Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
It’s August! Did you know that August is considered National Back-to-School Month? It’s the time when parents of school-aged children are in the deep throes of clothing, shoes and school-supply shopping. This year will be no different from any other.
Contributor: Nicole Beniamini, Vice President, Edison Research
Fridays are my favorite day. Not just because it’s the end of the workweek and the start of the weekend, but because I know that every Friday is a chance to listen to brand-new music. Hearing the latest music has always been a passion of mine, starting from my childhood days of keeping a cassette tape in my stereo, ready to (illegally) record any new songs that came on the radio.
Author: Rita Landells, Member Response Manager, RAB
If the holidays represent the most wonderful time of the year, it would be no surprise that consumers are already thinking ahead to the holidays and fantasizing about a more optimistic time. According to a recent Voxware study, 51% of consumers expect to begin their holiday shopping earlier than usual this year. Another study done by Radial found that 39% of shoppers plan to begin shopping for the holidays in October.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
As states are in various phases of reopening, consumers find themselves in various stages of their own phases. These phases continue to shift and change the behaviors that had once been routine to so many. In order to meet the challenges, needs and concerns of their customers, businesses will need to be nimble to best address and meet their customers’ expectations.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Coming off a holiday weekend, it is a reminder of the way things used to be. Very little about this year has been usual so far. Everything is different and continuously changing. This is now the new normal – constant change, shifts and analysis into what consumers are thinking, doing and plan on doing.
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
Radio has long been known as a deeply personal, trusted and supportive partner for consumers, communities, and companies of all stripes. Fostering unity is part of the DNA of the more than 15,000 radio stations across the country. It is the spirit of radio.
Contributor: Leo Kivijarv, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Director of Research of PQ Media
In August 2019, PQ Media projected that political media buying would reach $8.33 billion in 2020. This projection was made before Michael Bloomberg became a Democratic presidential candidate and spent over $500 million in his failed attempt to win the nomination. Additionally, since the original projection was made, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, requiring politicians to revise their media buying strategies because planned rallies and fundraising events had to be cancelled.
Since the last blog post, a few items have happened which will impact the 2020 presidential and other elections.
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” This simple, yet meaningful advice is perhaps more relevant and inspiring today than when it was first spoken.
There has been a marketing shift brewing over the past several months that has been ignited and fast-tracked by the current climate. We are seeing brands across all categories expressing their humanity, supporting consumers, contributing and leading social justice causes and using the power of their voice to publicly express their values and lead by example to inspire and activate change.
Contributor: Angela Jeffrey, VP Brand Management, ABX
In a recent study of 168 COVID-19-related Radio ads measured by Advertising Benchmark Index (ABX) since March 4, advertising effectiveness scores were amazingly high. Radio spots featuring thanks to first responders, helpful advice to listeners regarding resisting the virus and conveying a serious tone in their announcements all did well. Below is a look at how Radio is performing right now, including a close look at five of the top ten COVID-19 spots, showing how effective Radio can be during a time of crisis.
Continue reading “Radio Ad Effectiveness Scores Go Sky High with COVID-19 Messages”
Contributor: Leo Kivijarv, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Director of Research of PQ Media
It’s been over nine months since I last posted on the RAB blog regarding political advertising and marketing during the 2020 elections. Back then, there were still more than 20 major Democratic candidates, enough to compose a football team. Two Democratic debates had been aired, as top candidates jockeyed for the lead. Primaries were still months away and candidates were in full fundraising mode. Donald Trump and the Republican Party were on edge about the 2020 elections. On the one hand, they were touting the strength of the US economy, although there were fears of a recession if the US-China tariff trade wars escalated. On the other hand, impeachment was being discussed, but it related to the obstruction findings in the Robert Mueller report. Based on the political environment in August 2019, PQ Media was predicting that political media buying would reach $8.33 billion in 2020.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
As states across the country locked down, it created massive shifts in behaviors and routines. We’ve all read about studies that have analyzed the shifts and the overall mood by people across the country. One thing was evident among all these studies – people are missing what they did every day.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Think of the last time you went to buy or lease a new car. What were the steps you took? How long was the actual shopping and buying process? If you are like most people, it took about three months to shop, and a lot of it was done online.
The greater question is, what impact will COVID-19 have on the auto purchase journey?
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Local truly matters. If there is one thing that everyone has learned during this pandemic, it is how important local businesses and communities matter – to everyone. When this all began, little did anyone realize how much walking into local businesses would be missed. You walk in, say “hello,” and if you frequent them enough, they call you by your first name. This event has been a very painful reminder of how much these local businesses mean to all of us.
Kelton Global, a consumer insights and strategy consulting firm, has been analyzing consumer behavior and sentiment since the onset of the pandemic. The most current data shows that 52% of Americans believe that the long-term effects of the coronavirus will be mostly positive than negative, and 9 out of 10 believe that there will be one positive change to come out of the outbreak.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
It may be hard to imagine, but it was just a few years ago that headlines focused on how a particular generation was changing and impacting everything – from the workplace, to food and shopping. It is without question that 2020 will be marked as a year that impacted how and where all consumers shop.
Continue reading “Radio Ad Categories Web Increases During COVID-19”
Contributor: Gabriel Soto, Manager of Research, Edison Research
Under the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to disseminate information to various communities effectively. Often overlooked, African-American and Hispanic communities can benefit with a few insights into each group’s media consumption.
Continue reading “Reaching Black and Hispanic Populations through Radio and
Other Media”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Understanding the mindset of the consumer has always been important for advertisers. However, during these times, what resonated with consumers pre-COVID may no longer be relevant. How a consumer currently feels, their concerns and their trust has never been more important for advertisers to recognize than now.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
It can’t be said enough – these are extremely unusual and difficult times for everyone. As each day passes, I think it is safe to say that we all hope and look forward to things getting better. They will, but it is just a matter of when.
I am certain that many of you have gone to local businesses in search of certain products or items and looked at the people in those businesses in a way you never had before. They are on the front lines, making sure that we have what we need.
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
“There’s something about the spirit of radio. It helps us all to know each other better and gives us a sense of purpose and community in a time where we need those things more than ever.”
– Adam Grant, Creative Director, AKQA (abridged).
Historically speaking, in periods of great challenge, truly there is no more important medium than local radio. In uncertain and unpredictable times, broadcast radio has proven that it is the backbone of the country’s information distribution system, with increased listening among consumers across all of its platforms.
Continue reading “The Spirit of Radio – Connecting in Times of Business Unusual”
Contributor: Laura Ivey, Director of Research, Edison Research
The most telling image from The Infinite Dial 2020 presentation is a screenshot of our presenters, Edison Research SVP Tom Webster and Triton Digital President of Market Development John Rosso, leading the webcast with over 1,500 attendees from their respective homes. No one could have anticipated that our setup would be driven by social distancing precautions. Now seems like a most appropriate time to talk about the most recent findings on the “infinite dial” of podcasting, digital, audio, radio and social media that connect us all.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Cancellations, social distancing, empty streets, working from home, virtual classes – this has become the new norm for many of us. We are all anxiously waiting to get back to how it used to be. In the interim, there is one thing that everyone can count on. Radio. It’s On.
Continue reading “Radio. It’s On!”