RADIO ADVERTISING.

New Zealand Listener, Volume 10, Issue 236, 31 December 1943, Unnumbered Page

RADIO ADVERTISING.

Sir,-Can a listener do anything to improve the standard of advertising announcements to which he is compelled to listen from the Commercials? Most announcements are far too long. Nothing can be more exasperating than listening to an announcer wading through a half foolscap sheet of blurb, with a monotonous repetition of the sponsor's name, address, and description after every sentence. If an advertiser cannot get his message across in 15 to 20 seconds he should get a new copywriter. Long-winded. announcements are not only tiresome, but are poor sales policy. Some advertisers greatly underrate the mentality of the average New Zealander. If a sponsor quotes the high-sounding formula of his preparation, most. people are at once suspicious, not impressed. Most people know the symptoms of constipation, without having them shouted at meal time. Smokers will never be convinced that such-and-such a cigarette is sO much better until it has improved a little in quality. : Nor should advertisers try so hard to be patriotic-it doesn’t become them. A blurb about so-and-so’s model hats’ concluded by a squander bug admonition just doesn’t ring true. Listeners are tired of being told that "our factories are engaged on work of national importance" -the advertiser is probably making a good thing out of it anyway. I made similar complaints to an announcer friend of mine recently. He said: "You only have to listen-try reading the ,goddam things, and moreover with enthusiasm."

PAINED

(Christchurch).