The life of a voice actor for supermarket commercials, it turns out, is all about the offers. For example, ‘the voice’ of Albert Heijn is often on standby to record unexpected Bonus offers for commercials on TV and radio. This is what the voice in question, Robbert van den Bergh (41), says in The BLVD Podcast.
“It’s a shame I had to let that go”
This week, in the Media World Unraveled section, the question is asked about the contractual situation with voice actors for commercials. Are they allowed to record commercials for multiple brands or are they stuck with one company? “At one point I was the voice for BMW, but then I was not allowed to do competing car brands,” says Robbert.
What about his current employer? “Albert Heijn is such a big player (…) they say: ‘We want you exclusively.'” He is therefore not allowed to record the commercials for other companies, including non-supermarkets. “I thought that was a shame if I’m honest. Because I thought BMW was a very cool brand. It’s a shame that I had to let that go.”
It is a busy job for the voice actor. “In principle, I withdraw the Bonus every Monday morning,” says Robbert. “There is often a readmission on Wednesday. So if the prices are adjusted, I do that on Wednesday morning. But it sometimes happens that I get a call on Thursday or Friday, especially if the competing supermarkets adjust the price. Then they go along. “
Even when Robbert is on holiday, he can expect a call from the ‘Hamsterennnnn’ supermarket. For example, he was once in Australia for a wedding when his cell phone rang. “Then I had to go to a studio in Sydney, because gingerbread cookies had become cheaper. So then I had to record it in a studio there.”
Listen to The BLVD Podcast below.
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Tags: Supermarket advertising voice actor standby bonus offers RTL Boulevard
