Safety Seymour is the superhero that helps you keep safe against the dangers of that invisible killer carbon monoxide – sometimes known simply as CO. He’s with Mimi and Loz from the CO Crew and they need your help.
He knows that you’re great at staying safe but some people aren’t as good – or don’t even know about the dangers… and he wants to get the message across to them. But he needs your help… he’s thinking a radio advert would be great to engage people and tell them all about CO! But what makes a great radio advert?
To help… he downloads a new app. It’s called… “A RADIO GAME”.
SAFETY SEYMOUR’S “A RADIO GAME”. CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CADENT. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE.
Hi there! We’ve nailed the brief, done our research and written a sparkling script. All we need to do now is bring it to life. Where do we start? Today’s challenge is to produce your radio advert. It’s a team effort and I’ve got three challenges to show you how it’s done. Ready? Let’s start!
CHALLENGE ONE – FINDING YOUR VOICE!
You need to think about what kind of voice would be best for your advert. Should the voice for your advert about CO poisoning be silly or serious?
- Serious, as it’s an important topic.
What kind of voice do you think would be best?
- Maybe someone calm and clear like a teacher – so people really listen.
A calm voice can work well for safety messages, although if you want to grab attention, maybe a different type of voice might work better?
- A bear from outer space? Or… maybe something fun and exciting – like a GAME show host? That’s quite different to being calm!
As you can see, there aren’t any right or wrong answers about the voice you choose. You could even let your imagination run wild – what about a fish or an alien or a talking tree… or even a talking CO detector!
- As long as the voice sets the mood for your advert and engages your chosen audience, almost any voice can work.
CHALLENGE TWO – PRODUCTION PUZZLER!
You’ve got your script and your voice actor’s ready to go. But what else might you need to record an advert…
- A microphone to record the lines as they’re spoken.
- Sound effects from an online library, app or special software. The producers will use the directions in the scripts to pick just the right ones.
- Music can add mood and fun to an advert, but you need to be careful whose music you use as you might need to pay a royalty. You could also have fun creating your own!
- A large duck called Gerald… could be good if they were super good at production. But probably not!! Ducks aren’t known to be the pick of producers.
Producers and sound engineers are people who have studied hard to know exactly how to set up things like studios and microphones, and to use software that joins all the sounds up into a sensational sounding advert!
CHALLENGE THREE – FACT OR FIB!
Your advert is ready to go live but before it does, it’s important to check what it says is correct and it doesn’t break any rules.
“Buy our detector now – it will make you rich and famous!” That would be a fib as it’s just not true! Adverts must be truthful and not misleading.
“CO has no colour or smell – that’s why it’s important to buy a detector for your home to help keep you safe!” That’s a fact!
“People who use detectors are stupid and stinky!!! Just hold your breath and hope for the best!” – Well, that’s just rude… and not true! It’s a fab so a no no. Adverts should definitely not use bad language… or encourage dangerous behaviour either. Adverts have to follow the rules to make sure they’re fair and safe for everyone.
In summary… choose the right voice, work with producers to create it, and check the rules.
To help you write your advert, here’s a tip from Safety Seymour’s CO clue-book – “Danger Warning!”
If CO sneaks into your house, it can make you feel dizzy, sick, or breathless. Pets might be unwell too! If everyone feels bad at the same time, it’s a big warning. Get outside fast and call for help. Knowing the signs can keep you and your family safe.
You can discover more about CO with Safety Seymour here and with the CO Crew here.
How to enter
Now that you know how to create an advert, here’s YOUR chance to show off your imagination and make a real difference.
You can just write a script, send it in and we’ll make it for you OR you could create the advert yourself and send us a finished advert, ready for broadcast!
