&Less is More

I just wrote my first radio commercial and the old saying, “less is more,” comes to mind.

I’ve been in the print advertising arena for nearly two decades and I always preach conciseness when it comes to content.

Why would it be any different with radio?

It’s not.

Before writing my commercial, I looked up the recommended word count for a 30-second commercial. With that research, I paired my ad down to 76 words. I even timed myself as I read the script. Right on the button at 30 seconds. All set now.

Then I heard the commercial the radio staff recorded for me. It was incredible quality work, given what I had given them to work with.

I soon realized that I didn’t really account for adequate pacing. With 30 seconds the voice artist sounded rushed to get everything into that window.

In visual communications, this is essentially the same as when a client wants to take up every square inch of visual real estate on an ad, brochure, or website. When that happens the message gets muddled and less effective.

More effective communication always comes from less content. Like white space in a visual layout, more time between sentences and pausing for dramatic effect was required to feel the true vibe of the ad.

To achieve a more effective ad, I’m having them remove about a dozen words. That doesn’t sound like a ton, but it’s actually about 16 percent less verbiage.

Less is more. Still true — even in radio.

— &Rew

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