Marketron

The Consumer Is At the Center of It All

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

At Nielsen’s recent Consumer 360, the theme was Confronting What’s Next.  There were discussions and presentations on reaching multicultural audiences, using data, artificial intelligence, building brands and more.

There was a lot to be learned from each of the panelists and brand presentations.  But, keeping true to the core of the event, it all boiled down to understanding and reaching the consumer.  More importantly, it was clear that this is the age of the consumer.  The consumer is in control, and wants and expects to be heard.  The consumer is at the center of it all.

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Radio – A New Frontier

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Unique. Funny. Innovative. Moving. Inspiring. Game Changing.  Those were just some of the words used by judges to describe the winning spots of the Radio Mercury Awards.

On May 31st, some of the best creative minds across the country gathered at The Cutting Room in NYC to encourage, reward and celebrate great radio commercials at the Radio Mercury Awards ceremony.

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The Passion of a Radio Broadcaster

Author:  Erica Farber, President and CEO, RAB

Last week, radio lost one of our great medium’s most passionate heroes – Joseph (Joe) Bilotta.

Joe spent 40+ years in the radio business with the majority of them as Buckley Broadcasting’s CEO, overseeing legendary radio stations like WOR-AM in New York and WDRC-AM/FM in Hartford.   As a radio broadcaster, Joe considered himself a very lucky man and as professionals in the radio industry, we all consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have had Joe as an advocate, mentor, challenger, supporter and friend. Continue reading “The Passion of a Radio Broadcaster”

It’s About the Connection

Photo courtesy of Tammy Greenberg

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

On May 29, Starbucks closed over 8,000 company-owned stores for anti-bias training.  This closing was prompted by a racial-bias incident which took place in April.  Since that time we have all watched Starbucks working hard to protect its brand and maintain the strong connection they have with their consumers as a “third destination between home and work.” This connection is the very essence of their business model according to their website: “We make sure everything we do honors that connection – from our commitment to the highest quality coffee in the world, to the way we engage with our customers and communities to do business responsibly.”

Using videos as the training platform, Starbucks employees (or “partners”) heard from Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz and board member Mellody Hobson.  Also on the agenda was Common, a well-known hip-hop artist, actor and activist — underscoring the value that a respected personality/celebrity from the community brings.

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Memorial Day – A Day for Remembering

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

On Memorial Day, we remember and honor the many American soldiers who have fought and died for our country.  In fact, did you know that the National Moment of Remembrance Act, passed in 2000, encourages all Americans to pause for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day?

Also on this day, radio stations across the country will remember and recognize those, and the families of those, who have served this country.  There will be dedications and acknowledgments from local radio station personalities and shout-outs from listeners.

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Consumer Engagement Is About
Feeling Special

Despite the technologies and platforms available today, many marketers do not believe that their consumer engagement is successful.  In fact, 50% of CMOs believe that their consumer engagement is not very good/terrible.  That is an astounding figure.  Even more surprising is that 75% of CMOs believe their jobs are on the line if their customer experience strategies are unsuccessful, according to a 2018 report from the CMO Council.

Based upon the report, one of the reasons contributing to low engagement levels is inconsistency in delivering personalized engagements across consumer touchpoints.  When it comes to consumer engagement, nothing is more personal or engaging than radio.

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Feeling Special”

Podcast Listeners Equal Bigger Spenders

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

The audio landscape continues its evolution — driven by the growth of various content options available.  Specifically, the world of podcasts is increasing by leaps and bounds.  In 2018, 124 million people have ever listened to a podcast according to The Infinite Dial 2018.  In 2015, that figure was only 89 million!

Podcasting growth can be attributed to the increase and diversity of audio content.  While radio has always had content available on demand, there are now personalities, radio stations, etc., that are creating content just for podcasts.  These podcasts are giving marketers new and creative ways to reach their intended target audience.

With millions of people listening to all of this content, what do we actually know about podcast listeners and their spending habits?

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In the Age of Outcome, Radio Has Some Great Stories to Tell

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP Business Development, RAB

At a recent MediaPost conference, one of the panelists responded to a question posed to him by stating that we have left the “exposure age” and we are now in the “age of outcome.” He further expressed his opinion that marketers, agencies and all media must continue to evolve to measure outcome in robust, transparent, statistically significant ways.

Data helps us reveal insights and craft stories of real outcome that enable advertisers to create relevant messaging for their audiences – messaging that will ultimately equate to high value touches with their consumers.

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HD Radio – Driving Radio’s Digital Dash

Author: Rick Greenhut, Director – Broadcast Business Development, Xperi / HD Radio

Increase spot impact by 550%

Wouldn’t it be great if a radio station could offer their biggest local auto dealer client the opportunity to increase their name recognition? How about enabling the agency for a home improvement chain to demonstrably enhance the effectiveness of their radio advertising? Federal legislation taking effect this May (and broadcasters’ investment in HD Radio technology) helps radio maintain preeminence in tomorrow’s dashboard while benefiting agencies and advertisers alike.

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Radio’s Connection – On-air and Socially, Counts.

Author:  Fred Jacobs, President, Jacobs Media.

Since its inception, social media has been a much-discussed digital platform – especially in radio circles. The low cost of entry, the ease of interaction and its widespread popularity has made for a great opportunity for radio brands to connect with audiences in ways that were once not even possible.

In recent weeks, we’re learning more about the true toll of social media networks on our privacy and personal information. If we didn’t realize it before, we do now: there’s a cost to social media. Mark Zuckerberg did not provide us with a conduit to our friends, families, and listeners as a public service. He’s been monetizing our data. And we’ve been gladly checking off the “accept terms and conditions” box as we scroll through our news feeds.

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Radio’s Employed Audience: A True Competitive Advantage

Author: Andrew Curran, President and COO, DMR/Interactive

BIA Advisory Services reports that in 2017, revenue for AM/FM radio  “experienced a 0.2% drop from 2016 to end the year at $13.87 billion.”

This lackluster performance took place as consumer confidence was the highest it had been since 2000 and unemployment was its lowest, helping fuel a stock market boom.

Compounding the issue, BIA lists radio as the 5th most significant local advertising platform, behind direct mail, television, newspapers and mobile.

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Audio is Booming – Turn Up Your
Radio Strategy

Author: Jateen Parekh,  CTO and Co-Founder, Jelli.

Digital has transformed advertising in the last few years but audio as a medium has been left behind. Jateen Parekh, the CTO and co-founder at Jelli, shared his thoughts on the matter in an Adweek article entitled “Brands Need to Join the 21st Century and Tap Into Radio Advertising.”

In his piece, Jateen points to the fact that radio is a massive market – bigger than TV – that marketers have largely ignored, primarily because of the medium’s particular challenges.

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Radio Strategy”

Falling in Love with Radio

Author:  Pat Walsh, President & Chief Operating Officer, Emmis Communications

When the team at Emmis sits down to talk about what sets radio apart for our advertising clients, the discussion always leads back to the power of connection. Radio’s connection is an intensely personal relationship with personalities and content that has become a central part of the lives of nearly every American. The fact that this powerful connection comes in the form of an entertaining and ever expanding LOCAL content portfolio that includes broadcast audio content, events that excite and engage, and digital content that combines the power of audio, video and social, makes radio a truly special partner to the advertising community. Delivering on this intimate and connected local relationship makes radio a trusted friend in just about every American’s daily life. This type of relationship is what enables radio to continue to reach and resonate in the lives of 93% of Americans but it’s the trusted partnership radio has with its vast audience that feels special at this time of year.

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Radio Wins in Chicago – A Case Study

“Radio is the most important thing we use on the media side because it touches so many people.” 
Ed Wehmer, Founder, President & CEO, Wintrust Financial Corp.

“It’s personal, it’s daily & we can tell our story in an evolving way on radio.  That’s hard to do in other media.”
Diana Sikes, Senior Vice President, Art Van Furniture 

“We can target different demographics, change the message.  It’s a tremendous, flexible medium.” 
Roy Spencer, President & Owner, PermaSeal Basement Systems

“Radio is the core of our influence strategy.” 
John Alfirevich, Dealer Operator of Apple Chevrolet and President of the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers Association

These are real, current testimonials that speak to the effectiveness of radio and are highlights from a bi-product of the Radio Broadcasters of Chicagoland (RBC), a committee of the Illinois Broadcasters Association, focused on demonstrating the power, influence and evolution of radio as the most effective results-driven medium through innovative collaboration.

These testimonials represent phase 2 of what is called an “RBC Roadblock” concept where more than 40 radio stations in a single major market (Chicago) simultaneously air the :60 spot.  Phase 1 of the Roadblock campaign was first introduced through an unprecedented and uninterrupted “live” 30-minute “Town Hall Meeting” conversation between Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill Kurtis and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Since then, the “roadblock” concept has been used to support fundraising efforts for 2017 hurricane victims and, more recently, this campaign featured advertisers who believe strongly in the medium of radio.

The results have been terrific.  Click here for the case study.

Results:

Inaugural Event: Chicago Radio Town Hall Meeting

One third of the population listened to the broadcast.

7 in 10 Chicagoans were aware of the event, with nearly half knowing  about it prior to the air date.

88% of those who tuned in listened to all or most of the broadcast.

Eight in 10 adults dialed in to their preferred station.

The location of listening was equally split between those listening at home and away from home.

Radio: Still the One

There is little doubt that we are in a golden age of media overall, as content is available everywhere and across all devices.  Yet, according to Nielsen’s second quarter 2017 Comparable Metrics Report, radio remains the top way to reach consumers across all media platforms – 93% A18+. And radio also provides advertisers with effective digital opportunities to compliment and extend its large over-the-air audience. Such as: streaming, on-demand podcasts, HD radio, NextRadio, and pure plays… the list continues to expand. Radio’s social media websites provide advertisers with new ways to relate to the enthusiastic radio audience. As smart marketers, we must look ahead to understand these drivers of change and signals of progress to navigate forward. The media landscape is vast, complex with technology changing the way consumer’s engage with media and radio remains the best way to reach consumers across demographics.

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Local Radio Reigns Supreme

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported on the shuttering of a chain of Eastside community newspapers. One article even went so far as to say, “Local and regional newspapers that serve Southern California are going through tough times, leading some to question whether traditional newspapers can survive.” Radio has always been there – now it is even more valuable! The importance of local radio to the local community can’t be understated.

The challenge for local Newspapers has been how to sustain a newsroom and make a profit when print advertising is fleeing to lower-cost space on the Internet.  Most digital ads are concentrated on Facebook and Google, not newspaper websites. These two Internet giants take in 60 percent of online ad revenues.

Radio was shown as the most trusted platform used after the impact of hearing about “fake news” in political coverage.  See below for the Kantar “Trust in News” study where it was revealed ‘mainstream news media’s’ reputation remained largely intact while social media and digital-only news platforms sustained major reputation damage. In addition, Facebook and other digital platforms are not designed to promote civic connection, but rather communities of interest often unmoored from particular geographies.

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Radio Delivers For Local Businesses

 

Small businesses are thriving and looking at 2018 in a positive way, and radio is the perfect vehicle to help them meet their 2018 revenue expectations and goals. Each year BIA/Kelsey conducts Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM), a survey that tracks small-business advertising and marketing spending, buying preferences, and reported return on investment. Within the LCM, BIA/Kelsey also examines franchises. A franchisor licenses its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its business model, brand, and rights to sell its branded products and services to a franchisee.

In the past year, strong economic growth has led to an increase in spending by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and franchisees on advertising and marketing.

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Digital Integration Pays Big Dividends For Radio

Author: Dave Casper, RAB/SVP Digital

“Digital has been integrated into all facets of broadcast radio’s offering both in programming and sales, and the results are definitely paying off,” stated Erica Farber, President and CEO, RAB.  “As radio continues to provide integrated marketing solutions to its advertisers we expect to see continued growth.”

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Radio’s Influence on Music

Radio is the number one source for new music discovery. The raft of new technologies and devices are opening up new discovery methods, but also providing new ways for radio stations to deliver content – most notably via streaming. 37% of music listeners say that one of the things they like most about listening to traditional radio – and that adds to the enjoyment of the music – are the DJ’s (Nielsen Entertainment’s 2017 U.S. Music 360 Highlights).

According to the latest Nielsen Entertainment 2017 Music Year-End Report for the U.S., the surge in streaming continued throughout 2017, topping all forms of music consumption (Albums + Track Equivalents + On-Demand Audio streaming Equivalents). Streaming continued its leadership over downloads as the dominant music consumption platform of 2017, fueling the music industry’s overall volume growth of 12.5% year over year. The increase was led by a 58.7% increase in On-Demand Audio streams compared to 2016.

The addition of streaming data to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which both reflects and drives hit radio playlists, means that streaming is now playing an important part in determining which songs are played on radio. Radio programmers today are influenced by traction demonstrated by artists and songs performing well on streaming services.

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The Big Game and Radio

The practice of listening to the home town team on the radio and watching the game on TV is as alive and well today as it ever was. The connection formed between the radio broadcaster and the listener is extraordinary! This is a trusting relationship only radio can provide. This connection can drive sales and help to build your brand.

The big game is a big deal for radio stations and it is here next weekend! And you can bet everyone across the country will be tuning in to hear the Pats and Eagles play-by-play. Westwood One will cover the game nationally. Listeners coast-to-coast can hear the game called by their favorite announcers including Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason, and this year also includes Hall of Fame reporter Ed Werder. Local announcers in Boston and Philadelphia include WBZ’s Bob Socci and Scott Zolak, and WIP’s Merrill Reese and Mike Quick.

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