feature brought to you by Radiocentre
August’s winners: Steph Ellis and Rory Hall copywriters, Adam & Eve/DDB
Judge: Jason Gormley executive creative director, 18 Feet & Rising
Winning Ad: The AA 'Fuel Assist'
Jason Gormley executive creative director, 18 Feet & Rising
I love this ad because…
You can feel the level of care that has gone into it – from the unhurried pace (sounds more like 60 seconds than 30) to smart sound design that separates each scene without overpowering it.
The "official" voiceover dances between reassuring and patronising – however, the makers obviously have a respect for their audience and take pride in their craft.
Still, I can’t help wishing for a bit less craft and a bit more grit. Advertising seems suffocatingly nice right now and radio is our "secret" weapon – a place to experiment and make mistakes. It’s the most punk-rock medium we have.
My three golden rules for a great radio ad
- Dig great audio. Like Chris Morris’ Blue Jam. And Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (still the best thing I’ve heard on radio).
- Be the bouncer. Find out who’s going to your recording session beforehand and – if you can’t get rid of them – lay down some "house rules" to manage the crowd. People in the studio who make phone calls/obliviously chat away are disrespectful to the work and the talent. Kick ’em out.
- Cast against type. We wanted a softly spoken (yet compelling) doctor and got in Keith Allen. He was spot-on. A decent character brief didn’t hurt either.
| Winning ad: The AA ‘Fuel Assist’ [Throughout, we hear engines choking, the roadside and cars rushing past to give a sense of place and the problems the people are having.] F-fff-iddlesticks! Oh, not AGAIN! I am f-beeeeeeeeeeeep-ing beeeeeeeeeep! Four years of a diesel engine and you go and put unleaded in… AAAARRRGGGHHH! Blast it all! Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot. Oh man, my mum’s going to kill us. Oh, f-bleeeeeeeeeeeeep! MVO: Don’t worry if you’ve put the wrong fuel in your car – our Fuel Assist service can handle it. We are the Automobile Association. We are the AA. Credits Title Fuel Assist Client AA Agency Adam & Eve/DDB Writers Steph Ellis, Rory Hall Producer Jordan Cross Post-production Clearcut Sound Sound engineer James Clark Could you do better? Enter your work at aerials.co.uk The Aerials are awarded monthly by Radiocentre to the creative team behind the best radio ads entered at aerials.co.uk and chosen by an invited creative-director judge. Winners are entered into the D&AD Awards for free. |
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