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Building Relationships with Radio

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

“In relationships, the little things are big things.”  No truer words have ever been said as these by Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Building and nurturing relationships is important for any successful person or business.

There are other quotes that can help frame the approach for opportunities:

  • “Make a customer, not a sale.” – Katherine Barchetti, founder K. Barchetti Shops
  • “There is only one boss.  The customer.” – Sam Walton, founder of Walmart

Each of these individuals were successful retailers and, like Stephen Covey, they, too, understood the value and importance of relationships.

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Radio Delivers Experiences

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Of all generations, millennials have had the greatest influence on the advertising and marketing world.  Their views and opinions and how they communicate amongst each other shifted how advertiser brands engage with them. According to an early study conducted by Harris and Eventbrite, millennials would choose to spend money on experiences versus things and the greater majority had participated in live events in the past year – like concerts, festivals, themed sports, etc.

While millennials, as a target audience, may have been a catalyst to the growth of event/experiential, it is now an important component of many brands’ marketing campaigns – regardless of age groups.  Marketers will spend nearly 21% of their overall budgets on event/experiential in 2018 compared to 19% in 2017, according to a 2018 report by Event Marketer.

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Auto Disclaimers Help Drive Purchase Intent

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

One of radio’s biggest creative challenges has been the disclaimers that are mandatory for commercials of specific ad categories.  The long list of rates, money down, and other qualifiers once considered audio noise contained within auto ads may in fact be influential for those consumers who are in the market to purchase/lease a vehicle.  Based upon a recent analysis of auto dealer ads, these along with additional findings can be a game changer for increased revenue opportunities for radio.

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Hispanics – the Fastest Growing
Consumer Market

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

$1.5 trillion.  That is the buying power of the Hispanic consumer – the largest minority market in the U.S.  According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth, this group’s economic clout has grown 203% since 2000, which makes it one of the fastest growing consumer markets here in the U.S.  This group represents nearly 18% of the country’s population.

Advertising to ethnic audiences was once considered an afterthought.  However, as the buying power of Hispanic consumers continued to increase, its importance as a target audience for advertisers grew.

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Consumer Market”

Radio and Connected Car Sales

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Earlier this year Kantar TNS, a global research agency, released an automotive study focused on the connected car.  The study revealed that owners of connected vehicles are indifferent, unaware and/or distrustful of the technology that is available to them in their vehicles.  Specifically, 47% of owners of connected vehicles are unaware of some of the features that classify them as connected.

Written with the manufacturer in mind, the study included a total of four insights and the opportunities within those insights.  Upon reading the study, it dawned on me that there are ways that radio can help solve some of these issues for the auto industry and local dealers, while also increasing radio’s share of ad dollars.

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Attention Back-to-School Shoppers

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Here we are – mid-July, lush gardens, warm weather, barbecues and picnics with friends and families.  The mid-point of summer and the year are now over.  This means only one thing – back-to-school shopping is in full swing!

While it may seem difficult to believe, go into any retailer of clothing, shoes or office supplies and the deals are just starting as the school shopping season runs from July through September.  These retailers, whether they have a national footprint or one location on Main Street, have the same goal – to reach potential shoppers, get them to their location and shop. Why? Because back-to-school shopping is the second biggest shopping season for retailers.  And according to the National Retail Federation, 2017 back-to-school (BTS) shopping was expected to reach $83.6 billion.

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Political Media Buying 2018:
Where Does Radio Fit?

Contributor: Leo Kivijarv, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Director of Research, PQ Media

Last week’s post laid the groundwork for the current state of elections in 2018.  This post covers radio’s revenue opportunity for attracting political spending.

One of the biggest debates on political media buying is the potential shift from traditional media to digital and other alternative marketing platforms. There are two trains of thought.

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Where Does Radio Fit?”

2018 Political Landscape

Contributed by: Leo Kivijarv, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Director of Research, PQ Media

There are many unanswered questions as the 2018 campaign begins in earnest.

      • First, experts disagree on whether federal and local candidates will emulate the unconventional media buying strategies employed by Donald Trump in 2016 by relying heavily on free “earned media” from tweets.
      • Second, there is still some disagreement as to how much fundraising will rise or fall compared to previous years, given the increase in political activism immediately after last year’s election.
      • Third, some believe analysis of early results of recent elections is a harbinger of the November elections in which Republican strongholds have elected a Democrat, such as Doug Jones in Alabama.

The elephant in the room is control of Congress. Can the growing discontent in the United States result in the Democrats regaining the majority in both the Senate and House? Will candidates and Super PACs raise more money than previously recorded as a result? Therein lies the major driver that will determine political spending during the year. Other drivers that will contribute to the final political media buying total include a high number of toss-up gubernatorial races, controversial ballot initiatives, and the rising interest in which party controls the various state legislatures.

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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”

Radio on Main Street Podcast Featuring Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and New York Times Bestselling Author

In this edition, Erica Farber, President and CEO of the RAB speaks with Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and New York Times bestselling author. His latest book entitled Building a Story Brand stresses the importance of clarifying messages so customers will listen, reinforcing the message that the words we use matter.

In the podcast they discuss how storytelling will transform the way we talk about our brands and the unique value we bring to our advertising partners.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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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