The Question of Whether or Not To Use DJ’s As The Voice Of Your Radio Commercials Is A Bit Thorny…

Written by Rich Harshaw

Rich:

We have been on the radio for a long time, and we’ve used a variety of voices for our ads over the years. Our most common tactic is to have the DJ’s from the stations we are on (or program hosts, for talk radio) provide the voices. The prices they charge are pretty reasonable, and it seems to be working. But I heard you on a webinar say you recommend one single voice, not multiple voices. Can you give me some of the pros and cons of using the DJs? We are about to double down on radio, and I want to make sure we get it right.

Don Crowley, Eagle Mountain Windows

Great question, Don—and one that comes up all the time, so I’m going to address it in detail here on this blog posting. As with most contractor marketing topics, there is not necessarily an easy “black and white” answer; there are definitely shades of gray. Since you asked me about the pros and cons, that’s exactly how I’ll give my answer.

PROS of Using A DJ

A lot of people wonder how radio still even exists in this age of iPods, iPhones, satellite radio, Pandora, iRadio, Spotify, Beats Music, and whatever else is out there to bring music and information instantly to our pockets and cars.

That’s a good question, and I’ll give you a good answer from the opening line of Rush’s 1980 smash hit, “The Spirit of the Radio:”

Begin the day with a friendly voice, a companion unobtrusive. The reason radio still exists is the same reason fishing still exists even though you can buy fresh fish at the grocery store. And the same reason you still hold a barbeque instead of just ordering takeout. It’s about getting together with friends, having a chance to talk, and interacting with other human beings. We want to be connected.

And that connection is the reason we still listen to music on the radio despite having so many other music options. We make a personal connection with the DJ or the talk show host. We listen to them, and after a while, we get to know them. They become a de facto part of our social circle. We learn their personalities and their quirks. We anticipate their opinions. We gobble up personal details. They become our friends. Even though we know they are talking to thousands of people, we feel like they are speaking directly to us.

So, the idea, obviously, when hiring a DJ to voice a radio commercial, is to harness all of his (or her) credibility, familiarity, and sincerity… and bottle it for our own personal profit. It’s the ultimate referral, isn’t it? One of the only famous people we know (or at least feel like we know—the DJ) is telling us that product X or service Y is fantastic. And we believe it.

On top of all that, the DJ (or talk host) is professional, well-spoken, and articulate. If they’re any good, they’ll be reasonably passionate, and hopefully, they’ll transmit that passion to your product. If you’re lucky, they’ll do “live reads” of your spots that sound authentic and heartfelt. Occasionally they might even “flub” a few lines, which gives you extra air time, and makes people stop and pay attention.

The longer a DJ has been in the market or on a station, the greater their influence is on a person-to-person level, AND based simply on the sheer quantity of people who trust them. Some DJs become as well-known (or even MORE well-known) than anyone else in the local market besides sports stars and politicians.

All of that sounds pretty good… so what could possibly go wrong?

CONS of Using DJs

For starters, not all DJs are created equal. Kidd Kraddick was a fixture on the FM dial in Dallas for over 30 years. If he would have told his listeners to jump off the proverbial cliff, they would have jumped in droves. But that kind of power is increasingly rare; the radio business is more cutthroat than ever, and longevity is no longer a commodity—it’s becoming the exception.

If you tie your brand too closely to a given DJ, you might be investing in a personality who will be gone tomorrow, taking months (or years) of your investment with him. Aside from just leaving, the DJ also might do something—or say something—stupid that gets them in trouble. You can’t control this, of course, which makes the relationship a bit unnerving. Double that concern if the DJ is known for being edgy, controversial, or provocative.

Then there’s the problem of multiple stations, which necessitates managing multiple DJs. Not to mention the possibility of multiple DJs per station. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it can be time consuming to manage depending on how many stations you’re on.

Finally, the more popular the DJ, the more money they’re going to want to voice your ads. I had a client who regularly advertised on Rush Limbaugh—Rush wanted a $2 million annual commitment of ad spend to consider voicing the ads himself. Steep. Local station DJ’s may want as little as a few hundred dollars a month (smaller markets, less popular DJs) up to several thousand dollars a month. I’m not saying it’s not worth it; I’m saying it’s something to consider.

But all of the above ignores the biggest potential problem of using DJs, which is controlling your company’s branding. Ideally, you’re going to find radio stations that work well for you, and that you’ll want to stay on for a long, long time. If that’s the case, then your purpose is develop an ongoing dialogue with the listeners. The credibility doesn’t come from the person who is saying the words (i.e., a DJ) as much as it does from the consistency and quality of the words themselves. If you write the spots the right way (one main point per ad, use of precise, interesting language, focus on Identity, etc.) then listeners will believe any voice that has any reasonable amount of authenticity to it.

Recommendations

Based on the above, I generally recommend AGAINST using station DJs (or talk show hosts) in favor of either a professional voice (easy to find and generally pretty inexpensive) or the company owner (but only ones who have a commanding presence or are particularly affable). I don’t mind SOME spots from DJs, but I recommend that 80% or more of all your spots be your MAIN voice so that listeners get to the point where they recognize your spots simply by the voice. If you have specific questions about your situation, please don’t hesitate to email me directly at rharshaw@mymonline.com.

© 2014 – 2016, Rich Harshaw. All rights reserved.