Radio Advert Evaluation

The final radio advert differs from my original composition sketches as the idea developed further and I believe the product is improved by these changes since reflecting on them now the advert might have been messy and overcomplicated with too many images, trying to represent  each floor of the building in 'Ground Floor Up.' Indeed, I believe that the radio advert is simple enough and does not antagonise the audience or distract from the nature of the product.

Despite my earlier decision not to overlap the text with the images, the majority of the text is written over the picture of the sun and planet. However, I felt that the majority of the image was dark enough not to distract from the writing so long as it was laid out in a way that meant the text would not compete with the sunlight. With regards to the images I have used, I decided against showing one of the characters, of whom only Rebecca Montgomery would have perhaps been a viable choice, or interior locations of the building. This is because I felt one of the advantages of radio drama was that the audience would be able to picture the world in their own heads, creating a unique experience for each listener. Showing the images of the characters in the radio advert would destroy this effect and I chose to use the planet, something which would also convey the fact that the radio drama is set in outer space, providing the consumer with more information on the nature of the series.

The other picture I have used for my magazine advert is that of the building in the corner of the poster since a man-made structure floating in outer space is very much in keeping with the theme of my radio drama, something which I felt was very important. I have placed this image over a black background so that it’s pale and bright colouring would not compete with the paper. However, I have separated it from the text and kept it at a size which I feel does not distract too much from the relevant information.

In writing the information, I have used Distant Galaxy font to keep the science fiction theme. I have used white for the font so that the contrast with the background allows the information to be easily read. Having discussed the matter with a range of people, I have kept the text as limited as possible since the general opinion was that adverts which present a large amount of information for the consumer to read can sometimes be off putting, something which I wanted to avoid. I have used the principle of 'less is more.' As such, the only information I have given the reader through text is the title of the radio drama, the date of the first broadcast and the nature of the product being an a original comedy radio drama. The ‘coming to you fresh from the Andromeda Galaxy’ is to provide further information as to the setting, to allow the audience to make an informed judgment on whether or not to listen.

I have included the BBC Radio 4 Extra logo in the bottom right hand corner of my advert since that to not provide advertisement to the radio station here would be a serious error as those readers who wished to listen to the series would be unlikely to conduct a search for it if the radio station was not included within the advert. In including the logo, however, I have kept it at a distance from the text and at a reasonable size so that is clearly visible but not distracting.