Nick Michaels
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
Did you feel the earth move under your feet? Probably not because unlike terrestrial earthquakes this was a digital one. Don't let that make you think it is not powerful. This one, if it were terrestrial, would make California an island.
The power has shifted from the sender of the message to the receiver of the message. This changes everything. If you want to create effective messages you have to toss out any idea of overt selling or making the message about your product or service.
Turn the camera or microphone around and make the message about the audience.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Is Your Brand Intimate and Emotional Or Is It An Endangered Species
Intimacy and Emotion are the key to reaching an over communicated audience or consumer. Why are some brands like Netflix and Amazon beloved while others like Comcast and Walmart are despised?
The perception of whose side they are on.
Netflix is on my side. They let me watch whenever I want, as much as I want and in whatever increments I want. Comcast is always pushing me around. They are not on my side... in the over communicated world this perception is EVERYTHING.
Radio and audio entertainment have a huge advantage in this area, which has largely been left unused. Radio and audio are the most intimate and emotional of all media.
The perception of whose side they are on.
Netflix is on my side. They let me watch whenever I want, as much as I want and in whatever increments I want. Comcast is always pushing me around. They are not on my side... in the over communicated world this perception is EVERYTHING.
Radio and audio entertainment have a huge advantage in this area, which has largely been left unused. Radio and audio are the most intimate and emotional of all media.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Are You Crying Yet?
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights reserved
In the Over Communicated World the best commercials don't infuriate you or annoy you or contain a call to action....
THEY MAKE YOU CRY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTk8sx3tmfg
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights reserved
In the Over Communicated World the best commercials don't infuriate you or annoy you or contain a call to action....
THEY MAKE YOU CRY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTk8sx3tmfg
Friday, May 13, 2016
KILLING TIME IS NOW A CAPITAL OFFENSE
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
In the over communicated world, time is more valuable than money. You can lose all your money and get it all back the next day but you cannot get back one second of time no matter what. Wasting an audience's time is a sin they no longer forgive. Think about this... When was the last time you heard someone say something like this "I'm just killing some time waiting for my friend Bob to show up so we can go to the game together?" In the over communicated world of multi-tasking and on demand, killing time is a capital offense.
If there is one thing to learn from this election it is that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Now, more than ever, familiarity breeds contempt. Are you different? Does your work sound like everybody else's work.? Are you still using those same formulas and parameters that worked in the past? Do you have some big ballsy voice reading copy, that is self serving and meaningless to your audience, in a manner that sounds totally artificial and contrived? Are you WOOSHING and SWOOSHING your audience to tears. Hint: nobody gives a damn that you are ( insert city name here) Best Rock!
Are you playing the same songs over and over. When most of your audience is walking around with 3 times as many songs as you have in your playlist IN THEIR POCKET AT ALL TIMES?
Do you give the audience a compelling reason to be there?
Sunday, February 28, 2016
THE REAL COST OF NEGLECTING CREATIVITY
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
The real cost for big corporate radio's neglect and lack of respect when it comes to creativity is the connection to the audience. It's a mistake made by big corporate radio BUT paid for by the audience.
How much longer do you think they are going to be willing to pay for big corporate radio's mistake?
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
The real cost for big corporate radio's neglect and lack of respect when it comes to creativity is the connection to the audience. It's a mistake made by big corporate radio BUT paid for by the audience.
How much longer do you think they are going to be willing to pay for big corporate radio's mistake?
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Radio Is Choking On Its Own Corporate Speak
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
Think the world of radio has gotten a little too corporate??
I read recently that Radio Disney has just named Alli Simpson to the newly created post of, are you ready for this, YOUTH ENGAGEMENT OFFICER. If you don't see the problem right there you should give it up.
I wonder how someone like the late Tom Donahue or a teenaged John Lennon or Bob Dylan would have felt about being named a YOUTH ENGAGEMENT OFFICER? I don't think they would have liked it. It sounds like some agency that should be headed by Tricky Dicky Nixon, where you get a reward for turning in your friends.
The business of radio is killing it! Too much formula and and corporate speak and not enough HUMANITY.
In the over communicated world it is better to speak in a human voice than a corporate one.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
BEWARE OF GEEKS BEARING GIFTS
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
The two biggest lies about technology!
1: Technology will save you time
Technology eats time the way Humpback Whales eat Krill, by the TON
2: There will be an endless amount of new creative expression now that the media has become "democratized".
It is true that the amount of content will explode exponentially, however it will be devalued to almost zero. Sure some people will be able to monetize some content but you better like cute cat videos.
Copyright 2016 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
The two biggest lies about technology!
1: Technology will save you time
Technology eats time the way Humpback Whales eat Krill, by the TON
2: There will be an endless amount of new creative expression now that the media has become "democratized".
It is true that the amount of content will explode exponentially, however it will be devalued to almost zero. Sure some people will be able to monetize some content but you better like cute cat videos.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
ALLOWING THE AUDIENCE TO DISCOVER YOUR MESSAGE
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2016 All Rights Reserved
Are you still trying to "tell" the audience/consumer something? Instead of wasting your time doing that, why not craft your message in such a way that the audience "discovers" what it is you want them to know. The act of discovery is part of the massive and fundamental power shift brought on by the over communicated world. The shift in power and control from the sender of the message to the recipient of the message.
It manifests itself in many ways: Binge-Viewing, Multi-Platform Accessibility, Time-Shifting, Click and Play, Fast Forward Through Commercials. It is visible in the tone of the messages which is much more accommodating and less strident. The focus is on the audience/consumer's needs, wants and fears and only indirectly on the product. It is not so much about the product but rather how the product can serve those needs wants and fears. Engagement begins with discovery and participation.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
SPEAK FOR THEM NOT YOURSELF
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2015 All Rights Reserved
Want to really connect with your audience? Speak for them. Use your eloquence and ability to put into words that which they feel but cannot articulate. They will love you for it. They will thank you for it and they will listen to you for it.
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2015 All Rights Reserved
Want to really connect with your audience? Speak for them. Use your eloquence and ability to put into words that which they feel but cannot articulate. They will love you for it. They will thank you for it and they will listen to you for it.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
SUPERBOWL OF DEATH, WORST COMMERCIALS EVER!
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2015 All Rights Reserved
Superbowl commercials are usually created specifically for the event. They cost a small fortune to run. What intrigued me the most about this year's commercials was how many dead people were in them. The late Robert Reed from the Brady Bunch, the late Pres. John F. Kennedy narrating one, the late actor Paul Walker in a commercial about a film, and the late Harry Chapin singing Cats In The Cradle in another. Then there was a dead child doing a commercial for an insurance company. Besides those, there were many commercials for films about the end of the world. Thank goodness for Budweiser and its cute little puppy being saved from the big bad wolf.
With a few exceptions, this was the worst batch of Superbowl ads ever. I don't know about you, but it made me yearn for Coca-Cola's "Mean Joe Greene" and Apple's "Here's To The Crazy Ones." In the over communicated world, just about the dumbest thing you could possibly do is frighten people or make them feel bad. The commercials that didn't frighten me or make me feel bad, were so stupid, they were hard to watch. The 60's and 70's was the golden age advertising. While in many other countries, currently, there are some amazing stories being told in the form of commercials, here is the good old USA it is the dark ages of advertising.
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2015 All Rights Reserved
Superbowl commercials are usually created specifically for the event. They cost a small fortune to run. What intrigued me the most about this year's commercials was how many dead people were in them. The late Robert Reed from the Brady Bunch, the late Pres. John F. Kennedy narrating one, the late actor Paul Walker in a commercial about a film, and the late Harry Chapin singing Cats In The Cradle in another. Then there was a dead child doing a commercial for an insurance company. Besides those, there were many commercials for films about the end of the world. Thank goodness for Budweiser and its cute little puppy being saved from the big bad wolf.
With a few exceptions, this was the worst batch of Superbowl ads ever. I don't know about you, but it made me yearn for Coca-Cola's "Mean Joe Greene" and Apple's "Here's To The Crazy Ones." In the over communicated world, just about the dumbest thing you could possibly do is frighten people or make them feel bad. The commercials that didn't frighten me or make me feel bad, were so stupid, they were hard to watch. The 60's and 70's was the golden age advertising. While in many other countries, currently, there are some amazing stories being told in the form of commercials, here is the good old USA it is the dark ages of advertising.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
A Conversation Not A Broadcast
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2015 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
A few days ago, on my radio show, The Deep End With Nick Michaels, I played a song by Jimmy Buffett. The song is called Death Of an Unpopular Poet. It has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. It wasn't until a Deep End listener heard it on the show and contacted me wanting to know who that poet was that I finally took the time to do a little research. One of the things I love about the Deep End is the connection we have via the music.I learn as much about the music from the audience as they do from me. It is a conversation not a broadcast. Jimmy gave the answer to a magazine called High Times in a 1976 interview. It turns out that it was actually two poets. Here it is.
High Times: Where did "Death of an Unpopular Poet" come from?
Buffett: I was watching Walter Cronkite one night, and he had a little blurb on there that Kenneth Patchen had died. That surprised me, because hardly anybody ever heard of Patchen except in small circles. He was one of my favorite poets. So I was thinking about him, and then I thought about Richard Farina. These guys contributed so much, but they died and we never appreciated them until afterwards. They starved their asses off and didn't get to stick around to reap their rewards. If you're going to go up there and try to make it, you're not out there totally for aesthetic value. Let's face it-you're out there to secure your future anybody that says they're not is totally false. I couldn't say that money doesn't mean anything to me. You have to pay your bills - I have to keep the band on the road. But you can still have a good time and write good songs. You don't necessarily have to prostitute your music, as long as you know how to handle it, put it in perspective. Those guys had a good time, but I'm sure they were miserable a lot of times. The success that they wanted, they never knew they actually reached it.
One of the best ways to take advantage of the intimacy and emotion of audio is to turn your broadcast into a conversation.
Copyright 2015 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
A few days ago, on my radio show, The Deep End With Nick Michaels, I played a song by Jimmy Buffett. The song is called Death Of an Unpopular Poet. It has been a favorite of mine for a very long time. It wasn't until a Deep End listener heard it on the show and contacted me wanting to know who that poet was that I finally took the time to do a little research. One of the things I love about the Deep End is the connection we have via the music.I learn as much about the music from the audience as they do from me. It is a conversation not a broadcast. Jimmy gave the answer to a magazine called High Times in a 1976 interview. It turns out that it was actually two poets. Here it is.
High Times: Where did "Death of an Unpopular Poet" come from?
Buffett: I was watching Walter Cronkite one night, and he had a little blurb on there that Kenneth Patchen had died. That surprised me, because hardly anybody ever heard of Patchen except in small circles. He was one of my favorite poets. So I was thinking about him, and then I thought about Richard Farina. These guys contributed so much, but they died and we never appreciated them until afterwards. They starved their asses off and didn't get to stick around to reap their rewards. If you're going to go up there and try to make it, you're not out there totally for aesthetic value. Let's face it-you're out there to secure your future anybody that says they're not is totally false. I couldn't say that money doesn't mean anything to me. You have to pay your bills - I have to keep the band on the road. But you can still have a good time and write good songs. You don't necessarily have to prostitute your music, as long as you know how to handle it, put it in perspective. Those guys had a good time, but I'm sure they were miserable a lot of times. The success that they wanted, they never knew they actually reached it.
One of the best ways to take advantage of the intimacy and emotion of audio is to turn your broadcast into a conversation.
FOOTBALL WITH A FRYING PAN
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2015 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
I thought to myself wouldn't it be great if instead of competing against each other, these four chefs would collaborate and create something together. All of them could bring their particular unique talent to the table and we would be the beneficiaries of that delicious harmony. Instead of the food equivalent of the Packers versus the Bears it would be the food equivalent of Crosby Stills, Nash And Young.
Today the massive amount of information we are being subjected to creates an endless and ever expanding competition for our limited time. That is a direct result of the over communicated environment and it is reflected in the programming. The polarization it creates is getting stronger and stronger. Black versus white, rich versus poor, police versus demonstrators, there is very little harmony. Instead of diplomacy and understanding we have war and torture. Instead of musical harmony we have musical competition.
The other day someone asked me why I do my radio show called The Deep End With Nick Michaels. The answer is so we can hear the harmony again.
Copyright 2015 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
I was sitting watching television with my wife and daughters who enjoy watching cooking programs. Now normally I try to stay away from television unless it's a motion picture, which I enjoy, but I wanted to spend some time with them, so I sat there and watched. After a little while I realized what I was watching was not a cooking show but a competition. It was a football game played with frying pans. There were four chefs competing, They would each create some dish which would then be judged and in the end one would be the winner and the rest would lose.
I thought to myself wouldn't it be great if instead of competing against each other, these four chefs would collaborate and create something together. All of them could bring their particular unique talent to the table and we would be the beneficiaries of that delicious harmony. Instead of the food equivalent of the Packers versus the Bears it would be the food equivalent of Crosby Stills, Nash And Young.
Today the massive amount of information we are being subjected to creates an endless and ever expanding competition for our limited time. That is a direct result of the over communicated environment and it is reflected in the programming. The polarization it creates is getting stronger and stronger. Black versus white, rich versus poor, police versus demonstrators, there is very little harmony. Instead of diplomacy and understanding we have war and torture. Instead of musical harmony we have musical competition.
The other day someone asked me why I do my radio show called The Deep End With Nick Michaels. The answer is so we can hear the harmony again.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
TEXTING vs TALKING
Nick Michaels
Copyright 2014 American Voice Corp. All Rights Reserved
First, a man named Samuel Morse developed the single wire telegraph as a means of rapid communication. It was text based, had a code and every letter was used sparingly. Later a man named Alexander Graham Bell invented a way to speak into the telegraph wire. Now you could actually hear the other party, including all the nuances in the human voice.
Texting vs Talking. It looks to me like Morse won the re-match.
 |
| Alexander Graham Bell |
 |
| Samuel F Morse |
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
LESS THAN ZERO
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
The advertiser's need to sell something is no longer a burden, annoyance or interruption the audience in the over communicated world is willing to take on. Either the advertising becomes much much better or the cost of the ads will revert to their actual value. Less than zero
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
The advertiser's need to sell something is no longer a burden, annoyance or interruption the audience in the over communicated world is willing to take on. Either the advertising becomes much much better or the cost of the ads will revert to their actual value. Less than zero
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
WHY PRE-ROLL IS A BAD WAY TO POSITION YOUR MESSAGE
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved.
The advertisers need to sell is no longer something the audience is willing to take on. The reason for this is the price of their time in the over communicated world has gone up a lot. So much that it is much more valuable to them than your message. If your message is only about selling your product it is not worth their newly valued time.
Pre-Roll is a bad placement. It is a subliminal nightmare. it is an imposition and a tool of separation. Most people hate them and find them annoying with only a few exceptions. Those exceptions are stories that are so compelling that the audience is not upset about having their time hi-jacked because what they got was even better than the content they went looking for. You can bet the farm that every single one of those exceptions is a great story. Not one is a sales job.
Instead of forcing the audience to sit through your ad, causing them to dislike you. Why not engage them with a story. A story that they want to watch. Then figure out how to sell your stuff without it looking like you are selling at all.
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved.
The advertisers need to sell is no longer something the audience is willing to take on. The reason for this is the price of their time in the over communicated world has gone up a lot. So much that it is much more valuable to them than your message. If your message is only about selling your product it is not worth their newly valued time.
Pre-Roll is a bad placement. It is a subliminal nightmare. it is an imposition and a tool of separation. Most people hate them and find them annoying with only a few exceptions. Those exceptions are stories that are so compelling that the audience is not upset about having their time hi-jacked because what they got was even better than the content they went looking for. You can bet the farm that every single one of those exceptions is a great story. Not one is a sales job.
Instead of forcing the audience to sit through your ad, causing them to dislike you. Why not engage them with a story. A story that they want to watch. Then figure out how to sell your stuff without it looking like you are selling at all.
Monday, December 8, 2014
THEY'RE SMARTER THAN YOU THINK AND THEY KNOW IT WHEN YOU KNOW IT
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
It has been an axiom of mass media to always play to the lowest common denominator. In the over communicated world I think that sends the wrong message subliminally. When you speak to the audience in an intelligent manner you are sending a message that says "I don't think you are dumb." The audience feels this and is grateful for it. It gets right back to where your focus is. Is it on your product or on your consumer? It's part of how we have to respect the new audience in this new environment. Respect their time, their feelings and their intelligence.
It is the same with the way your message is built. Generally, messages that open with the product get skipped. I read recently where 60% of online advertising is either skipped or ignored. Why? the answer is simple, you are interrupting someone who is looking for, or at, something else. This makes online ads even more ANNOYING than TV or radio ads, which is quite a feat..... unless it is such an interesting story that the interruption is considered an added benefit instead of an annoyance.
All this subliminal is now more important than the overt. The tone is more important than the words, the speed at which it is read is more important than what you are saying. The language you use is connected to the consumer's feelings about the message. Slow is better than fast. Smart is better than dumb. Quiet is better than loud. All of the above should factor into every part of your message.
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
It has been an axiom of mass media to always play to the lowest common denominator. In the over communicated world I think that sends the wrong message subliminally. When you speak to the audience in an intelligent manner you are sending a message that says "I don't think you are dumb." The audience feels this and is grateful for it. It gets right back to where your focus is. Is it on your product or on your consumer? It's part of how we have to respect the new audience in this new environment. Respect their time, their feelings and their intelligence.
It is the same with the way your message is built. Generally, messages that open with the product get skipped. I read recently where 60% of online advertising is either skipped or ignored. Why? the answer is simple, you are interrupting someone who is looking for, or at, something else. This makes online ads even more ANNOYING than TV or radio ads, which is quite a feat..... unless it is such an interesting story that the interruption is considered an added benefit instead of an annoyance.
All this subliminal is now more important than the overt. The tone is more important than the words, the speed at which it is read is more important than what you are saying. The language you use is connected to the consumer's feelings about the message. Slow is better than fast. Smart is better than dumb. Quiet is better than loud. All of the above should factor into every part of your message.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
THE STORY IS EVERYTHING
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
I was clicking on a video on YouTube when this ad came on. I always skip ads. I didn't skip this one. I watched it for 5 minutes. It's an ad disguised as a story. I bet you won't stop watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54uzEouACYs
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
I was clicking on a video on YouTube when this ad came on. I always skip ads. I didn't skip this one. I watched it for 5 minutes. It's an ad disguised as a story. I bet you won't stop watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54uzEouACYs
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
BIG AND POWERFUL vs SMALL AND HUMAN
Nick Michaels
Copyright American Voice Corp. 2014 All Rights Reserved
It wasn’t that long ago that computers were thought of as machines whose primary purpose was business. The company that was king of the technology sector for many years had “BUSINESS” as its middle name. IBM, International Business Machines. Only big powerful corporations could afford them or use them. They were all about business, right down to their strict dress code.
Apple, on the other hand, saw the computer as being about human connection and creativity. That spark that ignites something inside of us. Something that becomes a song or a report or a photo or a recipe or a relationship or new enterprise…The world is getting very corporate and that corporate world is less and less people friendly every day. The smart players realize this and make their messages with a great deal of humility. From the way it is written to the way it is narrated. It’s not cool to be big and powerful. It’s cool to be small and agile and quick and emotional and human and connected and caring. Something to keep in mind when you craft your messages either for your client or your station.
Apple, on the other hand, saw the computer as being about human connection and creativity. That spark that ignites something inside of us. Something that becomes a song or a report or a photo or a recipe or a relationship or new enterprise…The world is getting very corporate and that corporate world is less and less people friendly every day. The smart players realize this and make their messages with a great deal of humility. From the way it is written to the way it is narrated. It’s not cool to be big and powerful. It’s cool to be small and agile and quick and emotional and human and connected and caring. Something to keep in mind when you craft your messages either for your client or your station.
Monday, November 17, 2014
RADIO, TAKE A LESSON FROM DETROIT
Nick Michaels
Copyright AVC 2014 All Rights Reserved
Copyright AVC 2014 All Rights Reserved
Have you noticed something lately? American cars are now competing for the buyer’s attention again. GM, Ford and Chrysler are all scrambling to deliver the best product at the best prices. Suddenly those buyers who were were only looking at imports are looking at domestic cars and buying them.
Detroit realized that it was time to change their mindset. The automobile is no longer a “means of getting from here to there.” It has become a mobile connected transportation device. Give the customer what they want. It’s working. Radio can take a lesson here. For the last 20 years radio has forgotten about its customer. The listener is the customer not the advertiser. Unless and until radio goes back to richer programming and personalities the future does not bode well for it. Be creative in your programming. Give those listeners, with so many choices, a reason to choose you. If GM, Ford and Chrysler can do it so can corporate radio, it takes the commitment to change your mindset and give the customer what they want.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
MAKE NO DEMANDS
Nick Michaels
Copyright AVC 2014 All Rights Reserved
Due to A recent illness I was hospitalized and forced to watch commercial television. At home I never watch commercial television. However I had no choice. Some of the commercials were extremely annoying. The ones that were most annoying were the ones where someone was telling me to do something or buy something or get this type of insurance. They were very strident in their approach. Too much energy. Too much in my face. They though it was a call to action but they were making too many demands...ARRRRRGGGHH! And I couldn't take it anymore.
Then this commercial came on and no matter how many times they played it, I was never annoyed. It's a commercial for Budweiser beer about a young man and his dog and how the dog is waiting at home while the young man decides to spend the night at a friend’s place. When he gets home the following morning the dog is waiting and they share a moment of bonding and love that feels as good as ice cream on a hot day.
This commercial is proof that in order for advertising to be accepted in the over communicated world it should detach from selling and become about emotional engagement. This commercial is completely and utterly emotionally engaging. It has a very low psychic entry fee. Everything about it, from the music, to the way it is photographed is easy. It makes no demands! Think twice about that next call to action. Anything that could be interpreted as a demand is a mistake in this environment.
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