There’s a certain predictable quality to radio ads for food. They all promise the same types of deals and a wide variety of dining choices. Except for some that have catchy jingles, the rest soon fade from the listener’s mind.
When it comes to radio ads for food, understanding your audience, being authentic, realistic, and credible are the solution. The best radio commercials for food-related products appeal to the customer’s desire as well as promote the brand.
Most customers in the food industry are particular about what they want.
Some may be checking their weight and, therefore, very concerned about their calorie intake. Others may be under specific medication, and others may just prefer a particular meal. This specificity then means that deceptive food ads can and will ruin your marketing campaign, causing you great loss.
Here are some tips on how you can improve your radio ads for food to make you stand out from the competition.
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This post was updated in April 2021
Understand the Trends in Radio Ads for Food
The food industry accounts for the second-largest advertiser in the United States. This makes advertising space very competitive, especially when it comes to radio.
With increased competition, winning in food advertising means doing something different, something unique. But you first have to understand what played out trends to stay away from.
Most radio ads for food products sound rushed.
This makes it hard for listeners to get detailed information from them. This may be one way to paint the picture of a fast-food setting, but such rushed commercials often miss the mark.
A marketer’s primary aim is to ensure that the target audience knows enough about the product. The goal is not to deceive or manipulate the listeners into buying the product.
Food companies have a tendency to profit from vulnerable populations.
Most radio ads for food usually target children, young adolescents, and youths.
Why?
Because younger populations are famous for their impulsive buying habits. They are also more vulnerable to emotional manipulation and tend to have brand loyalty. In the case of children, the level of their cognitive development predisposes them to be easily enticed by poorly-tailored radio ads.
You basically have the power to influence your customers, if you wanted to. It’s just basic advertising, and the food industry seems to have cornered the market on this one.
But following this trend might end up doing your campaign and your brand more harm than good. Food can be addictive and even destructive, so when crafting your campaign, don’t misuse your power. Manipulative ads can only take you so far. You should instead focus on crafting radio ads based on thorough market research.
Here is a guide on how to craft effective radio commercial scripts.
Include an Expert View
While scripting your radio ad, it is advisable to include a clause from an expert.
You can include views from:
Nutritionist
Regardless of who your audience is, you can’t go wrong with a nutritionist in your radio commercial for food.
The expert can give parents tips on what to feed their children. Or they can give athletes an alternative tummy-filling but lo-calorie meal option.
Chef
A reputable chef may go a long way in advancing your food campaign.
There are many other experts in the food industry that could give insight to your audience and help elevate your marketing campaign.
Don’t just make it about food, make it about their health.
And if you’re going to take this route, you should also know how to hire a voice talent that can make you radio spot sound expert-level-authentic.
Here’s how to choose the perfect voice.
Be Consistent
Food ads, like any other form of advertisement, require that you be very specific and consistent with your brand.
If you go for a song that introduces your ad, then it is advisable to stick with it every time you are scripting your ad. The same also applies to when you recruit celebrities or other professionals to make your ad. Stick with them since it will enhance brand recognition.
However, also consider the timing of your radio commercials for food
Consistency doesn’t mean running the same ad over and over again hoping to get better results each time. Switch it up every once in a while. All you have to do is pay attention to what’s going on around you.
Think turkey, think thanksgiving.
People associate food with seasons, special memories, big events… take your pick. Take the ‘holiday spirit’ into account when coming up with your radio ad for food.
Timing also involves knowing what time of day to run your ad. You could even have two different scripts for a daytime and nighttime ad.
It’s about knowing who your audience is and what they will respond to depending on the weather, geographical location, and many other factors.
Get Inspired to Write the Best Radio Ads for Food
Most radio ads for food go something like:
“Wow, your food is soooo tasty! Care to share your secret?”
Listeners are accustomed to this, so much that it doesn’t get their attention anymore. Starting your ad like this makes a poor first impression, and remember a good first impression makes the best impression.
Let the uniqueness of your brand shine in the commercial.
Need help crafting the perfect radio ad? Submit a project with us and we’ll have it ready in a flash!
Use odd words that surprise the listener, thereby drawing all their attention to the radio ad.
Aside from attractive bargains, radio ads for food can make the product sound more appealing. A well-worded script with sounding words (onomatopoeia) can engage the audience’s imagination. It can make them hungry for your food.
The human mind can translate audio information into tastes and smells.
This can induce memories of listeners enjoying the same food. Take advantage of such responses by creating ads featuring sounds like food simmering over a grill or boiling in a pot. Avoid sounds like clattering plates or pans, which are common in most radio ads for food.
Here is an article on how to turn listeners into fans using 30-second radio ads.
Since most ads sound the same, listeners can easily confuse one brand of food for another. Consumers greatly depend on unaided recall when shopping, so if they can recall anything specific about your brand, chances are they won’t buy from you.
Finally, remember that…
Uniqueness can be borrowed
Listen to popular radio ads for food and get inspired to write your own.
Look to renowned fast-food chains like KFC and take a page from their marketing campaigns. As long as you don’t use other people’s ideas as they as, your brand could benefit from using proven radio advertising techniques.
Take this McDonald’s campaign for instance:
The roads have emptied. Only us left. Kids sleeping in back. Cat’s eyes shine bright. White lines roll by. The rhythm of the street lights. Radio hums quietly. Rain starts. Hypnotic wipers. Pull in. Hot latte and apple pie. Ease back into the darkness.
VO: Over 600 McDonald’s open 24 hours. We are awake.
This commercial only mentions food at the end, but it still appeals to consumers. In fact, listening to the ad makes you anticipate for something. The words used are very descriptive, hence inspiring listeners to imagine themselves in a McDonald’s cafe, sipping a hot latte on a cold night.
Your radio ad doesn’t have to be complicated to do the trick. Sometimes, simplicity is the best way to go. Lean into what the consumers want instead of focusing on all your latest offers and newest menu additions. The ad should be relatable, and the best way to achieve this is to put yourself in the shoes of the listener.
Types of Radio Ads for Food (and when to use which)
There are various forms of radio ads, and almost all of them can be used when advertising for food.
Live reads involve an announcer’s voice reading from a script.
These are usually incorporated into programs, and the presenter of the program does the reading. In the live read would be the perfect scenario to showcase the trends and how your brand matches up-to them and even beats them. It also presents an opportunity of reading the menus and recipes to your listeners.
Jingles, on the other hand, incorporate a song at the beginning of the ad and the end.
The song provides the opportunity of showing the uniqueness and creativity of your brand.
The songs also influence how much the ad sticks with your listeners.
The timing of the jingle, when done correctly can even induce hunger in an individual who had thought of skipping lunch! It also provides the perfect opportunity to appeal to particular audiences like kids and teenagers.
How music advertising can add to the value of a product.
Situational ads are best when you want to include the view of an expert since they involve dramatization of a script by two or more voices.
These ads can also allow you to hire celebrity voices to represent your brand.
When acting out events in your radio ad, make sure the customer is at the center of it all. Listeners need to feel like they are part of the conversation and not like outsiders looking in.
Situational radio ads for food are more flexible. They allow you to use ‘real’ people that can connect with the audience on an emotional level.
Here is a short guide to understanding and using emotional ads.
Conclusion
Radio ads for food remain to be one of the best ways to market your brand.
For the best results, keep up with trends in the food advertising industry. Always remain true to your brand and do not claim to be something you are not.
Credible and authentic radio commercials for food are an effective tool for engaging the hungry masses. For one, you catch your audience while they are on the move. Many would drive around hungry and dehydrated without such ads on the radio to guide them. Radio ads for food may be the secret source your business needs to get your audience off the driver’s seat and behind a dining table.
Need more than luck crafting the perfect ad? Submit a project with Bunny Studio today and let the pros take care of it!
