“I’m not a real doctor but I play one in commercials” – voice actor Peter K. O’Connell

Voice actors, buckle up.

On this Halloween, this is not a trick but it also may not be a treat either.

A seismic shift is coming to the $10+ billion pharmaceutical advertising industry—and honestly, even the big players in this marketing world aren’t entirely sure where it’s all heading.

I recently came across an excellent piece by Maia Anderson at Healthcare Brew that breaks down what’s happening with pharmaceutical advertising regulations, and it got me thinking about the ripple effects on our corner of the ad industry – voiceover.

If you’ve ever recorded one of those rapid-fire disclaimers about pharmaceutical side effects or told viewers to “ask your doctor,” you know that pharmaceutical DTC (direct-to-consumer) advertising represents a not insignificant chunk of commercial voiceover work. Many of these scripts may not be winning creative awards, but they’ve been reliably helping many of us pay mortgages, insurance premiums, and maybe even fund our home studio upgrades.

Now, the entire marketing landscape might be shifting beneath our feet.

What’s Happening?

(Quick note: This post is purely informational—not a political statement. Just sharing the facts of a news story that could affect our industry.)

A recent policy change by the Trump administration has pulled the plug on something called the “adequate provision” loophole from 1997.

Translation?

Pharmaceutical companies can no longer breeze through safety information in TV ads and direct people elsewhere for details. They’ll need to spell everything out—every side effect, every warning—right there in the commercial.

Read that….now think about the scripts we’ve been voicing…now think about “how in the world are they going to say all that in a TV spot?”

The FDA isn’t messing around either. They’ve already sent out thousands of warning letters and roughly 100 cease-and-desist orders to pharma companies about “deceptive” advertising.

The Numbers That Should Get Your Attention

Let’s talk advertising budget reality here, because this hits right at the heart of what affects us as voice actors:

1. Pharmaceutical advertising spending hit $10.1 billion in 2024, with about half ($5.15 billion) spent on TV ads alone
2. In just the first three months of 2025, drugmakers dropped an estimated $729.4 million on commercials for the top 10 pharma brands alone—nearly 30% more than the previous year
3. Industry experts predict these new requirements will make broadcast pharmaceutical advertising “very expensive and very difficult”
4. Ad agencies are warning that if advertisers need to buy 30 more seconds of airtime just for safety disclosures, “that’s going to cut down on your spend and cut down on your creative opportunity”
5. The result? Most TV ads would likely come from only the biggest pharma companies who can afford the longer, costlier ad spots

What This Means for Voice Actors

Here’s where it gets interesting for us and the commercial producers and ad agencies we work with. Longer ads could mean fewer ads. Fewer ads could mean smaller production opportunities and less creative advertising spend. Smaller production opportunities mean… well, you can do that math.

Some pharmaceutical advertising insiders predict a major pivot to “unbranded” advertising—creative ads that talk about conditions rather than specific drugs. Others think marketing dollars will shift toward healthcare professional advertising or patient advocacy. Either way, the traditional :30 and :60 TV spots with our disclaimer voiceovers could become an endangered species. Or maybe not, because…

Nobody Really Knows (And That’s The Point)

What strikes me most about this story—and why it fits perfectly here at voxmarketising where we’ve been covering the intersection of voiceover, marketing, and advertising for decades—is that even the smartest people in pharmaceutical advertising are basically shrugging their shoulders, very unsure of what’s next. One agency managing director summed it up perfectly: “Like everything else with this administration, you just kind of play it day by day and see where things go.”

So what should we voice actors do?

Panic…that’s certainly the best option.

I’M KIDDING!!!!

Stay aware. Keep your VO skills diverse. Don’t put all your eggs in the pharma basket if you haven’t already. And maybe polish up those healthcare professional demo reads—that sector might be getting a budget influx.

The pharmaceutical advertising world is heading into uncharted territory, and we’re all along for the ride.

Stay informed, stay flexible, and keep those mics warm.

I hope this helps.

Tags: advertising, commercials, marketing, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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Voice actor Peter K. O’Connell as Santa…or is it REALLY Santa??

Okay, okay — I know it’s not even Halloween yet. But here I am, having been knee-deep in Christmas scripts for a while.

Sorry folks, the holidays have arrived again (certainly for some months now — in the world of voiceover).

For voice actors, this time of year is pure magic. The studios have been buzzing with holiday energy, and as you’ve seen and heard in retail stores (and some media) ad agencies, production studios, and digital media teams are cranking out festive campaigns for radio, TV, streaming, and social.

It’s honestly one of the most fun times to be behind the mic.

Why the Holidays Matter So Much in Voiceover

The holiday season is huge — not just for shoppers, but for brands and voiceover professionals alike. Here’s a snapshot of just how important Q4 really is in the U.S.:

Top 5 U.S. Holiday Advertising & Consumer Facts:

• U.S. consumers planned to spend around $1,595 on average for the 2025 holiday season. (Deloitte)

• Holiday retail sales were forecast to reach about $1.66?trillion, with 92% of consumers planning to shop this season. (ICSC)

• Nearly half of U.S. shoppers planned to make purchases before Thanksgiving, showing how early brands need to start their campaigns. (Circana 2025 Report)

• U.S. digital ad spending was expected to exceed $300?billion in 2025, with digital video (including CTV) growing around 16% year-over-year. (eMarketer)

• For the 2025 holidays, 37% of consumers planned to shop in September/October, earlier than the 32% planning purchases in November/December. (AdRoll 2025)

Top 5 Voiceover / Audio Advertising Stats:

• Holiday-themed audio ads can boost purchase intent and brand recall by 26%. (Audacy/Consumable)

• In Q4 2024, U.S. listeners spent 67% of daily audio time with ad-supported radio, 18% with podcasts, and 12% with streaming audio. (Nielsen)

• Multi-channel holiday audio ads delivered 55% higher conversions, with festive voiceover cues playing a key role. (Radio Ink Q4 Case Study)

• Retailers using holiday-themed audio ads saw a +5.2-point lift in unaided brand awareness and a +5.7-point boost in purchase intent. (Audacy / Radio Ink)

• In-store audio ads with voiceovers influence Gen-Z buying behavior about 5× more than Baby Boomers during the holiday season. (Vibenomics 2025)

The Fun Part: Playing in Santa’s, er…Peter’s Audio Workshop

This is where it gets really fun for us. Around the holidays, we get to lean into all sorts of characters.

I’ve voiced Santa Claus (more times than I can count), elves, reindeer — even the occasional overly excited toy robot. I haven’t voiced Mrs. Claus…yet!

There’s something special about bringing those characters to life — a blend of storytelling, humor, and warmth that keeps holiday advertising feeling personal and memorable.

Why It All Matters for Commercial Producers and Creative Directors

For producers, ad agency creative directors, studio engineers, and digital media creators, the holidays are go time. In my opinion, the only more pressure-filled, deadline ridden time is political season. That’s a special kind of fast and furious.

In Q4, every project has a rush deadline, every brand wants to sound fresh, and every campaign is racing to hit that emotional sweet spot before the year ends.

That’s where seasoned voice talent comes in — folks who can pivot from warm and cozy to bright and energetic, and who can bring characters (and products) to life under tight turnarounds.

So yes — even though it’s technically spooky-season right now, my studio already smells faintly of pine needles and peppermint. And that’s just fine by me.

Here’s to a busy, merry, and microphone-filled holiday season ahead.

The holiday mic is hot, and my studio smells faintly of peppermint. Need a festive voice for Santa, elves, or quirky toys? Let’s make some Christmas voiceover magic — peter@audioconnell.com | 716-572-1800 or 919-283-1516

Tags: advertising, character voices, commercials, marketing, political advertising, radio, tv, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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If America loves the Cracker Barrel logo so much (as the recent logo controversy would suggest) should Voice Actor Peter K. O’Connell change or “Cracker Barrel” his logo?

Let’s be honest, the announced logo and overall brand reimagining for Cracker Barrel restaurants announced recently could NOT have gone much worse.

This kerfuffle takes the logo debacle that the Gap Stores instigated when they TRIED to introduce a completely new logo in 2010 (which was an IMMEDIATE disaster) and raises it beyond retail and into the muck and mire of the political world. Whoa…that’s bad.

The new restaurant logo (when compared to one another – old v. new) makes it seem like the logo designer never stepped into a Cracker Barrel. It does not fit with the store image (personality) that most consumers have or seem to want for Cracker Barrel.

But the logo is just one part of a reported $700 million rebrand…and it sounds very much like the Cracker Barrels of tomorrow will not resemble much of what customers see today.

At present, it has been said that Cracker Barrel is executing “pilot remodel tests” in about 25-30 stores as a part of a multi-year strategic transformation plan (see $700 million). The changes planned for the Cracker Barrel chain include lighter paint options, new fixtures and lighting, and repositioning décor – all changes designed to enhance the guest experience by providing an environment that feels lighter, brighter, fresher, and cleaner.

Well, that WAS the plan.

Customers are upset, the general public is upset (even people who don’t regularly go to Cracker Barrel, it seems) and for reasons still unclear to me, some politicians have decided to be upset about this logo change – where do THEY find the time??

If you think about it, a chain only makes plans to fix all this stuff ($700 million worth of stuff) if either sales are down, research says customers specifically want change or some combination therein.

But the completely negative reaction to the Cracker Barrel logo change (and maybe also the interior changes, although that feedback is spotty this far) seems to effectively shoot in the foot whatever drastic (or even less drastic) plans the restaurant had for the interior.

What can Cracker Barrel do? Stop. Drop. And roll.

On the left – the old-new logo. On the right – the dead Gap logo

Reconvene the designers for both logo and interior and say, we may need to make these changes but we are going to have to redefine the timeline and degree to which we implement these changes. Then implement a plan to calm consumers.

Regarding the logo…I’d implement some version of the ”just kidding” plan to the public, squash talk of that new logo immediately and then test a middle ground logo between the original and the new. It would then be presented in a much softer roll out.

The current Cracker Barrel logo on the left with the proposed new logo on the right. Imagine the new font style on the right with the consumer approved icon on the left in a combined “new” logo…might have been an easier change for consumers to accept.

They could have done this initially, btw. How about we just change the font style to the new look and keep the icon. Then in phase two, revise the sign/logo to just the word mark and no icon? Too expensive you say? Cracker Barrel’s plan A for logo roll out cost the company $94 million in market value in 1 day (worst ever for the company). Makes the tiered sign change costs seem like a bargain in comparison, doesn’t it?

Next, time for some spin.

Turn the logo negative into a positive…”clearly the public has spoken and shared how much the Cracker Barrel brand and logo mean to them. We love it just as much and are only working to enhance the experience of our valued customers based on their feedback.”

In essence, we hear you and we are responding to what you want, even (Cracker Barrel might say under their breath) if you all said something very different in our consumer research).

“We love all the at home designers adding their spin to our design process online and see it a nice compliment.”

“We’re not perfect but Cracker Barrel means as much to us as it does to you. As we evolve to meet the needs and tastes of our deeply respected customers, know that we will never forget that it IS the customer that comes first at Cracker Barrel.”

No doubt someone on their marketing team can make those words sing much prettier than I have done here but presenting that kind of message to the direct and indirect Cracker Barrel consumers should help calm the storm.

I have other ideas but no one is paying me so they’ll have to figure the rest out on their own.

Tags: advertising, logo design, marketing by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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One of the nice things about my voiceover and audio production business is that, because it is a web-based business, I can work nationally and internationally.

I am very fortunate that media production companies from all parts of the English-speaking world come to audioconnell.com.

But as I have pointed out before, I often and gladly work with local and regional businesses as clients too.

There are many different ways to gain the attention of these regional prospects.

Lately on Facebook, I have been enjoying promoting on some of the town and city groups in North Carolina that I joined during their specific small business day.

Some Facebook groups dedicate specific days of the week to promoting local businesses. This allows businesses to advertise their services or products on a dedicated day without overwhelming the group with promotional content every day. This approach helps maintain the overall quality and purpose of the group while still providing a valuable platform for local businesses to reach their target audience.

Some groups implement a “Small Business Wednesday” where local businesses can promote their services or products.
Others have a “Saturday Business Spotlight” post, where businesses are encouraged to comment with their promotions, rather than creating separate posts.

As you would expect, I only promote on the authorized days – not only because I would risk getting tossed out of the group for violating their terms of service but also because I don’t want to come across as obnoxious.

The graphic featured on this post is a new version of something I have used in the past…no doubt I will tweak the creative going forward so as not to be boring but also….fun!

Let me know if you have had any success getting new business in these groups.

Tags: advertising, facebook, marketing, social media, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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You know I’m always late to trends – by years – but I’ve never considered having an unboxing or producing an unboxing video before.

But when I received my client gifts for 2025 – much faster than they were supposed to be shipped – the idea hit and I thought why not?

Like most of the videos that actually feature me (and I’ll apologize in advance for not being very good on camera – or more accurately – awkward on camera) these are silly, short vignettes that people seem to enjoy. Plus video is supposed to be good for small business (or as I call it, my microbusiness).

So video it is.

I hope you like the reveal (if you were expecting Rolex watches…you must think I charge L.A. prices…nope) I hope you’ll give me a call, give me some (VO) business and I’ll give you a gift.

And yes, for those of you who are northern border hockey fans, that IS a Hockey Night in Canada t-shirt. IYKYK.

Tags: advertising, marketing, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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If you watched TV or listened to the radio in the 70’s / 80’s /90’s anywhere in America, I’m sorry to tell you that a famous person you know has died…but you won’t know you knew her until you HEAR her.

Her name was Florence Warner and she was a jingle singer and voice actress in Atlanta. To be clear, I didn’t know I knew her either until she passed this week…and then I heard her.

Florence was the beautiful voice behind some really big brands, with pretty big jingles that played across America (brands like Burger King, Sprite & Hoover as 3 quick examples).

But maybe her most famous work was VERY local in maybe over 100 broadcast markets.

Her voice was EVERYWHERE!

Florence was the singer on the “Hello News” jingles – which won’t mean much unless I rename them for ALL the cities they played in.

If I titled them “Hello Pittsburgh”, “Hello Atlanta”, “Hello Quad Cities” or scores of other cities, you might remember.

Florence was the singer on the “Hello News: jingles – which won’t mean much unless I rename them for all the cities they played in.

If I titled them “Hello Pittsburgh”, “Hello Atlanta”, “Hello Quad Cities” or scores of other cities, you might remember.

But if you LISTEN to the video below and one of your NBC, CBS or ABC affiliates bought the campaign (which so many did) you’ll 100% remember her work.

Requiescat in Pace, Florence. No doubt the Heavenly Choir of Angels will find a spot for you.

Tags: advertising, branding, commercials, jingles by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
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