A lesson in advertising from a Dublin baby

Just like a baby’s mind, a great radio spot should contain only simple, single-minded thoughts.

Here’s one spot that stands out for its simplicity and single-mindedness, It’s running this week on Ireland’s Newstalk 106-108 and it features a baby.

[audio:http://earshotcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/irish-examiner-old-mums.mp3|titles=”Irish Examiner – Chemistry – Newstalk 106-108″]

There are lots of reasons why this works so well:

• Ear-catching. The sound of a baby’s first burbly words is instantly appealing to young parents.
• Timing. It’s just long enough to catch your attention, work-out what’s going on and take-in the sales message.
• Gets you thinking. A simple question raises a big social issue – the rise of the older mum – in your own mind.
• Clutter-free copy. Every word counts. Good.
• Simple call-to-action. The audience knows the Irish Examiner is a newspaper. “Find out” is plenty.
• Standout. The texture and energy level of the spot will contrast well with the general surrounding content on-air.

A final word on children in advertising: they can quickly turn bad if they’re deployed gratuitously. In this spot, however, the use of the baby is perfectly relevant to the idea.

This ad was made by the Dublin agency Chemistry as part of its campaign for the Irish Examiner newspaper.

There’s more great radio advertising coming shortly in the new Earshot Creative Review podcast when Clare Bowen of the UK RAB and Slovenian radio advertising consultant Lenja Papp will play and discuss some of their favourite radio ads.

The next edition is out this weekend. Use our free email alert service to be kept up to date with new content within the Earshot blog.