Working with the ad agency Good for Business, Biodiversity Project recorded and placed concern-building radio ads to reach adult/family recreational users with complementary demographics to our print ad targets. The spot was recorded in a 30 and 60-second version, focusing on the beauty and vulnerability of the Lakes. The message raised specific threats, affirmed a sense of hope about protecting the Great Lakes, and urged listeners to seek more information on what to do on the Great Lakes Forever Web site (see below to read the script and listen to the recording.)
Radio spots ran in the Milwaukee and Duluth/Superior markets throughout July and into early August reaching an audience of more than one million people. We also purchased a "sponsorship" spot that ran statewide on Wisconsin Public Radio during the same period. If you have an audio player for your computer, you can listen to two versions of the ad by clicking the links below. If you don't have an audio player, consider downloading QuickTime Media player - available for Apple and Windows-based systems for free (Click here to learn more.)
The Radio Ad in Brief
- Goals: Produce a high quality radio ad that builds awareness and concern for the Great Lakes and motivates audiences to visit the program Web site. Secondary goal: to test the effectiveness of paid radio advertising for non-profit public engagement - especially on advocacy issues.
- Audiences : As with all Great Lakes Forever products, the target audiences were Great Lakes Lifestylers and/or Engaged Frequent Voters (click here to read more). The audiences of commercial radio stations selected were described as: "upscale Baby Boomers, working women between the ages of 25 and 54, "soccer moms," well-educated with disposable incomes, interested in local and national news." Public radio listeners fit a similar demographic with the addition of the "community leader" demographic.
- Distribution: Combined audience of the stations is more than 1,000,000 people in the Milwaukee and Duluth/Superior markets with additional statewide listeners on public radio.
- Outcome: Broadcast of both 30 and 60-second Great Lakes Forever radio advertisements in the major markets of Wisconsin 's Lake Michigan and Lake Superior basin communities, with additional statewide coverage on public radio. 20% of Web site survey respondents reported visiting the site after seeing a radio advertisement.
The Radio Script (60 Second PSA)
SFX: (Sound of waters/waves of Great Lakes - up and sustained for 10 seconds creating an almost meditative, soothing quality then under)
VOICE: Sounds great doesn't it? (Pause) Enjoy it, it's yours . . .
SFX: (Sounds of water/waves up and sustained for 10 seconds the under)
VOICE: This is the sound of your Great Lakes . It's a sound that takes you to a place magnificent, inspiring, remarkable, noble, vital and vulnerable. The Great Lakes are vulnerable (pause a beat): pollution is closing our beaches and contaminating our fish; invasive species and irresponsible development are threatening our wildlife; and some private interests are eager to buy and sell our precious Lake waters for a profit.
SFX: (Sound of waters/waves up and sustained for 5 seconds then under) But, it doesn't have to be this way. To make sure future generations can enjoy more than just a recording of the Great Lakes , visit: www.greatlakesforever.org . Greatlakesforever.org - our lakes, our responsibility.
END
Planning to Produce Your Own Radio Spot?
We'd love to help! Contact Jeffrey Potter at jpotter@biodiverse.org or 608-250-9876.