio creative team doing that, not an agency like Eardrum. I wonder what lost cost creative is in the world of Eardrum? Not $0 like most radio stations during the pandemic to help clients stay on air! Let get more realistic people.
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