Storyboards for radio were once a joke, initiation for newbie art directors. Not anymore – at least for Tony Hertz, the UK’s most highly-awarded creative for radio, who considers visuals the essence of successful radio advertising.
Hosted by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP–Association of Philippine Broadcasters) and the Advertising Standards Council (ASC), Hertz was recently in Manila to present his Rad4AD© (Radio for Art Directors) seminar. The Philippines is one of only 28 countries where Hertz has shared the seminar, hailed as one of the most successful at Cannes.
Hertz’s ‘visual radio’ science goes beyond advertising basics. Start with a picture, and make characters, not voices. Hertz zeroes in on a key factor that kills radio ads: the inability to imagine outside the (radio transmitter) box. Generic character descriptions, initials like ‘FVO (female voice over)’ and ‘SFX (sound effects)’ add nothing to characters, color, atmosphere – the basic elements of a picture that draws an expression and elicits affinity. An affinity that induces interaction, which is the purpose of an ad. Characters should stay in character, so to speak.
“Philippine radio is beautifully written, clever. But its production and voice-over are overdone,” says Hertz. “Having a great voice is different from being a voice actor. Voice actors make you believe they are what they play,” Hertz adds. “Philippine ads feature mere voice-overs who transform into endorsers and experts,” was another telling statement. Himself a concept maker and scriptwriter (and a somewhat under-rated art director), Hertz also directs his own radio ads.
The seminar tackled an equally important topic: getting work approved. “The more clients see in your radio ad, the easier it is for them to buy [it],” Hertz promises. Narrate the story; use a graphic, mood board, or storyboard; name characters; describe mood and movement, perform it, etc.
Enlightening as Hertz’s talk was, some audience members chose to engage in their own lengthy and quite distracting conversations. Attendees from a top radio network and other offices talked audibly in various corners. When radio creatives don’t know when to listen, they cannot always expect listeners to know when they should be heard.
