Here are the 2005 Sow’s Ear Award ‘Winners’
Voted the worst radio commercials in North America
Just click the arrows to play each commercial
1. The Worst of the Litter:
Selloff Vacations
(Sent in by Anonymous)
Was it the catchy singing kid? The over-caffeinated voice-over? The warm one-to-one communication? Who knows? But most of you agreed - this one deserved the place of honor.
2. Second Place Piggy:
Parrish Furniture
(Sent in by Anonymous)
The heart attack delivery, the wall-to-wall copy, the subtle use of clichés and production elements all combined to put this piglet in second place.
3. Third Place But Still Squealin’:
Hudson River Rafting
(Sent in by Anonymous)
Maybe it was the believable dialogue, or the convincing delivery. Perhaps the memorable shower singing? Gosh, it’s hard to choose.
Disclaimer:
These may be the 2005 Sow’s Ear Award winners, but you and I know there are far worse on the air - it’s just that no one sent them in.
So, keep listening for the worst radio commercials and send in candidates for next year’s awards.
Why did these commercials fall short of their potential? No time, no budget, no training, no resources, misguided client preconceptions ... all possibly played a part.
The challenge:
Now you can see what contributing writers were up against to turn these commercials into effective, compelling result-getting radio advertising.
The Sow’s Ear Award is a creation of the team of radio maniacs at Hedquist Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 1475, Fairfield, Iowa 52556 http://www.hedquist.com 641-472-6708