Dr. Albert Einstein has a new theory. He’s just not sure how to “market” it. In fact, he’s “pulling his hair” over it. And if this genius can’t figure it out, who can? In this dialogue-driven radio commercial, the good doctor is pointed to CreativeWorks, a “one-stop shop for all his marketing materials.” Listen to great Hollywood voice talent having fun in this spot, written and produced by Walt Jaschek for client CreativeWorks of St. Louis, and recorded at World Wide Wadio in Hollywood. The script is below.
SCRIPT “Marketing Genius” 60-second radio commercial for CreativeWorks
MUSIC INTRO
SOUND FX: LABORATORY SOUNDS, UNDER
HOST: Welcome back to “Creative Thinkers.” Today we’re talking with Dr. Albert Einstein.
EINSTEIN (in German accent): Hello there.
HOST: Hey, Doc, how are you?
EINSTEIN: Oh, fine, fine. (Makes a deliberate joke) At least… relatively.
HOST: “Rela…”?
(BOTH LAUGH)
HOST: You’re a genius.
EINSTEIN: Danke.
HOST: Hair’s kind of wild, though.
EINSTEIN: Yeah, I’ve been pulling it.
HOST: Pulling it?
EINSTEIN: See, I’ve developed a brand-new theory…
HOST: Really?
EINSTEIN: Und I’ve been putting together a big marketing push for it. But I can’t find one place to handle all my creative materials.
HOST: Have you considered CreativeWorks?
EINSTEIN: CreativeWorks?
HOST: CreativeWorks is the one-stop expert at creating complete advertising and marketing solutions.
EINSTEIN: Even for a genius?
HOST: Especially for a genius.
EINSTEIN: I’m there!
HOST: Good! By the way, Doc, what is your brand new theory?
EINSTEIN: Well, get this. As it turns out, “e” only equals “mc squared” some of the time.
(Beat as they take this news in)
HOST: Uh-oh.
EINSTEIN: Crazy, huh?
HOST: That’ll have an impact.
EINSTEIN: No kidding.
ANNOUNCER: CreativeWorks. Bright ideas…
SOUND FX: LIGHT BULB CHAIN PULLED, HARP GLISTEN, UNDER
Funny dialogue and theatre of the mind are at play in this funny radio spot for Miami’s NewsCenter 7 and their fraud-exposing team known as the Wastebusters. In it, a Miami businessman – Mr. Rippemoff – is not happy to hear from his assistant that the Wastebusters are at his office.
This is the kind of spot you don’t hear much anymore: a well acted and produced scene that’s more akin to what one of associates calls “adver-tainment.” It also helps to have clients who want it and appreciate it! (Bless ’em!) Turn up your speakers for…
:60 RADIO SCRIPT “MISTER RIPPEMOFF” For: NewsCenter 7 Wastebusters Writer: Walt Jaschek Producer: Paul Fey
SOUND FX: OFFICE INTERCOM BUZZES
DOROTHY THE ASSISTANT (voice over intercom): Mister Rippemoff?
MR. RIPPEMOFF: Yes, Dorothy?
DOROTHY: A reporter and crew from NewsCenter 7 Wastebusters is here to see you, sir.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: NewsCenter 7?
DOROTHY: Wastebusters. They expose mind-boggling wastes of taxpayers money right here in the Miami Valley.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: What do they want with me?
DOROTHY: They said you sold the government a ballpoint pen, sir.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: So?
DOROTHY: For a thousand dollars.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: Well, it came with refills.
DOROTHY: And a jar of paperclips for two thousand dollars.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: They were multi-colored paperclips.
DOROTHY: Uh-huh.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: Red ones, blue ones…
DOROTHY: What should I tell the Wastebusters, sir?
MR. RIPPEMOFF: Do they have lights and cameras?
DOROTHY: And the ballpoint pen, sir.
MR. RIPPEMOFF: Tell them I went out my window, down my fire escape, then booked down the street, screaming like a madman.
(beat)
DOROTHY: I don’t think they’ll believe that sir.
SOUND FX: FOOTSTEPS AND WINDOW OPENING
DOROTHY: Mister Rippemoff?
MR. RIPPEMOFF: (SCREAMING)
DOROTHY: Uh-oh.
MUSIC, UNDER
ANNOUNCER: NewsCenter 7 Wastebusters expose government waste right here in the Miami Valley. And see the Wastebusters in action.
SOUND FX: OUTSIDE TRAFFIC
MR. RIPPEMOFF: (STILL SCREAMING)
DOROTHY (yelling): You can’t escape them, sir! They’re the Wastebusters!
MR. RIPPEMOFF (running away): I know!
ANNOUNCER: NewsCenter 7 Wastebusters. Weeknights at 6. Coverage you can count on.
St. Louis media history rediscovered! Here are KMOX-TV Channel 4’s “Big Mistake” commercials from 1985, alerting viewers to an error in TV Guide magazine. Writer/director: Paul Fey. Guy on camera: me! Yes, that’s me, Walt Jaschek, at a studio in KMOX-TV (St. Louis,) performing on-camera in 1985. I recently found these spots on 3/4″ tape, … Continue reading “Big Mistake” | Funny TV Campaign for Channel 4 St. Louis (1985)
We needed a funny product for a funny comic we’re creating. The thought of emulating a certain sweet treat often featured in the comics of our youth? Delicious. Boastess® Fructose Pies™ There’s a sugar crash in every dash! Concept: Walt JaschekPackage design and copy: Don SecreaseStay tuned to see what we do with these! The … Continue reading Walt & Don Launch Boastess® Fructose Pies™
He’s seen it all. And solved it all. But when an 8mm movie of his past shows up, Christoper McKarton might be back in the game. The Retired Detective A novel with video By Walt Jaschek My name is Christopher McKarton. I’m a detective. Or I was. I’m retired. Blissfully. I prefer detecting buds in … Continue reading Christopher McKarton: Retired Detective
Here are six 30-second radio ad scripts from Walt Jaschek’s copywriting portfolio, along with final, produced radio spots for comparison to the scripts. Helpful!
Need to write a 30-second radio ad script? I could write it for you. Or you can do it yourself, using these 30-second radio ad script examples as inspiration. They might unlock an idea or two.
Hi. I’m Walt Jaschek, and I’ve been writing radio ad scripts for decades, with hundreds produced for brands big and small worldwide.
This site you are on has lots of radio spots I’ve written or co-written; many of them funny, many of them award-winning. There are 14 of them detailed in this companion post.
Culled from that longer set are the below 30-second spots, with scripts, most produced by Paul & Walt Worldwide, so you can see and hear how the writer communicated to clients and collaborators how the final spots should “sound.”
That’s your first, most important job as a writer of radio: to help a reader – a client, an actor, an engineer – “hear” the commercial in his or her head.
Yes, a successful radio spot owes collaborative contributions from the producer. Director. Engineer. Sound designer. Voice talent. And clients courageous enough to do something beyond the boring ordinary. But it starts with the script.
Funny, 30-Second Radio Ad Script #1
“Auditions” for Star Trek: The Next Generation
SFX: Harp glisten, to indicate a flashback
ANNOUNCER: We take you back now to the auditions for Star Trek: The Next Generation.
DIRECTOR (as if to assembled actors): Okay, people, today we are auditioning for the role of Captain Picard. Please read the line in the script. You, the guy in the bow tie?
NERDY GUY (as nerdy as can be): I am Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise…
DIRECTOR (cutting him off): Thank you. You, sir, the next guy?
BAD ACTOR (clunky): I. am. Jean-Luc. Picard…
DIRECTOR (cutting him off): Thank you. Okay, you, sir, the bald guy?
PATRICK STEWART (in perfect Picard speak): I am Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the Enterprise.
DIRECTOR: Hmmm. Uh, bald guy?
PATRICK STEWART: Yes?
DIRECTOR: Do you get air sick at warp speed?
MUSIC: Star Trek theme, under
ANNOUNCER: Star Trek: the Next Generation. One hip starship! Weeknights at 7 on Channel 6
MUSIC OUT
Funny, 30-Second Ad Script Example #2
“Magnesium And Phosphorus” for Big Bang Theory
ANNOUNCER (urgent:) Magnesium burns at 2,474 degrees Kelvin.
SOUND FX: Chemicals burning in a lab’s bunsen burner
ANNOUNCER: Phosphorus burns at 3,333 degrees Kelvin.
SOUND FX: Chemicals burning in a lab
ANNOUNCER: And Sheldon Cooper burns… five nights a week.
SHELDON COOPER: You bowl like your Mama… unless of course she bowls well… in which you bowl nothing like her!
SFX: AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
ANNOUNCER: Ouch! On The Big Bang Theory, you draw Sheldon’s fire… you’re gonna get burned!
SHELDON COOPER: That’s what I call a burn on you!
SFX: AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
MUSIC: BIg Bang theme, under
ANNOUNCER: The Big Bang Theory. Five nights a week.
[:05 local TV station tag]
Funny, 30-Second Ad Script Example #3
Listen to the recorded spot and compare it to the script.
“Vibrating Water Bed” for Jeopardy
LAVERNE (seductively): Oh, Larry…
LARRY: I’m watching Jeopardy, LaVerne.
LAVERNE: It’s our honeymoon…
LARRY: All this week, it’s the first round of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions!
LAVERNE: We have this waterbed…
LARRY: This is primo Jeopardy action! The champ wins a hundred grand!
SOUND FX: VIBRATING WATER BED TURNED ON
LAVERNE (her voice vibrating, too): It’s a vibrating water bed…
LARRY: Sorry, LaVerne! The Tournament of Champions!
LAVERNE (resigned, but her voice still vibrating): Okay..ay..ay..
MUSIC: END OF “JEOPARDY” THEME, UNDER
ANNOUNCER: Jeopardy. Any questions?
LAVERNE (her voice still vibrating): Yeah! How do you turn this thing off?
JEOPARDY THEME CONCLUDES UNDER LOCAL TAG
Funny, 30-Second Radio Ad Script Example #4
Listen to the finished spot and compare it to the script.
“Put Your Tongue on the Radio” for Gene Simmons Family Jewels
ANNOUNCER: Put your tongue on the radio. (beat) Wait, that might be a little tingly. Ahem. Don’t put your tongue on the radio. But do stick your tongue out. That’s right. Keep going. There. Wow, you have a long tongue! Congrats! But it’s all relative, baby, because, you have a teeny-weenie tongue compared to…
GENE SIMMONS: I’m Gene Simmons. Rock God.
SFX: CROWD CHEERS
MUSIC: ROCK KICKS IN
ANNOUNCER: It’s the rock-meets-reality show that licks ‘em all! Gene Simmons Family Jewels – Season 2 premiere! Starring the man who has more talent than you can shake a tongue at.
GENE SIMMONS: Precisely.
ANNOUNCER: Gene Simmons Family Jewels. A&E Sunday. Oh:
MUSIC: OUT
ANNOUNCER: Please put your tongue back in. The guy is the van is staring.
Funny, 30-second Ad Script Example #5
Listen and compare the finished spot to the script.
“I’m Shaving My Head!” for Star: Trek the Next Generation.
MUSIC: STAR TREK THEME MUSIC, UNDER
ANNOUNCER: All over Miami, they’re shaving their heads!
YOUNG MAN (enthusiastically): I’m shaving my head!
SOUND FX: ELECTRIC HAIR CLIPPERS, MOVING FROM LEFT STEREO CHANNEL TO RIGHT
ANNOUNCER: Throughout the entire Channel 6 viewing area, they’re shaving their heads!
YOUNG WOMAN (enthusiastically): I’m shaving my head!
SOUND FX: ELECTRIC HAIR CLIPPERS
ANNOUNCER: They’re going for… The Jean-Luc Look!
YOUNG COUPLE (simultaneously): We’re shaving our heads!
SOUND FX: ELECTRIC HAIR CLIPPERS
ANNOUNCER: Like Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the bold, bald head of “Star Trek: the Next Generation,” weekdays at four on Channell Six. Get the look!
OLD, FUNNY GEEZER GUY (enthusiastically): I’m shavin’ my head!
ANNOUNCER: The Jean-Luc Look! On “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Weekdays at four on Channel 6.
Walt Jaschek is a writer of comics, comedy and copy for big brands. For his work creating funny, award-winning ad campaigns for the entertainment industry, he was inducted in 2018 into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame. Declaring “I’m not history yet,” Walt is writing new content daily.
This radio commercial for early generation Southwestern Bell mobile phones established a lively, ear-catching format we used often: a droll voice offering product benefits interlaced with stand-up-comedy-style gags. Great examples of this technique are here in our “Cellular Guy” campaign for Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems, which ran for months in multiple markets in the early 1990s. The spots won Clio Awards, Addy Awards and an International Broadcast Award for Best Radio Copywriting.
Here are three scripts in the campaign, all written by Walt Jaschek and produced by Paul Fey at production company Paul & Walt Worldwide for agency Simmons, Durham & Associates.
Cellular Guy Spot #1 “Crystal Clear” :60 Radio Script
MUSIC: A modern version of “I Get Around,” a song originally recorded by The Beach Boys.
CELLULAR GUY (extremely deadpan throughout:) I get around. When I talk on a Southwestern Bell Cellular Phone, my voice is crystal clear. That’s amazing, considering it’s not really that clear in person.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: I put a Southwestern Bell phone antenna on my head and walked into a crowded restaurant. Forty-two attorneys tried to “dial out” on me.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: Southwestern Bell cell service is so clear, when I’m talking to my girlfriend, it’s as if she’s right next to me. I can actually hear her withdrawing.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: Southwestern Bell has cell service that’s trouble-free. But then, trouble is always free.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
ANNOUNCER: No wonder more people go more places… with Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems.
CELLULAR GUY: Someday, Southwestern Bell will be able to break us down molecularly and send our bodies through cellular phones. This might be a long way off, but just in case, I’m getting a haircut.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
Cellular Guy Spot #2 “Voice Mail” :60 Radio Script
MUSIC: A modern version of “I Get Around,” a song originally recorded by The Beach Boys.
CELLULAR GUY (extremely deadpan throughout:) I get around. So I signed up for Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems voice mail. I used to leery about sending voice mail. I wasn’t sure I was putting enough stamps on it.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: Voice mail is easy. Think of it as rolling up a little yellow sticky note, jamming it into your cellular phone, and having it pop out somewhere else. Think of it like that. Don’t actually do it.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: You can send the same messages to multiple places simultaneously. This is especially handy when trying to set up lunch with the Supreme Court.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: And with message notification, your car will call you at your office to tell you there’s a message. It could also call just to say “hello.”
MUSIC UP AND OUT
ANNOUNCER: No wonder more people go more places… with Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems.
CELLULAR GUY: I mean, just the other day, I was saying, you know, my car never calls me anymore.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
Cellular Guy Spot #3 “Custom Calling” :60 Radio Script
MUSIC: A modern version of “I Get Around,” a song originally recorded by The Beach Boys.
CELLULAR GUY (extremely deadpan throughout:) I get around. I’ve got all the Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems custom calling features on my cellular phone. Three-way calling, call waiting, call forwarding. Now I need call avoiding.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: Call waiting is great. And it’s better than the original name, “call interruptus.” I’m glad they changed it.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: Call forwarding is also cool. You can forward your home calls to your car, your car calls to your office, and your office calls to somebody who actually cares.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
CELLULAR GUY: And I love three-way calling. I can talk to my wife and my best friend, and it’s like they’re in the same room. Problem is, they are in the same room.
MUSIC UP AND OUT
ANNOUNCER: No wonder more people go more places… with Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems.
CELLULAR GUY: Here’s another great three-way use. I dial my new boss, then I add my old boss on the same line. Then I hang up and let them psychologically torment each other.
Are they heroes? Are they super? NOT. The new, reluctant team from writer Walt Jaschek and Walt Now Films now has its own site. Hero Nots™ Episode 1 Screenplay by Walt Jaschek This is an excerpt from The Hero Nots screenplay I’m writing. Hope to wrap up the script in 2021, cast and shoot in … Continue reading Hero Nots™
Walt serializes his new comic book script on the new Kindle Vella platform. It’s the pilot episode for action hero Satin Brass™, Overdue Accounts Collector. You can read the first three chapters for free on Kindle Vella. Then purchase tokens from Vella to unlock more chapters! Satin Brass is a high-tech bounty hunter in a … Continue reading Satin Brass™ Now on Kindle Vella
The St. Louis Media History Foundation asked Walt to add some comedy to its 2021 Hall of Fame video. This “Zoom call” is the result. Congratulations to the new honorees in the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame, which due to The Current Situation is a video celebration only, archived on YouTube.Ken Ohlemeyer Jr., producer … Continue reading Walt “calls in” to St. Louis Media Hall of Fame Ceremony
“Viva La Volvo” is a funny, 60-second radio spot created by Paul & Walt Worldwide for the Southern California Dealers Association. It amusingly depicts a woman’s love and obsession with her Volvo.
The commercial won many advertising industry awards and serves as a good example of strong radio copywriting. The production technique, energetic music cutting in and out of funny “one-liners,” was used frequently by writer Walt Jaschek and producer Paul Fey for their radio campaigns on behalf of national brands.
First, the spot, followed by the script.
“Viva La Volvo” :60 Radio Southern California Volvo Dealers Script by Walt Jaschek
MUSIC: HORNS AND DRUM UP, SUDDENLY OUT
ELLEN: A friend of mine said he wanted to talk to me about my Volvo. I said, “Thank you — that’s between me and my gynecologist.”
MUSIC: HORNS AND DRUM UP, SUDDENLY OUT
ELLEN: He said, “No, no, your car — your Volvo 850 Turbo Sportswagon.” I said, “Oh, that. No, you can’t drive it.”
MUSIC: HORNS AND DRUM UP, SUDDENLY OUT
ELLEN: Oh, I love my Volvo. Sure, it’s safe, but, gee, just because driving on the freeways of Southern California is the equivalent of playing bumper cars at the speed of light, what kind of reason is that?
MUSIC: HORNS AND DRUM UP, SUDDENLY OUT
ELLEN: Volvos are still ultra-luxury imports. Sleek and gorgeous and loaded to here. Safe and sexy and… (BEAT AS SHE STOPS HERSELF) Pardon me, I have to go hug my car now.
MUSIC: HORNS AND DRUM UP, UNDER
ANNOUNCER: Want safe AND sexy? Viva La Volvo! Test-drive a Volvo at your Southern California Volvo dealer.
MUSIC: HORNS AND DRUM UP, SUDDENLY OUT
ELLEN: “Since when is safe sexy?,” another friend asked. “Hey,” I said, “what decade are YOU living in?”
This funny radio ad for the TV series “Matlock” was written by Walt Jaschek, and produced by Paul Fey. The spot garnered advertising’s Clio Award for “Best Radio Copywriting.” It stars Tom Poston, Harvey Atkin and Orson Bean.
Click and enjoy!
“Missing Persons” :60 Radio Script by Walt Jaschek
SFX: Telephone ring, followed by phone pick-up. “Dragnet”-style staccato dialogue ensues.
TOUGH-TALKING COP: Missing Persons.
GOOFY CALLER (phone filtered:) Missing Persons?
COP: Missing Persons.
CALLER: My wife is missing!
COP: Your wife is missing?
CALLER: My wife is missing.
COP: When did you last see her, sir?
CALLER: Four o’clock.
COP: Four o’clock?
CALLER: Four o’clock.
COP: Uh, where’s your TV, sir?
CALLER: The bedroom.
COP: Have you checked IN the bedroom, sir?
CALLER: No.
COP: She’s probably watching “Matlock!”
CALLER: “Matlock” is on at four o’clock?
COP: Every weekday at four on Channel Two. Go check your bedroom, sir. I’ll wait.
CALLER: Okay.
[LONG SOUND FX STRETCH: Caller puts down the phone. He walks down a hallway. He opens the bedroom door. We hear a few seconds of Matlock (“Your honor, I…”) The caller closes the bedroom door. He walks back down the hallway. He picks up the phone.]
CALLER: Hello?
COP: I’m here.
CALLER: She’s watching “Matlock!”
COP: I thought so.
CALLER: I didn’t know “Matlock” was on at four o’clock.
CALLER: Every weekday at four on Channel Two.
CALLER: She really likes Andy Griffith!
COP: Of course she does.
CALLER: She was so busy watching “Matlock,” she forgot to tell me where she was!
COP: Tell her I understand.
CALLER: Okay. SFX: The caller puts down phone, walks down hallway again.
COP: Wait! I didn’t mean now! Sir? Sir?
SFX: Caller opens bedroom door. Matlock is still playing.
CALLER: Hey! My favorite episode!
ANNOUNCER: “Matlock.” Weekdays at four on Channel Two. Because there’s nothing like a good mystery!
Guys! Have you ever wanted to star in your own beer commercial? Well, now you can, thanks to this Budweiser radio spot that will “cue” you to say *YOUR NAME* during a very romantic scenario. So open a couple of long-necks and enjoy your “date” with a woman who is, evidently, “both a neurosurgeon AND a swimwear model.” We think you’ll do very well in your first commercial! Let us know how it goes.
Here’s the version of the spot we did for men. We also did a version for women. Will find that and post soon!.
ANNOUNCER: Budweiser presents…
[SOUND FX: DRUMROLL]
ANNOUNCER: …the world’s first “Star-In-Your-Own” Radio Commercial!
[DRUMROLL OUT]
ANNOUNCER: Okay, guys, whenever you hear this sound…
[SOUND FX: DING!]
ANNOUNCER: …insert your name.
SEXY WOMAN: Hi, there…
[SOUND FX: DING!]
ANNOUNCER: Your name.
SEXY WOMAN: Sorry I’m late. Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to be both a neurosurgeon AND a swimwear model! Oh, am I thirsty! How about it…
[SOUND FX: DING!]
SEXY WOMAN: …got anything tall and cool?
[SOUND FX: BOTTLETOP POPPING]
SEXY WOMAN: Ooo! Budwesier Long-Necks! Oh…
[SOUND FX: DING!]
SEXY WOMAN: You are so thoughtful.
[SOUND FX: BEER POURING INTO GLASS]
SEXY WOMAN: But of course. Bud’s the first choice for every occasion. [SIPS] Ah, you know,, I have a confession to make. If I ever had a son, I’d want to name him…
[SOUND FX: DING!]
SEXY WOMAN: Oh…
[SOUND FX: DING!]
ANNOUNCER: Your name.
SEXY WOMAN: Come here. Now! Mmmmm.
[SOUND FX: DING!]
ANNOUNCER: Your name!
[SOUND FX: DING!]
ANNOUNCER: Your name!
[SOUND FX: DING!]
ANNOUNCER: Your name! (chuckling): Well! You did very well in first commercial! Have a Bud. You’ve earned it!
JINGLE: This Bud’s for…
SOUND FX: DING!
ANNOUNCER: Anheuser Busch. St. Louis.
Writer: Walt Jaschek | Producer/Director: Paul Fey | Production: Bill Schulenberg
Come on, a little too professorial. The elbow patches are spot on, sure, but who lines up markers like that, and why would the guy who tries to simplify everything write so much sh*t on the board?
“Well, sure,” Walt admitted. “I promote the class as a way for advertising majors to learn to strategize, write, produce, cast, direct and engineer a original, 3-spot radio campaign — — and I wanted to look the part.”
Walt’s slogan for the class, which is filled with mostly funny radio, old and new: “Laugh Your Ads Off.”
This article first appeared in Call Letters, the member newsletter of the Southern California Broadcaster Association, in Fall, 1995. Paul & Walt Worldwide had just completed a national, Fall Sweeps radio campaign promoting CBS-TV, including hit show “Murphy Brown.” Candice Bergen and cast, above.
Paul & Walt Worldwide Converting Ears to Eyes
A Southern California ad agency with the unlikely name of Paul & Walt Worldwide created a “huge radio extravaganza” recently, included appearances by the Temptations, Candice Bergen, Connie Chung and the stars of Designing Women to help client CBS-TV score a major upset, winning its first Fall Sweeps ratings victory in Southern California in six years.
The radio “theatre of the mind” – which recently won a SUNNY for best television promotion – featured a cast of thousands and two CBS-TV sportscasters describing the action with Connie Chung playing the saxophone and the Temptations executing simultaneous backflips. The spots also featured the stars of Designing Women in a dazzling exhibition of synchronized swimming.
“This was a perfect opportunity,” says partner Paul Fey, “to make a major effort on radio and use the medium for what it does so well: utilize the listeners’ imaginations.
CBS-TV made a major commitment to win the Fall premiere week and sweeps battle with new programming and promotion after finishing poorly for several years. The company made the biggest radio campaign in history as part of the massive, multi-media drive.
To tie in with the television campaign, CBS-TV saturated Southern California radio over Labor Day weekend. Paul & Walt produced eight related radio spots built around a fictional event: the “CBS Get Ready Weekend.”
The agency’s two principals, Paul Fey and Walt Jaschek, had separate, successful ad careers prior to joining forces as Paul & Walt Worldwide. Fey began his career at CBS-owned KMOX-TV, St, Louis, creating radio for the station’s audience promotion efforts. Jaschek was simultaneously working as Creative Director for a Colorado ad agency. By 1982 they were each winning national awards. Since then, they’ve won more than 300.
“Walt and I met in 1974 in college when we were both journalism majors and worked on the college newspaper together,: says Walt Jaschek. “Paul used to collect Dick Orkin and Alan Barzman radio spots, and I would ask him, ‘When are we going to great stuff like that?’”
When Paul Fey was writing and producing alone, he was getting job offers from CBS stations who were aware of his work for KMOX. “I didn’t really want to do the same thing in L.A. or New York,” he says. “I really wanted to hold out just enough, to go into business for myself and work for all them. I did that in 1985, and within a few months I was a one-man shop, writing and producing and doing most of my work in Los Angeles. The business was growing fast and needed some help.”
Fey’s school chum Walt, having moved back to St. Louis to become an advertising manager for Southwestern Bell, eventually realized his goal of free-lancing.
The two joined forces fives years ago when Paul got a huge assignment. Since that time Walt has become the full-time writer and Paul participates in concept work and takes care of the business and production end.
In addition to CBS-TV, the agency does creative work for King Word (distributors of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy”,) Warner Bros. and Anheuser-Busch.
“We love working in radio,” says partner Jaschek. “It lets us supply endless visuals and the listener completes the pictures we create.”
“The only downside to doing radio,” adds Fey, “is that you can’t convince the client that the radio spot has to be done on location in Hawaii like you can with a TV spot.”
Paul Fey and Walt Jaschek of Paul & Walt Worldwide.
