Why Your Radio Ad Needs An Enemy

The best advertising in the world doesn't just tell you what something is. It tells you what it's against.

That might sound dramatic. But think about the ads that stuck with you — the ones that felt alive, that made you feel something. Somewhere in almost all of them, there was a problem being solved, a frustration being named, or an old way of doing things being replaced. There was an enemy.

Your radio ad needs one too.

What "an Enemy" Actually Means

The enemy in your ad doesn't have to be a person or a competitor. It's usually more useful when it isn't.

The enemy might be a frustrating experience your customer has had before they found you. It might be an industry norm that nobody likes but everyone just accepts. It might be the feeling of being overcharged, under-informed, or stuck waiting. It might be the generic, forgettable option that people settle for when they don't know there's a better one.

Whatever it is, naming it does something powerful: it tells your listener that you understand them. You're not just describing a product. You're describing a situation they've been in — and then offering a way out.

Why This Works So Well on Radio

Radio is an intimate medium. People listen alone — in the car, in the kitchen, through headphones. When an ad speaks directly to a frustration they've felt, it creates a moment of recognition. "That's me. They're talking about me."

That moment of recognition is worth more than any list of features. It builds trust before you've even mentioned your business name.

An ad that opens with "Are you sick of waiting three days for a tradie who never shows up?" has already earned more attention than one that opens with "Hi, we're [Business Name] and we offer quality service at competitive prices."

The first one has an enemy. The second one has nothing.

How to Find Your Enemy

Start by thinking about the conversation your customer has before they contact you. What went wrong the last time? What did they put up with for too long? What did they search for and not find?

Talk to your existing customers. The frustrations they mention — the things that made them switch to you, or finally pick up the phone — those are your enemies.

You don't need to name a competitor. You just need to name the experience. "The quote that changes when the job starts." "The hold music that goes for twenty minutes." "The ad that sounds exactly like every other ad." Name it, and then show how you're different.

One More Thing

The enemy gives your ad energy. It creates stakes. It makes the listener feel like something is actually happening — not just a business talking about itself in a vacuum.

Some of the most effective radio ads ever made are essentially just a problem and a solution. But when the problem is described with precision and honesty, the solution lands with real weight.

At Brand New Day, finding the right angle for your ad — including the tension that makes it worth listening to — is part of what we do. We've spent over 16 years working out what makes radio advertising actually work.

Let's find your enemy. Get in touch.

For a complete overview of radio advertising, see our full guide to radio advertising in Australia.