I’ve been writing “funny” radio commercials for two decades. Funny is in quotes because humor is in the ear of the beholder. You try to make a commercial that is entertaining and sells the product, whether the individual reaction is a belly laugh, mild chuckle or smile.
Many of my spots fall into the “two-voice” category. Some producers are not so big on two-voice ads, usually because they’ve heard some pretty foul ones. I’ve certainly written clinkers…radio commercial production is a volume business and sometimes The Great Idea doesn’t reach your noggin by the deadline. However, I have figured out some policies that work well for me.
We Don’t Need To Know The Characters’ Names. Two voice spots are dramatizations, with characters, conflict, story, etc. But 30 seconds is 30 seconds. Starting with “Hi Bob! How are you”, “Hey Bill! I’m fine!” is wasted time. It’s also a crushingly dull way to start your story. Which brings me to,,,
Start In The Middle. This is something I learned reading the autobiography of my advertising idol Stan Freberg, and it’s absolutely true. Listeners are smart enough to catch up to a story without all that time-wasting setup. Example:
BOB: You’re not gonna believe what happened to me this weekend!
BILL: Oh yeah? Tell me about it!
BOB: Well, I woke up Saturday morning for breakfast, and as I was walking down the stairs I saw a huge grizzly bear in my kitchen!
Pretty dull until the bear shows up. So start with:
BOB: As I was walking down the stairs I saw a huge grizzly bear in my kitchen!
That gets you into the meat of the story right away. Like I said, listeners get the picture quickly and will follow the narrative just fine.
Your Characters Should Talk Like Actual Humans. This is another reason some people have soured on two-voice spots: They sound more like a middle school play than actual conversation. Real conversation is messy…people interrupt, they pause, they aren’t always polite. This is why I like recording two-voice spots in real time with both parts in the studio going back-and-forth. This allows for improvisation, fiddling with the timing, etc. Kalin Krohe is my secret weapon. He always adds something to a 2-voice spot–a better line, a vocal utterance, a unique line reading…
Give the “Heavy Lifting” To An Announcer. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the phrase “Available at participating locations for a limited time” come up in casual conversation. Whenever possible, disclaimers and other verbiage should be left to a third voice to handle at the end of the spot. This keeps your story honest.
“Two-Voice” Is Not Always The Right Approach. Some business categories just can’t be done with a humorous approach. Funeral home, elderly care, etc. I would never attempt a “dramatic” two-voice spot because I don’t trust myself to strike the proper tone.
There are about 1, 879 schools of thought on which advertising approach works best. It’s an art, not a science. I just wanted to share some of my…and Lord, I hate this term…”Best Practices.”