Producing a Radio Advert for the N.H.S.

English 11NW Fred

My objective, create a radio advert for the National Heath Service, which will aim to persuade people to take up a career in the National Health Service. To accomplish this, the following will be a written account, stating what actions I took in order to accomplish my objective.

Currently, the National Health Service is approaching its fifty fifth year of service, as it was created in nineteen forty eight. On the thirtieth of September in the year of 1999, the National Health Service employed approximately one million people. In a typical year seventy-two point eight million people will receive help from the National Health Service. There are lots of careers available in the National Health Service: Dentist; a person whose job in the N.H.S. is to clean, extract, or repair natural teeth, Pharmacist; a medical professional trained in the field of preparing and dispensing drugs to patients, Dietitian; trained in the area of, the scientific study of food preparation and intake, Phlebotomist; the medical practice of opening a vein by puncture in order to remove blood, intended as a therapeutic treatment, also known as venesection, Physiotherapist; a therapy that uses physical agents, exercise and massage and other modalities like, surgery, chemotherapy, or electrotherapy, in order to get someone out of plight: strain to a muscle or sprain etcetera. Over all the National Health Service offers a wide range of medical professions, I have only listed a few.

The National Health Service advert that I will be creating must include the names of careers that are not as well known as some, to the public. Doing this will hopefully make the National Health Service sound and feel more interesting to the target audience. If it were to be broadcasted in the morning and evening on the local radio station, teenagers will most likely be listening at that time and depending on the quality of the advert will decide to become part of the National Health Service. After they have decided, their thoughts may be passed on in conversation to other companions. Those companions may also decide to become part of the National Health Service because; they were told it was the place to be or the job to have. Importantly, by stating over the radio the interesting names for the jobs available in the National Health Service, will result in the process above taking place. Teenagers like things to be interesting and will generally follow interesting ideas. Psychologically, if people decide on something early on in their lives, they tend to aim for that in their later life. Therefore, my target audience must be teenagers, intelligent enough to decide to become part of the National Health Service.

To write an effective radio script we need to consider,

The power of the radio,

Radio is an intimate medium. Most people listen to the radio when they are alone and they chose their preferable station. In a way, the radio becomes a friend to the listener; a one to one relationship begins. Because of this, the radio can be very powerful. You are able to speak to the listener, in their personal space. That makes the listener fell comfortable, they will take in the information that is broadcasted to them.

Our listeners and the environment,

In order to ...

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To write an effective radio script we need to consider,

The power of the radio,

Our listeners and the environment,

In order to maximise the impact of the advert, we need to understand more about the listener. Is it a male or female? Will teenagers be involved? However, where will the audience listen to the radio, or listen to the advert. Where is the highest probability, during a car journey, at the breakfast table, in the evening, and on the weekend? If these things are considered carefully we will know when is the best time to broadcast the advert.

How we will entertain our listeners,

All radio adverts are an invasion of our personal space, privacy and our thoughts at the time; therefore, the audience must welcome the advert that will be produced. If it will attract applicants then the advert has only one obligation; get us hooked. Adverts must not be boring and irrelevant, that would jeopardize the success that could be gained. Listeners will either not register, mentally or change radio station

Stirring peoples emotions,

Radio is different from television and magazines, it has only sound. Sound is the only stimulant; our ears do not receive as much information as our eyes. However, that is to an advantage, research proves that radio adverts are particular effective at stirring our emotions. Adverts that are factual, clear, informational and concise are considered to be the least appealing. But, the above can be effective only if it is used in such a way in order to affect us emotionally, make us visualize what is happening in the advert.

Creating a story with characters,

Radio tends to be about real life stories, generally, people like a story and effective radio adverts will dramatise a story. Engaging the audience by involving an aspect of their life on the radio, then they will be identifying with the person on the radio. Characters must sound real; they cannot speak like an answering machine. The audience must know that characters are real, even though they may not be. Dialogue is the main article that will accomplish this.

Focussing on a single message,

For an advert to be effective in does not want to have more than one message. Adverts do not want to be complicated, the listener may not have the academic ability to unravel the message within and therefore the advert will not be successful. Also, adverts must not be boring or drag on; thirty to sixty seconds should be enough, in order for the message to be carried across.

The following is an existing advert produced by the National Health Service,

SFX: Car crash sound

Joe: The ambulance people took me to hospital.

The lady with the big machine that took pictures of my head.

The doctors, the nurses and the nice lady who changed my dressing at home.

VO: 18 months ago Joe was knocked down by a car.

34 people picked him up.

22 nurses were part of the team that saved Joe’s life.

Note: The VO is spoken by a woman.

For details on joining or returning to nursing, including improved pay and conditions call 0845 60 60 655

NHS Careers. Join the team and make a difference.

Now, I will analyse the above advert that was produced by the National Health Service,

The advert was trying to promote the National Health Service, although not directly. It made you feel for Joe and what had happened to him, in the voice over, statistical statements that help to ‘show off’ the Notional Health Service. A double meaning was used in the Voice Over because; it surprises the listeners and helps to keep them focused. In addition, brief factual statements keep people hooked; this was introduced from the second the Voice Over began. Joe’s dialogue is particularly effective, because of the, uncomplicated and weary style that’s used. For example, ‘The Lady with the big machine’, the lady part tries to show that you do not have to be anybody to join the National Health Service. In addition, the verb ‘big’, simplistic is the type of style expected of a young lad. Sound effects affect the listener and make them want to find out or know what is happening. After this stage Joe’s story continues to draw the audience in. The advert above was effective in playing with your emotions because of the language used. It made you feel that it was your duty to help people who happen to injure themselves, which the statistics in the voice over help to emphasise this. However, the sound effects could be improved, screeching tyres before the crash effect would, emphasise that accidents happen more often from car crashes. In addition, in my opinion it would create a better introduction than just a crash sound, creating more power, which would help to make the advert feel more convincing in the form of wanting more people to join.

My advert that I have produced for the National Health Service will follow,

SFX: A mobile rings loudly, a standard tone.

SFX: A sound of the case flipping down.

VO: (a man comes on and talks very loudly)

Hello, yeah I’m at the hospital. A hip replacement, died.

(Some people leave)

SFX: Hear people running out.

VO: (the man come back on and as before talks loudly)

He wasn’t trained, out of doctors, yeah.

For details on joining or returning to the NHS, including improved pay and conditions call 0845 60 60 655

NHS Careers. Join the team and make a difference.

I’m now going to describe how I created the advert,

I decided on using the man with the mobile because, it is used quite often in radio and television and therefore, listeners will be able to relate to him in some way or another. Sound effects was used in order to set the scene and it felt appropriate to use it because, when you here the mobile ring in that way, firstly; you think ‘its another mobile phone advert’, secondly; you think ‘ah that’s the man with the mobile’. Creating a sort of comfort or humour, for example, ‘what’s to come?’. Finally, the National Health Service’s slogan was used for ending, because, it sums up the advert and creates a similarity between all advert.

My wok will entertain to some extent, but I do not have a good imagination for coming up with completely unique adverts. It is relevant to the National Health Service because, it outlines the problems with the shortages of doctors and it expresses that we need more people to join. It should engage the audience because, the mobile phone man should help to do that but the dialogue from the mobile phone man actually engages the audience. They will feel rewarded by it and they should remember it because, the endnote is a sort of a summary and then therefore will attract then and make them feel a sense of congratulations. Overall the single message stands out, ‘the NHS needs you’.

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