General

That phrase I used as a title for today’s blog post sums up, to the best of my ability, what I think of Faffcon. It’s been a bit over a week since I returned home from Faffcon 3. My head is still buzzing and swimming from all that I experienced and learned there. It’s almost impossible to explain Faffcon to someone who hasn’t attended at least one, because from the outside it sounds like it would be chaotic. I mean, you show up and there’s no set agenda? You don’t even know who is going to be speaking, much less what they’ll be talking about?

Exactly. And this is a big part of the reason that the sum of Faffcon is greater than the parts. Each of us who was there at Faffcon 3 had something valuable to contribute; but the value received (at least for me) was far more than I expected. The sessions that I attended were all enlightening and helpful. I took copious notes and have all ready been putting into practice a number of the things I learned.

But, as has been the case with each of the previous Faffcons, the top highlight experience for me took place in a personal conversation away from the sessions. Other highlights took place while helping behind the scenes to be sure that things were set-up and running smoothly. Another joy was watching my son Eric and my daughter Karen pitch in and volunteer to help every place they could.

Watching and listening as people shared what they knew, or what they hoped to learn, was gratifying. Seeing virtual light bulbs burst into radiance again and again as people found nuggets of wisdom or gave nuggets of insight. These are just some of the things that make Faffcon the unique and wonderful experience that it is.

At the heart of Faffcon is the amazing Amy Snively. Yes, there are lots of people who help, most especially Pam Tierney and Connie Terwilliger; but it’s Amy’s vision that got this thing rolling and her amazing grasp of what it needs that keeps it moving forward.

Faffcon 4 will be March 23-25, 2012 in Ventura Beach, California. If you’re a working professional in voiceover, I hope you’ll start making plans now to be there. Yes, it really will be that good.

I always enjoy working for Pikewood Creative. A recent project I recorded for them is called This City.

This was a fun recent job I worked on.

My friend Blaine Parker publishes a weekly newsletter (or screed as he likes to call it) about advertising that he called HOT POINTS. He’s given me permission to republish his articles from time to time when he has something to say that I think makes sense to us in voiceover. Today is one of those days.

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HOT POINTS for The Week of September 19, 2011

WHAT’S WITH THE CARP?

Well, I was going to use a mild expletive.

Then, I figured your spam filter might send it into the world of Nigerian scams and lottery winners and proposals from hot Asian brides.

So I used my favorite replacement noun and let you fill in the blanks.

All of this preamble to really no purpose, other than to lead into a total non sequitur, to wit…

I HAVEN’T BEEN ON A HARANGUE ABOUT RADIO ADVERTISING IN A WHILE

I thought about that last week as I sat here at my desk high above Park City, Utah, in the wee hours of the morning, listening to a rural New England radio station on my computer.

Why New England and why so early?

One of our clients was doing a radio interview in morning drive, and I wanted to hear it live.

So, I’m sitting here, dark & early before the sunrise, in my Batman jammies with a cup of high-octane joe, listening to the live stream through the steam.

In the commercial break, when the next spot came on, I almost blew coffee spray all over the monitor.

This guy reading the commercial had a distinct lateral lisp.

And he was literally phoning in the recording. It was telephone audio.

THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED RADIO ADVERTISING HELL

The worst possible, non-professional voice.

The worst kind of low-fi recording.

And ya know what?

It was gripping.

Seriously.

As soon as I got past the initial surprise of what I was hearing, this guy was utterly engaging.

Even though he was talking about wild mushrooms.

I don’t care about wild mushrooms.

Despite what could be considered amateur crap radio on a professional commercial broadcast, I loved this guy.

CONTRAST THAT TO THE REST OF THE BILGE ON THE AIR

Much of what you hear on air commercial-wise at this station is exactly what you’d expect in a small market from small businesses.

The painful “slice of life” spots with two people who obviously don’t know each other, rambling on with long, complex sentences filled with the kind of ad speak that real people have never uttered in their lives.

The “announcer” who sounds like they just pulled her off the switchboard, blathering on about why a particular substance abuse program is the best one for “all your recovery needs–” and she sounds neither like she’s old enough to take a drink nor aware enough to know what on earth she’s even talking about.

But this guy with the lateral lisp talking about wild mushrooms in a radio spot recorded over the phone was really compelling.

Ya now why?

Because he was real. He knew what he was talking about. He was passionate. He cared deeply. And he was sharing it with me.

THAT, MY FRIENDS IS AT THE CORE OF GOOD ADVERTISING

Not merely radio, but all advertising.

Genuineness goes a long way towards making a compelling case for whatever it is you’re selling.

In a word: Truth.

It sells.

Nothing about the presentation is remotely slick–but it doesn’t matter.

The guy talking knows his subject, he cares deeply, he wants to convey it, and he knows how to get you interested.

It’s one of the things that makes eHarmony’s advertising so compelling: those people in their commercials are real.

It’s what makes Mike Rowe so engaging: he comes across as real.

It’s why hidden camera commercials can be so engaging: they’re showing you unvarnished truth.

THINKING CAN KILL YOU

Not smart thinking, mind you. Smart thinking is the kind of thinking that makes a skilled creator step out of the way and let the magic happen.

But lazy thinking, entrenched thinking, clever thinking, self-important thinking–those and other kinds of lousy thought processes stand in between an advertiser and an audience.

Any truly salient message ends up clouded or even obliterated by the ego and/or fear of the creator.

People thinking that what they’re doing is “The way it’s always done;” people saying “What advertisements always say;” people thinking, “Gosh I’m funny, people are going to love me;” people thinking, “Gosh, I’m smart, people are going to be so impressed with me;” or any of a dozen other stunted thought processes–these are what stand in the way of good advertising communication.

They stand in between the ad’s creator and the single most important person in the advertising equation: the prospect.

Mr. Wild Mushrooms with the lateral lisp, it’s virtually a guarantee that his thought process was simply this: “I love what I’m talking about, and I want to share it with you in a way that will make you love it, too.”

COULD I SAY THIS TO SOMEONE I LOVE?

Ya gotta love what you do, and ya gotta love your customer.

And you gotta ask yourself, “Would I turn around to someone I love and say, ‘I’m going to be here for all of your wild mushroom needs.'”

Of course not. It’s lazy thinking, it’s obnoxious ad speak, and it’s a just plain weird thing to say. Your loved one should slap you.

Speaking of love, let’s look at the eHarmony advertising for a moment, because this is a perfect example of smart thinking.

It would have been easy for the ad agency to say, “We could write some really clever, funny advertising about internet dating and win a bunch of awards.”

Instead, what they’ve said is, “These customers love this site, and they want to share it with people. Let’s step out of the way and let them share the love.”

Contrastingly, there’s another dating site out there that shall remain nameless.

They always show a couple of women standing around a computer, talking about dates gone horribly wrong. They show the bad dating scenario gone wildly out of control. Then, back to the computer. “So I’m just going to stick to this website for dating.”

Ha ha! Funny funny! Big laughs!

I don’t get it.

WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?

Because dating can go horribly wrong, I’m just going to stick to using this website for…dating?

Um…

Well then.

All I can imagine is they fancy themselves as the website for people who don’t take dating too seriously and just want a hook up.

Because there is nothing in the horribly bad dating scenarios that makes me go, “Yeah, THAT’S a good website.”

The commercials for eHarmony are good enough to make me think, “Wow, if I were single again…”

The eHarmony commercials are honest, they share the love, the people are not slick, and the message is clear.

The other sites’ messages are contrived, they are not honest, they are look-at-me clever, and the message is vague.

They come off as if the writers would rather be working for SNL, and that actual selling is beneath them.

THE MESSAGE IS THE MESSAGE–NOT THE MEDIUM OR THE COMEDY

The eHarmony messages would resonate if they were TV, radio, or even print.

The core message is vivid, vibrant and resonant.

And they are conveyed without professional actors. They’re real people.

Similarly, Mr. Lateral Lisp Wild Mushroom, not a professional actor, is vivid, vibrant and resonant–despite his non-professional delivery and his lousy recording quality.

The message is what matters.

Not ego, ad speak, comedy, or slick production.

If you can be honest and direct and convey a love your customer, if you can let your ego and your fear
step out of the way, you can transcend almost any deficiency in the medium to hit a prospect right between the eyes.

And make them care.
As always,

Blaine Parker
Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in
Park City

www.slowburnmarketing.com
www.spotsbeforeyoureyes.net
Follow on Twitter @blaineparker

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IS SOMEONE YOU KNOW LOSING BIG MONEY–OR MAKING YOU CRAZY–BY NOT READING HOT POINTS?

Subscription to this wretched weekly screed is now available to anyone you might deem worthy. Just send your victims to www.slowburnblog.com and have them look for the subscription sign up box in the upper left hand corner.

A couple of days ago I narrated a program called PGA Tour Diaries for the Golf Channel.

I love narrating audiobooks for Oasis Audio. Here’s a sample from a recent release for them, a book co-written by the legendary Zig Ziglar.

 

Today I’m delighted to add the talented Doug Zanger to my blogroll.

From the Monday Morning Memo of June 20, 2011:

“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.”
— E.W. Howe

Seen in a recent Simple Dollar blog post:

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
— Thomas Jefferson

I just discovered that Pikewood Creative Services has a blog and on that blog they’ve featured a video spot for which I did the narration.

Citynet: Shake Up from Pikewood Creative on Vimeo.

My friend Dave Courvoisier sent along the following press release and asked me to share it with you today. I’m happy to do so.

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Voice actor, Blogger, and Social Media advocate Dave Courvoisier announces a September promotion to help build an informational database that benefits voice actors everywhere, while encouraging a sense of community and providing a fun program offering valuable prizes.

“In 2010, the NVOAM (National Voice Over Appreciation Month) event struck a chord with voice actors everywhere who agreed it was time to celebrate the profession of voice acting,” notes Dave Courvoisier. “With very little foreknowledge, hundreds of voice artists around the world responded with enthusiasm to the month-long ‘appreciation’. A central website collected the support of voice talent, showcased a series of collaborative Public Service Announcements, and kept a running and busy calendar of voiceover happenings in September.”

VOAT in 2011 will capitalize on the positive response and momentum of the September 2010 NVOAM promotion, but with several important improvements. Notably, this year’s website (VOAToday.com) plays off the ‘VOTE’ homonym by asking voice actors globally to ‘VOAT’ on 4 different issues impacting voice actors…one for each week of the month. The ‘VOAT’ consists of an answer to a “question of the week”. ‘VOATing’ in this manner allows the website visitor to be eligible for specific voiceover-targeted prizes provided by well-respected voiceover equipment, service, and client-seeking providers.

As an example, the question being asked of visitors to the site during the first week of September will be: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GO-TO MICROPHONE FOR THE PRICE? (given that this is a personal decision based on many factors).

People responding, are required only to provide their name and an answer. No data is collected on the visitors. The site also allows respondents to upload a picture or soundfile to accompany their comment if they wish. “All the responses will be listed in a thread-like format for all to see on the website, creating a collective knowledge-base that will benefit the entire community of voiceover artists,” adds Courvoisier, “each week a new question, new comments, a new set of prizes, and a new winner.”

Prizes for the month-long event are generous. High-profile businesses readily recognized by voice actors everywhere are contributing substantive prizes, including for instance, a free year’s premium subscription to Voices.com, a choice of free year-long/lifetime subscriptions to Voice123.com, various VO-related equipment offerings from Sweetwater.com, and a choice of demo or consulting services from Edge Studio in NYC. In addition, John Florian of VoiceOverXtra, is offering a free pass to an upcoming webinar, and as a Grand Prize, Dave Courvoisier is contributing an Alesis iODock device for recording on the iPad. This is not a complete listing of prizes.

Sponsors include: Voices.com, Voice123.com, SaVoa.org, VoiceOverXtra, Sweetwater.com, and Edge Studio. “Voice actors are an extremely supportive, encouraging and giving people. Many of them have enabled and sustained my VO career, and this is an attempt to celebrate the generous nature of the business, while helping to inform and create a community of like-minded peers,” adds Courvoisier.