Radio poverty

When you have a lot of shootings, you're on the road a lot. And the medium radio seems to be perfect for the car. You can listen to it without risking an accident, unless you laugh so hard about the comments of the DJ's that you get a stomach cramp.

From that perspective the commercial breaks in Holland are quite safe. I've never heard more boring commercials than in between a program on the Dutch radio. They just tell what the product, service or special offer is about. Well, unless the message is: 'we give money away for free', it will not sound interesting. They're so boring, it makes me fall asleep.

Whoever makes these boring stuff? Agencies? Then they make easy money for making shit. But what's even worse: who approves these commercials. Are clients really going to pat the expensive agency creatives on their backs for just telling the briefing in 30 seconds? I cannot imagine that.

When I worked in Belgium, radio advertising was considered a chance to make something outstanding. You had to show at least 20 scripts to the creative directors and with a bit of luck one of them will be recorded. And it shows: this year Belgium has 3 radiocommercials on the shortlist for the Eurobest awards and Holland has zero. It's time for Dutch creatives to rediscover a neglected medium.