Radio Ad #3 - Alton Towers Scarefest

This is a radio advert for Alton Towers - Scarefest. This particular radio advert came out in October around the Halloween period. The man talking on the radio advert is acting as if he has experienced Scarefest at Alton Towers, I think this is an effective way to engage an audience as by listening to someone talk about their personal experience, it entices people to want to try it out more. They have not challenged any of the typical conventions of a radio advert but have challenged their theme - Halloween - they haven't used any spooky music to match their theme which I think weakened their radio advert a little. I know that it is advertising 'Scarefest' only because I have looked it up on YouTube, however if I was driving in my car and I was listening to this radio advert, I would not have assumed that this was advertising their theme park during the Halloween period. I only realised it was when the other male spoke about visiting Alton Towers during Halloween to experience their Scarefest. This is a negative aspect about their radio advert because an audience may not be engaged quick enough for them to listen long enough to realise what they were actually advertising and by this point, they may have already switched radio stations. Radio adverts are the hardest way to keep an audience engaged as it is not something we can physically see and as most of us hear radio adverts whilst we are travelling in the car, we are already a little bored and disengaged. A positive about this radio advert is that they used their typical theme music they use on every advert they have made/make. Their theme music is almost apart of their brand image now and is extremely recognisable. By using the same audio in every advert, audiences can recognise quickly that this is an advert for Alton Towers without actually being told first. This is a good way to engage an audience as if they are fans or interested in Alton Towers, they are more likely to not switch stations as it is recognisable.