Does The Voice Match The Brand?
August 27, 2009
The other day on our radio show, Insight on Business, we talked about radio and television commercials and making sure the voice used on the commercial matches your brand. If it doesn't...it can harm more than help.
This came up the other day when we were listening to the radio and heard a voice over for a well known Des Moines business. Now, the national brand of this business is very masculine. The "voice" and image of the national brand is a deep rattle that matches the trademark sound of the product. In other words, the "voice" matches the brand.
Except when this local business hit the air. The voice used in the ad was anything but a "deep rumble". Oh he tried...but it sounded forced and at one point I thought it was a 13 year old boy who's voice had not yet changed. To my knowledge this is also the third or fourth voice used in their local radio ads...
A couple of issues: 1) The items sold by this company are high ticket. The voice, clearly an amateur, took away from the richness of the brand. 2) "Voice shopping" should be done in private...not public. 3) If the company was skimping on voice talent to save money, they did. But at what cost?
One other thing, and my friends in radio and television will agree, you can get the station to voice any of your ads...for free. But, then they sound like everybody else who has had the station do them for...free. If you are paying top dollar to run the ad...wouldn't you want the ad to sound the very best and different than the others?
Voice talent is an investment...not a cost. Here is proof:
Sam Elliott - Chicken or Beef - People still can't swallow the new Matthew McMonaughey read...sorry.
David Duchovny nailed it for Pedigree Dog Food...nobody could have done better.
Kate Walsh - Cadillac CTS 2008 - Who can forget, "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"
Bottom line...spend a little more on your production and you'll get more...
Thanks for reading, Michael Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications