Radio Ranch Wins 3 Clio Awards for Ads

There may be one thing funnier than the name Dick Orkin’s Radio Ranch: its radio spots.

That, at least, was the opinion Thursday night of those judging one of the most coveted awards in advertising--the Clio Awards. The Los Angeles production company walked off with three Clios. That led all other West Coast competitors, although the New York office of the Venice agency Chiat/Day/Mojo also won three.

Two other Los Angeles firms won two Clios each for their radio spots--Cashman & Associates and Hill, Holliday, Wakeman, DeForrest. The campaign that won honors for Hill Holliday is for PacTel Cellular. In the ad, a fast-talking guy without a car phone wonders out loud why another guy with an MBA--and a PacTel car phone--gets more respect than he does.

Perhaps the most familiar radio spot that won for Dick Orkin’s Radio Ranch is one that features a man who takes his grandmother to Disneyland. In the spot, the man keeps trying to persuade his gung-ho grandma that she is too old to hop on the park’s Splash Mountain ride.

Why does humor seem to always win the most Clios in the radio category?

“There isn’t much else you can do if you’re going to deal with peoples’ emotions,” said Orkin. “People respond to humor. It touches something very human in them.”

This marks the second consecutive year that Orkin’s 20-year-old production company has won the most radio Clios in the industry.

“Clients like it when you win awards,” said the 54-year-old Orkin, “but if their sales don’t improve, we know they won’t come back to us.”

But plenty of clients are coming back. Recently, the production company expanded into consulting and radio production services. “We’re just beginning to grow,” said Orkin.

The Clio Awards have grown too. But some advertising executives say the highly profitable competition has lost some stature in recent years since it has added so many new award categories. But Clio officials point out that the number of entries increases annually too. That includes a combined 25,000 entries submitted in the print, radio and package design categories. The Clios for the best TV ads of the year will be handed out Monday evening.