1. It’s possible to do an idea which has been done before. Make sure it’s done better–to the point that it makes the old one feel really ugly.
If it isn’t done better then there’s more room for comparison. There was an ad that didn’t get a metal because later we saw that a TVC from a competitor brand was produced using the same idea years before.
2. The wrong actor for the wrong script makes a bad radio.
In radio, acting is very important. Don’t overdo it. Don’t get a non-professional talent to act and sound like a pro. Non-pro talents are good for character voices or if their use is part of the idea.
3. There were a lot of analogy scripts. Too much. It makes me feel this might be the default style of most writers for radio.
4. Our reaction to hearing bad radio ads was anger. Maybe because we felt it wasted our time. I guess this is true for any ad. We do our best not to waste the time of our listeners or viewers. We disrupted their lives with our ads and so I guess we owe it to them to make our ideas worth their time.
5. There were too many entries that used repeating words or phrases or sound effects. It would probably be ok to do this if it was just one entry then it stands out. There were too many from different countries.
6. Some were being too clever they weren’t clear anymore–difficult to understand. Radio is a passive medium. People don’t pay attention to radio anymore. Not like the time before TV. Radio is in the background while driving or working or cooking.
7. Some scripts were just too long. Too long to keep our attention. Imagine your audience’s thumb is just millimeters away from the change button on their car’s steering wheel.
8. It’s ok to get the brand mentioned early on in the spot. A few entries used this style. I can imagine the client asking for early branding. And it’s perfectly fine. It works with some ideas.
9. Bad work keeps getting entered every year because agencies never get to hear the losers. So when they think of an idea that’s been entered and lost in Cannes Lions they think it’s original.
10. As a jury, we were missing radio ads which were pure dialogue done well. Original, funny dialogue with believable acting. There were very few of these.
11. There were too much of “imagine this…”–this I feel is a cheat. Some creative directors would say radio is a visual medium. And I agree with this. But, to start your spot with “Imagine this…” is cheating.
12. It really comes down to this—how much do you really want to hear that radio spot over and over?
Among the gold and Grand Prix winners—let’s ask ourselves, which of these do we wish were in our portfolio?
Let other people in the office read the script. If they laugh out loud then it could be a good one. If they cry then it could be a good one. If they say “It’s nice.” Then keep writing.
After you have produced your radio, let other people in the office hear it. If they laugh out loud then it’s a good one. If they were supposed to cry and they did, then it’s a good one. If they say “It’s nice,” re-produce it.
Brandie Tan is Executive Creative Director at Publicis JimenezBasic and was a member of the Radio Lions Jury in Cannes Lions 2015.
