![[Radioworks 2011] Does radio have creative problems?](https://biz-file.com/c/1108/80945.jpg?1)
He also said agencies and radio stations are largely unsatisfied with the radio spots they turn out.
Why are radio ads so bad?
Why are radio adverts so bad? he asked. "Times are changing, the technology is changing and marketing realities are changing," he said, adding that if one were to be given an ad to write for print, TV, outdoor or digital, he or she would probably do it in a wonderful manner, even better than it was done last year or 25 years ago.
"But I will bet that if you are given an ad to write for radio, there is a certainty that you will come up with the same ad you did last year."
Why hasn't radio kept pace with print, TV, digital and outdoor? Hertz wondered. He cited the following for this:
Because they are not taught these skills, he said, the consequences are that they have lost an obsession with and passion for radio.
He added: "The way radio is bought and sold also hinders creativity (too cheap), and not enough attention is given by radio stations, agencies and their clients about the way people consume radio."
Explaining how listeners consume radio, Hertz said people listen to radio for trusted company, alone and habitually and while doing something else.
Instead, he said, advertisers talk to consumers in a totally different direction. He explained, "Advertisers talk down to consumers, breaking that trust. They shout at them and frequently in short bursts. And they expect them to take in a lot of information and details."
As a consequence, there is a disconnection between advertisers and consumers, he said, adding that this gap is responsible for making it difficult for radio to capitalise on the medium's two powerful characteristics:
Unveiling what he called the seven secrets of creative radio, Hertz said:
" Radio from a different angle"
The second annual Radioworks conference, hosted by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), is themed "TILT - Radio from a different angle". The Johannesburg leg is taking place today, Wednesday 31 August 2011, at the forum | the campus, Bryanston and in Cape Town tomorrow, Thursday 1 September, at Crystal Towers, opposite Century City Shopping Centre.
Delegates were also told that bad programming affects radio growth, and that radio was still working and only waiting for radio people to create good stuff to make people laugh and react, and make the brand move along.
"Programming saves lives, and you must start getting it right," former 5FM presenter Mark Gillman said. "Radio is like a circus, where people have fun and that's why I came into radio - to have fun. And, at a circus, everything is possible."
Gillman, who has worked in radio studios for 15 years, deplored the attitude of some programming managers who often clash with DJs - a conflict that affects their symbiotic relationship, which is a good omen for radio advancement.
'Relationship with people'
"What you do on air has a relationship with the people and, if you are not doing it right, you are wasting your time. Create programming that is fun - move people, make people angry, offend them - because it is just a human thing, end of the story," he said.
If programming can move people, it can also move the brand, Gillman added. "Look at me, do I look like a hamper? You can't give [away] hampers for the rest of your life."
Barrett Whiteford, head of marketing at FNB Credit Card and Vehicle Finance, said marketers must get involved together with advertisers and radio presenters, and quickly change the strategy if it is not working.
"Stations and buying houses must stop 'painting by numbers'", he said, adding that if one has got good radio, it will work just fine.
"Try being topical but most of all more entertaining, and everyone loves a soapie. Sonic triggers work, and remember it's all about results. Bear in mind that radio delivers, and you can do more with it than TV."
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