The Most Effective Call To Action--Ever!

 With Halloween a week away--need to "scare" up some business? It was just 75 years ago this October 30th, that Orson Welles broadcast what would become one of the most famous radio broadcasts, and call to action's of all time--The War of the Worlds.

The broadcast aired on the CBS network' Mercury Theatre on the Air--with an estimated 6 million listeners--and 1.2 million taking it seriously.

Airing opposite the Chase & Sanborn Hour--Welles knew that twelve minutes into that hour--the opening comedy sketch on Chase & Sanborn would stop--and music would begin, causing listeners to switch dials.

It was at that point (twelve minutes in) that Welles began the first "we interrupt this program..." announcements to startled listeners tuning in from NBC.

The broadcast of a dramatic rendition of H.G. Wells 1898 "War of the Worlds" story--which had been announced at the beginning of the broadcast. The broadcast spoke of a disturbance on Mars--and eventual landing of several Martian pods in Grovers Mill, New Jersey.

According to Wikipedia:  Some listeners heard only a portion of the broadcast and, in the atmosphere of tension and anxiety prior to World War II, took it to be an actual news broadcast.^[1] Newspapers reported that panic ensued, with people across the Northeastern United States and Canada fleeing their homes. Some people called CBS, newspapers or the police in confusion over the realism of the news bulletins.

With in days, over 12,000 newspaper accounts reported the broadcast about the Martian landing in New Jersey and cemented Welles fame as a dramatist.

As roadsideamerica.com says:

... in 1938, scorching annihilation from outer space was still a relatively new concept to the average Joe. Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater ensemble put on one of the world's great hoaxes when they broadcast a radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds the night before Halloween, October 30th. Twelve million people heard the fake "live news" broadcast, and many were convinced an attack from Mars was underway. The Martian landings were centered around the little-known but real town of Grovers Mill, near Princeton, NJ (below--tribute to the landing near the pond scum landing site):

 

On October 29, 2013 (this upcoming Wednesday night), PBS "American Experience" will feature this famous broadcast and what transpired.

To hear this famous broadcast, click here:

Original War of the Worlds broadcast

So, if you need more business, customers, clients--perhaps we can take a cue from Orson Welles. 

Two essential marketing elements come to mind when I think of this broadcast--

• brand recognition (we still are talking about it after 75 years) 
• very effective call to action (over a million people responded to what they heard).

To put things in perspective--newspapers ruled the day in 1938. Radio was the new kid on the block and was just getting established. So the audience behaviors were being developed but not a given like they are today.


But the element of "theatre of the mind" is still as powerful today as it was in 1938. This makes for a great "memorable" message as we've discussed in previous posts. A story was being acted out with sound effects, dramatic flair, etc.


Your business can use those same elements today in messages on your local radio station at a fraction of the cost (if any at all) compared to other forms of media.


Over time--of listeners hearing your message, trigger mechanisms will go off in their brains and your brand will be recalled. 

That, in a nutshell is what great advertising is all about--discovering a way to set off those "triggers"--hopefully right before a purchasing decision is made.


This is what many radio advertisers see time and again as they grow their business, because they've built a franchise in the prospects mind setting trigger mechanisms.


Today--with breaking news, weather, amber alerts, etc--radio's dynamic (whether on-air or streaming online) is still relevant and powerful--much like it was in it's infancy in 1938.


From an advertising standpoint--the good news is that you can get radio packages that combine on-air, online and social media at very affordable prices.


And guess what--in many markets--audience growth has increased over the years! Why is that? That's something we'll talk about in a later post--and how your business can succeed by tapping in to it.

How can you adapt theatre of the mind into your advertising campaign? 
Years ago--i had a kitchen company let me produce about eight :60 Ron & Barbara In The Kitchen vignettes using this theatre of the mind concept. 

These were silly ads with an accountant (Ron) always trying to save a buck and do things in the kitchen his way (causing a flood, blowing the kitchen up, etc) and his wife complaining that he wasn't a kitchen expert like the advertiser was, etc.

These silly ads produced over a 300% ROI for the kitchen company--with listeners coming in with a smirk on their face after hearing one of the ads. 

One customer even commented how silly they were--but he said--"here I am...so i guess they worked"!


And that's what it's all about--creating effective and memorable messages to get the customer to respond. 


So, the next time you hear a radio personality say..."we interrupt this broadcast....." just know that Martians haven't landed...or, have they?

To learn more about using "theatre of the mind" and other techniques in your advertising, click HERE!