Knock the spots off

With spot advertising failing to excite advertisers and audience alike maybe it's time to have a radical re-think about the way we sell radio advertising? We watch quite a lot of US TV. One of the most effective ways we have seen of US TV selling and promoting themselves or sponsors is the use of roller bugs at the far left of the screen. A short animated graphic that either tells you about a show or product during the TV programme in progress. Not long enough to be to annoying but long enough for you to absorb the message... we wonder if a similar approach could be used on radio?

Currently that kind of advertising would fall foul of OFCOM guidelines on undue prominence and separation of advertising and programming. But here is a fundamental question for you - why do we have separation and prominence guidelines? They seem so out of date - audiences are now sophisticated and understand if they are listening to a commercial broadcaster they would expect to hear commercial messages threaded into the station output.