How to Make an Effective Billboard

Now that I have finished my radio advertisement I can start the process of planning for my billboard advertisement.  The radio advert and the billboard together will be effective for drivers particularly  as the radio advert gives more details about the magazine whilst people are driving and the billboard serves a s a visual aid to illustrate what has been said in the radio advert.  Billboard advertising is one traditional medium that has remained virtually unchanged.  The increase of internet and social media use created these 'new rules of marketing' however billboard advertising hasn't conformed.  Because our brief includes billboard as advertising tool to market our magazine I want to know what I have to include in ours to make it effective and a reliable strategy to gain buyers.

Final Radio Advertisement

My final radio advertisement lasts just over 30 seconds which is typical time for an advert to be on the airway. With this, listeners will not get bored or forget the reason for the advert.  During my advert I have mentioned the name of my magazine at the beginning, during the middle and at the end of the advert as a constant reminder of the product also this will notify listeners who have tuned in later what the advert is about.  Furthermore,  I used the magazine name as a pun at the end, 'kick back and enjoy this issue' to make the name more memorable.

The soundtrack is upbeat suggesting the joyful brand identity of my magazine and will attract the audience when they first listen.  However it is much quieter than the voiceover so people can hear the information and not get distracted.

The voices are of a teenage female and male to indicate that the magazine is unisex. Also the voices convey the regional accent which promotes the fact it is a regional magazine.

The radio advertisement concludes with where to buy the magazine and platforms to connect with the magazine like on Twitter.

Uploading My Radio Advertisment to iTunes and YouTube

I uploaded my radio advertisement to iTunes and YouTube so that promotion of my magazine will reach a larger audience.  These two platforms were the ideal choice because they are popularly used amongst teenagers and because these platforms promote new content themselves increasing the chances my audience will come across my radio advertisement.

Audience Feedback for the Radio Advertisement

The feedback I received from my target audience about my radio advert was mostly positive. They responded well to the choice of soundtrack and the cheerful tone of the magazine. Once I had got feedback from my target audience as a collective, I specifically played my radio advert to the people who had previously given me more in depth suggestions for the radio advert as part as my audience research.  They also liked the content of the advertisement and the way it flowed from one topic to the other.  However, they suggested to re adjust the volume of the soundtrack as the beginning where there is no volume is too loud and doesn't match the volume of the voices.

GarageBand Settings

I have used the 'bright vocal' for the voiceover and this will enhance the tone of the speech to create a joyful sound.  Also, I have looped the first 5 seconds of the soundtrack for the duration of the radio advertisement because the tempo of the whole song increases and decreases and doesn't fit the pace of the speech.  As well, the listeners may be more attentive to the song rather than the information being shared in the advert.

The Radio Script

The first four seconds of the radio advert will just be the soundtrack to draw the attention of listeners and introduce them to the joyful and energetic mode of address of my brand.  After the four seconds the volume of the soundtrack will be lowered so it doesn't cloud the dialogue.

From the feedback I received from my audience, they would understand that my magazine is aimed towards a unisex, teenage demographic if the radio advert used a male and a female speaker.  The radio advert begins with the male and female speakers simultaneously addressing the listeners to indicate the advert is aimed towards both sexes.  From this point, the speakers only simultaneously talk during important pieces of information to exaggerate the point. For example, the name of the magazine.  

The audience suggested that the radio advert should promote stories that are in the magazine, which I have, such as top food and drink places to go.  Also I have mentioned the soup kitchen article because it is the first double page spread of the magazine. 

The radio advert concludes by informing the listeners on: where they can buy the magazine, the price of the magazine and platforms they can interact with the magazine, for example; Twitter. 

The Soundtrack

I have chosen the music for my advertisement before I have written the script for the advertisement so I write something joyful to go with the tone of the song. 

The music track for my radio advertisement will be the instrumental for  'Fossils' by Circa Waves. This song is upbeat and light hearted which will set the tone of the radio advertisement.  Also, this band is recognisable amongst young people and so as the song will appeal to them and when they hear the song it will remind them of my advertisement. Furthermore, I have decided to mute the vocals of the song so that the lyrics didn't overshadow the speaker in my advertisement.

Original song 

To use the song, I have emailed the band's record company, Virgin EMI Records, to avoid copyright infringement.