Celebrating 100 years of radio
Commercial radio is 100 years old. Yep, the premier broadcast in Canada aired on the Montreal-based station, XWA, becoming the first radio station to host regular shows across the nation in 1920. And although experts disagree on this, it’s also believed to be the first year for lucky listeners to call in to repeat “The Phrase that Pays” to win five dollars or ragtime tickets.
On the advertising side of things, it was also the first year for radio commercials too. Granted, the format was much different with programs getting sponsorships and DJ-read ads instead of the commercial breaks that we’re used to nowadays. And yet, despite recent gloomy forecasts from new media inventors in marketing, radio advertising has remained strong over the decades.
Here Be Monsters really enjoys radio advertising. The theatre of the mind affords us storytelling that would be otherwise impossible or far too costly in other media. Plus, it offers intimacy and high-quality engagement with our clients’ brands. And finally, it really appeals to an underappreciated sense in a brandscape that gets visually bombarded on a daily basis.
When it comes to radio advertising, the best creative answers come from interesting questions. Like, how can the stereo qualities of the Doppler effect enlighten listeners about their old tires for the Tire Stewardship BC?
Or, how fast do you need to search for your next rental home?
Or maybe, how can we pique the interest of casual football fans in Vancouver while asking hard questions of BC Lions all-star linebacker, Solomon Elimimian?
And perhaps most entertainingly, what would childbirth would be like for human men? This was inspired by the male seahorses in the Where Weird is Normal exhibit at the Vancouver Aquarium.
If you want to capture the imagination of listeners’ ears in Vancouver, in British Columbia, or even farther afield, just give us a shout. Together, we’ll make the next 100 years of radio even more memorable.
Recording with Murmur Music & Sound for Make-A-Wish Foundation at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC.