EndorsementRadio.com

Sure!

I was listening to Dan Patrick the other day and he said he had to have “the talk” with his daughter.

A caller said to Dan that he should have “the talk” sponsored by an advertiser.

THAT’S A GREAT IDEA.

Trojan, where are you?

All hosts should have out-of-show content sponsored.

Rush can be sponsored by Bayer when giving liberals (and republicans) headaches.

Howard can be sponsored by LegalZoom for his divorce and then prenup.

I wish John Madden had a radio show, because his fear of flying could be sponsored by GoToMeeting.

I jest, but not entirely. This is the fun of endorsement radio, the opportunity to do in-show sillyness (yet salient…salient silliness?), further integrating product with personality.

This blog post was brought to you by Mario the Bakers Pizzeria.

I’ve heard some really big brands using endorsement radio lately, including Mobil, Home Depot and Bayer on hosts like Dan Patrick and Dennis Miller.

It is very evident which advertisers (or their agencies) listen to the shows in which they are advertising and those that have created all-purpose copy.

People! You use endorsement radio for two main reason: to access the credibility of the host and also to tie into the content of the show! Why pay the talent fee and the premiums if you are just going to give the host the same copy that you’d produce for a voiceover actor?

That’s why I say – don’t let your ad agency write the endorsement copy, unless the copywriter is a listener to the show. Ads I heard for Bayer and Home Depot were totally generic and unmemorable. Total background ads: we’re the best, we make your life better, blah blah blah.

I really like Dan Patrick’s Mobil 1 ad, though. It integrates really nicely into Dan Patrick’s show and personality. I don’t have the exact wording, but it basically starts out like this: “If you know me you know I have my passions – sports, beer, my hair, and my awesome Corvette 64 Stingray” and then goes into the fact that he only trusts Mobil 1 on his passion. It gets a little generic after that and there is no real clear direct response mechanism to get me to go that minute to buy Mobil, but the ad totally got me.

I can’t remember the Bayer and Home Depot ads, but I think that’s the point. I heard that Mobil 1 ad a few weeks ago and it stuck. The writers knew Dan Patrick and wrote with his personality in mind.

So Big Brands, do yourself a favor and listen to the show…then write your own ads. Whatever you come up with is going to be better than what the Mad Men come up with. Otherwise, save some money and buy more frequency with your agency’s ad.