Radio Ads

Print Resource      Web site free to all      Penn State Access Account required

Library of American Broadcasting Sound Bites, University of Maryland Libraries
Part of the Radio Advertising Bureau Collection, this site offers a sample of 13 audio files of radio commercials from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. The Bureau, a national trade organization, was formed in 1950 (as the Broadcast Advertisers Bureau) to promote radio as a medium for advertisers. The samples are available in .WAV and .AIFF and include ads for toothpaste, cold medicine, soft drinks, gasoline, beer, cigarettes, cookies, automobiles, dog food, deodorant, and pimple cream.

Underwriting 101 : Selling College Radio, Shyrl L. Plum
"This is an introductory book for inexperienced salespeople. Its purpose is to provide a step-by-step manual to assist students in attaining a minimum level of sales proficiency..." (author's preface). Chapter titles include "Writing Proposals", "Handling Objections", and "A Salesperson's Dilemma/Ethics".
Also available online via NetLibrary to researchers with a Penn State Access Account.

Making More Money : Selling Radio Advertising Without Numbers, Godrey W. and Ashley Page Herweg
"[This] book will give any radio sales staff the tools to sell advertising at stations without syndicated ratings or dominant audience numbers. [...] If you are interested in knowing how to analyze client needs, prepare in-depth marketing and advertising presentations, write effective copy that sells, and develop promotions that get positive results, this book is must reading." (from the foreword by Erwin G. Krasnow)

60 Second Sells : 99 Hot Radio Spots for Retail Businesses, Michael Redmond
"So whether you're a small business owner looking for an effective radio campaign, a corporate marketing representative searching for some retail magic, or an aspiring young writer seeking successful formulas, 60 Second Sells gives you what you need." (from the author's introduction)

Selling Radio Direct, Michael C. Keith
"The performance of the profession of radio sales can be likened to the scales of justice. The salesperson's goal is to pile up a sufficient number of benefits on the right side of the scale to offset the negatives (cost) that the buyer has placed on the left side of the scale. [...] In this book, Michael Keith relates the intricacies of how and why the system works." (from the foreword by Wayne Cornils)

Effective Radio Advertising : A Guide to Winning Customers with Targeted Campaigns and Creative Commercials, Marc G. Weinberger, Leland Campbell, Beth Brody
"The first part of the book highlights the value of radio and focuses on how radio can easily be incorporated into an effective media plan. The second half of the book describes what elements constitute effective ("good") and non-effective ("bad") radio ads." (from the authors' preface)

Radio Advertising : the Authoritative Handbook, Pete Schulberg
"This book is neither a textbook nor a manual for running a station. Its intent is to enlighten readers to radio's potential, to spark new thinking by advertisers and their agencies, to suggest specific techniques for effective radio advertising, and perhaps to raise a hackle or two among cohorts and competitors." (from the preface to the first edition)

Radio Advertising's Missing Ingredient : The Optimum Effective Scheduling System, Steve Marx, Pierre Bouvard
"What makes a marketing effort successful? We know the product must meet the needs and wants of the consumer, the price charged must be attractive in relation to the perceived value, and the product or service must be conveniently available. And, in most cases, the marketing effort must be amply supported with a strong advertising campaign. This publication [...] focuses attention on the marketer's role as advertiser." (from the foreword by Rhody Bosley)