Turn Down the Volume

When I was a TV sales rep, I had to take my turn manning the station’s booth at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair. Year after year viewers stopped by the booth with one major complaint: turn down the volume on the commercials. Many were quite emphatic. At the time, I didn’t notice the volume difference in commercials. In fact, viewers often acknowledged that the station for which I worked was not the worst offender.

Recently, however, I have noticed the volume being cranked up for commercials on all stations. Whether on broadcast or cable, commercials on all channels are louder than the programs. This leads me to grab the remote and turn down the volume. Sometimes I even mute the commercials.

In last month’s TV Guide, I read that I am not alone. A new bill called the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) just passed the House of Representatives. This bill requires the volume on commercials to be regulated. If the bill passes the Senate, the FCC will implement technology with cable operators which prohibits commercials to air any louder than the highest decibel of the program in which they air. Representative Anna Eshoo, sponsor of the bill, says that she has received a tremendous response from people all over the country who appreciate the regulation. “There isn’t anyone who hasn’t experienced that dive for the mute button,” she states.

If others are diving for the mute button, maybe I am much kinder in just turning down the volume. Either way, the commercial’s effectiveness is at best greatly diminished and at worst lost all together. Just because you crank up the volume does not mean your message gets heard. More likely, your intended recipient turns you off or tunes you out. Loudness is an assault on the eardrums which stimulates a pulling back rather than a going forward.

We can all learn a lesson from this, whether our business airs commercials or not. Being pushy with your marketing message is not effective. Loudness in commercials is pushy. Capital letters in printing are pushy. Crawlers across the screen in video are pushy. We apply these techniques for emphasis or to get attention, but they translate to the recipient as annoying. When the recipient of your marketing is annoyed, she or he will move quickly to avoid your message.

When that happens, what has your marketing accomplished? At best you have wasted money and effort; at worst you have imprinted a negative impression that cannot be erased. Certainly, you did not achieve your desired outcome of stimulating more business.

Use other techniques to pique interest and to make your message memorable. Don’t push. Instead, gently lead your customer into doing business with you. You will both be happy with the outcome.