Remember this?
‘Bazuka that verruca!’
Then I’ve got a pretty good idea how old you are.
Not your exact age, obviously. I’m a voiceover artist, not one of those terrifying people who guesses your date of birth at the fairground.
But I can probably place you within a decade or two.
Because the adverts, songs and television programmes we remember have a habit of giving us away.
Mention Grange Hill, Top of the Pops or the Shake ’n’ Vac lady dancing around her living room, and you’ll see a certain generation drift happily back in time.
‘Accrington Stanley? Who are they?’
‘Exactly.’
And if you can still sing the phone number from the Hastings Direct advert, I’m afraid there’s no hiding it. You are now officially old enough to remember when people actually watched the adverts instead of paying a subscription to avoid them.
The voice behind the advert
I provided the commercial voiceover for the Bazuka advert back in 1995.
At the time, it was simply another job. I went into the studio, recorded the lines and headed home. There was no grand sense that I was contributing to British popular culture.
I was telling people how to get rid of a verruca.
And yet, more than 30 years later, it’s still one of the adverts people remember.
I’ve voiced documentaries, corporate films, public information campaigns and commercials for all sorts of impressive organisations over the years.
But tell someone you were the voice of ‘Bazuka that verruca’ and suddenly a wave of recognition lights up their face.
Such is the glamorous life of a professional voiceover artist.
Why do some advertising lines stick?
The best advertising lines tend to be short, simple and satisfying to say.
They have a rhythm to them. They repeat the brand name. And, if everyone involved has done their job properly, they lodge themselves somewhere in your brain and refuse to leave.
The commercial voiceover plays a big part in that.
The right delivery gives a line its personality. It can make it sound funnier, warmer, more trustworthy or simply more memorable.
In the case of Bazuka, the line was silly, direct and just a little bit gruesome.
Perfect, really.
The lasting impact of a great commercial voiceover
A commercial voiceover may only last a few seconds, but it still has plenty to do. It needs to land the message, suit the brand and catch your attention – all without sounding as though it’s trying far too hard. Get the words, voice and delivery right, and a very short line can enjoy a remarkably long life. Thirty years and counting, in this case.
So, have a listen and see whether it takes you back.
And if you remember it the first time around, don’t worry.
Your secret is safe with me.
