Page 191 - Duct Tape Marketing

175Chapter 12: Broadcasting Ads on Radio and TV

ߜ Flight: A schedule of broadcast ads concentrated within a short time
period, usually followed by a hiatus, or period of inactivity. Ad flights
create a level of awareness that generates a carryover effect, causing
prospects to think that they “just heard” your ad even when it has been
off-air for several weeks.

ߜ Increments: Stations sell ad time in lengths — called increments — of 10
seconds (written as :10s and called tens), 15 seconds (:15s), 30 seconds
(:30s), and 60 seconds (:60s).

When buying radio time, :60s are usually only slightly more expensive
and sometimes no different in price than :30s. If you opt for the longer
ad, though, be sure you can create an interesting, entertaining ad capa-
ble of holding listener attention for a full minute. The rule in radio is to
use only as much time as you need to say what needs to be said. If your
offer is easy to explain, a :30 might be all you need. Shorter ads (:10s and
:15s) are used as reinforcements, rotating into a schedule of :30s or :60s
to build frequency through short reminder messages.

The majority of all television ads are :30s.

ߜ Network affiliate: A station that is affiliated with a national broadcast
network (such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX), usually resulting in higher
news credibility and larger audiences. A station not affiliated with a net-
work is called an independent station.

ߜ Sponsorship: Underwriting a program in return for on-air announce-
ments (called billboards) that tell the sponsor’s name and tag line or
brief message.

On commercial stations, advertisers can sponsor reports such as the
helicopter traffic update or the daily weathercast. Or they can sponsor a
public service message: This safe driving reminder is brought to you by
the doctors and nurses of St. Vincent’s Hospital.

On public broadcast stations, sponsorships are the major vehicle avail-
able to advertisers. Many financial planners, medical and legal profes-
sionals, and other service providers use program sponsorships to gain
awareness without looking promotional. When you hear This program is
brought to you with the generous support of . . ., you’re listening to a spon-
sorship announcement.

ߜ Spot: The term spot has several meanings in broadcast advertising:

• It refers to the time slot in which an ad runs. We’re going to run 30
spots a week.

• It refers to the ad itself. We’re going to produce three spots to rotate
over a month-long schedule.

• It refers to television time purchased on specific stations rather
than on an entire network. We can’t afford a million-dollar Super
Bowl network buy, so we’re going to spend $500 to make a spot buy
on our local channel.