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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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