by Kyle O’Brien

Radio is immediate.  With that immediacy comes the delicate dance between “fast” and “good.” As a creative director, I bring together copy, production, digital and graphic elements into a cohesive message, and it sometimes takes key negotiation tactics and essential elements to see ideas through to fruition. But when given the chance, you and your team can truly bring campaigns to life. The keys to success in pushing through creative challenges become easier if you consider a few things.

• The client is key – You hear this from every creative in advertising. You want a client who is willing to take a chance, to push past the norm and find out what is pertinent for them and their customers. Encourage your account executives to search for people with a real need to grow business whether they are a new client or a trusted advertiser that has been around for awhile.

• Go on the initial call – When the AEs think a potential client is the right fit, they generally take me along on their initial client meeting. That way I can ask the questions they may not think of, especially as it pertains to how to speak to their customers in a new and creative way.

• Have a solid creative brief – This should be taken along on any sales calls that will involve creative at some point. It should ask the right questions, like ‘what is the company brand or persona; what niche does your company serve, what do you want to convey with your ads, and who is your ideal target customer?’ It helps better understand and help your client.

• Bounce ideas – Brainstorming is key. You can be the most creative person in the world, but unless you bring in new people to bounce ideas off of, your creative will quickly become one-sided.

• Each idea should be new – Don’t just offer up stock creative for certain types of clients (i.e. car dealers, furniture, banks). You run the risk of sameness. Each client is different and deserves their own unique campaign. Taking a little more time to ideate will insure that you will develop effective creative that will keep your client happy. Use elements or ideas you’ve used before, but don’t lean on them.

• Sell the idea to the client AND your managers – To fully realize a campaign, you need buy-in from everyone involved. This involves you selling the ideas and execution of those ideas. We sold a green holiday recycling idea to a client because it was fully realized from all ends. The creative meshed with the execution; it was on the right station (which has its own green agenda); and it spoke to the core customer. Everyone believed in the concept and honestly believed it was the right thing to do, so it was a success.

• If you get push back, re-analyze and revise – If you’re going to stand by a creative idea, make sure it’s something you truly believe will work. Creative for creative sake doesn’t work unless your sell is believable and your message is clear.

Making creative work in radio takes a lot of collaboration.  And let’s face it, great ideas come from everywhere.  But with good relationships on the client and the internal sides, a vision can truly come to reality.

Kyle O’Brien is Creative Director for Entercom Denver.  He can be reached at kobrien@entercom.com.