Author Archives: Rod Schwartz

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About Rod Schwartz

Rod Schwartz backed into a lifelong career in radio advertising in 1973 in Springfield, Illinois. He joined the Pullman (Wash.) Radio Group in 1979, where he worked until his retirement at the end of 2022. From 1991 to March 2024, Rod and his family operated Grace Broadcast Sales, providing short-form syndicated radio features to radio and TV stations across the U.S. and Canada. Rod currently operates an independent advertising, marketing, and media consultancy for radio stations, independent business owners and busy professionals, and he continues providing syndicated audio features to radio and TV station clients. More information is available at RodSchwartz.com. An avid photographer, Rod shares some of his favorite images at PalousePics.com and on his Viewbug gallery. See Links for details.

Made in America. Kindasorta.

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

In an article from The Detroit Bureau (“The Voice of the Automotive World” – although Crain’s Automotive News might take exception) the headline a couple days ago read: The most ‘American’ car on the road? Toyota Camry. For the second year … Continue reading →

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The Ten Most Common Mistakes in Marketing

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

Many years ago the Wizard of Ads®, sometimes known as Roy H. Williams, published a best-selling business book in which he discussed the Twelve Most Common Mistakes in Advertising. His insights were praised by advertisers and advertising professionals alike. Eventually … Continue reading →

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When You Say America, You’ve Said It All

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

“With the backdrop of the Olympics and a comically botched election, this summer is bound to be what Ricardo Marques, a vice president from Budweiser, calls ‘maybe the most American summer ever.’ “So Budweiser is going to potentially ingenious, potentially … Continue reading →

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Radio Ads Outperform Other Media In Actual R.O.I.

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

LONDON: The £592m spent on radio advertising in the UK in 2015 represented a value of £4.6bn to advertisers, according to a new report. British advertisers using radio there enjoyed a return on investment (ROI) of ￡7.70 for every ￡1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Magazine, Newspaper, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales, Sales & Marketing, Storytelling, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cremo of the Crop

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

Some time ago I heard Michael Savage reading a commercial for a men’s shaving product called Cremo and boy, did he sound excited. Now because I shave regularly and, like most guys, occasionally nick myself, his message caught my attention and the name of … Continue reading →

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Please Text and Drive

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

Got your attention, didn’t it? But why did it grab you? Because the message is short and to-the-point. Easy to comprehend. Because the message shocked you, at least a little. If you know of someone who died in an accident … Continue reading →

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“Leaving the Country If Trump’s Elected? Let Me Sell Your Home.”

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

Now here’s an example of brilliant Realtor® advertising! This message is bound to have lots of people in her community talking about her and engaging with her, regardless of their politics. As a prospecting and awareness-building ad, this is as … Continue reading →

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Low-cost and no-cost advertising ideas

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

A recent Google search on the question “How much should I budget for advertising?” yielded 106 million pages of answers. At the very top of the list was this article from Entrepreneur Magazine, in which the author provides a sensible, … Continue reading →

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Make Your Own Ginger Beer – Homemade Ginger Beer Improved

Posted on January 23, 2016 by Rod Schwartz

(This post, my first of 2016, has nothing to do with advertising or radio. Rather, I’m going to share my recipe for making homemade ginger beer – the non-alcoholic variety – along with some valuable tricks I’ve learned along the … Continue reading →

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Fishy Business: “Stop Running That Ad!”

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Rod Schwartz

The customer was obviously upset. She complained to the supermarket owner: I was listening to news talk 1150 and heard your advertisement for “Fresh Atlantic Salmon”.  I just wanted to let you know you are pushing a product that almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising (General), Awards, Branding, Business, Communication, Consumer behavior, Copy, Copywriting, Life lessons, Management, Positioning, Radio Advertising, Radio Commercials, Radio Copywriting, Radio Production, Sales & Marketing, Shop Local, Storytelling, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments