Marketron

Radio Works for Realtors

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Unbelievable. That’s the word you would use if you, or someone you know, has been trying to buy or sell a home. The real estate market is having its moment.

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Radio Partnerships with Brands on Social Media Matter

Contributor: Riley Genua, Director/Sales Engineering, ListenFirst

By now, we should all be familiar with branded content on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Ticket giveaways, opportunities to meet well-known radio personalities, gift cards to favorite local restaurants and many more are now offered by radio stations through both live broadcasts and affiliated social media accounts, which are “presented by” a sponsor.

Of course, these giveaways are great for listeners, as they can seize an opportunity to see their favorite local or even national artist perform on stage or treat their family to a nice meal. But did you know how effective these partnerships are for the radio stations and advertisers themselves on social media?

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Radio Reaches Sports Enthusiasts

Author: Victor Texcucano, Content Coordinator, RAB

We’re leaving the dreaded winter behind. The weather is warming, and the days are getting longer. In other words, cherished springtime is here. This is creating a common desire among people in the U.S. – they want to be outside.

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Insurance and Radio – It’s Personal

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

With major shift in the workplace model from in-office to hybrid, Americans are revaluating their residences. Is their current residence conducive to sustain a regular work-from-home situation versus an occasional event? Whether it is a condo, a home or rented apartment, many consumers appreciate the importance of homeowners/personal property insurance.

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Radio Drives Nonprofit Site Traffic

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines charity as “generosity and helpfulness, especially toward the needy or suffering; an institution engaged in relief of the poor,” as well as a few others. Whichever definition you choose, the outcome is the same – giving.

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Health and Wellness – An Important Theme for Black History Month

Author: Annette Malave, SVP-Insights, RAB

With only a high school education, Vivien Thomas worked as an assistant to a surgeon. Born in 1910 and without any formal medical training, he developed a procedure used to treat blue baby syndrome. He was a teacher of operative techniques and was a pioneer in cardiac surgery. He received an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 1976.

Dr. Thomas’ contributions to the medical field are just one of thousands of reasons we celebrate the achievements of Blacks every year during Black History Month.

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Radio Advertising Is the Perfect “Lift” for Digital

Contributor: Dustin Wilson, Manager of Client Development, Digital, Marketron

It’s no secret that integrated advertising campaigns typically perform better. When you pair radio and digital ads, they’re an excellent complement to each other. That’s because audiences consume content in multiple ways across lots of mediums. And that’s a necessity in a world where people encounter hundreds if not thousands of ads in a single day.

The competition to break out from the noise and connect with audiences is key for any advertiser. However, they may have misconceptions about what channels work best. Well, they don’t need to go on hunches, and neither do you. Data and research support that radio ads can lift the performance of digital ones.

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Thirty Years in Your Ears – Celebrating 30 Years of Radio Creativity

Author: Madison Wright, Associate Producer, Radio Mercury Awards

Since their inception, the Radio Mercury Awards have honored the best in radio creative and have brought together agencies, productions companies, advertisers and radio broadcasters, all to celebrate radio.

On Wednesday, November 17, the awards, produced by RAB, brought the celebration event to wherever viewers were watching – at home, in their offices, with family or with colleagues, all to celebrate the power of radio and the future of audio creative.

Here are four key takeaways from this year’s awards:

  • Radio and audio continue to be front and center in an advertisers’ media mix. The robust number of entries this year exceeding the previous few years reflects this trend.
  • The caliber of work submitted in this year’s competition so engaged and engrossed the final round jury that it took nearly two full days to deliberate and determine the winning work. Thus, showing that the art of radio creative continues to grow and evolve.
  • As reflected in 2020 and again in 2021, the finalists and winning work specifically produced in the Creative Spot for a Cause: Agency/Production Company/Advertiser, Creative Spot for a Cause: Radio Station or Group and Purpose-Driven Spot or Campaign categories reflect radio’s ability to communicate important and meaningful messaging to and with its listeners and the role it plays in local communities.
  • Audio creative continues to innovate and leverage core attributes including driving emotion, the use of sonic branding and shows how radio goes beyond the dial.

2021 celebrates the 15 winners and is now woven into the rich history of the Radio Mercury Awards. Want to hear more? We encourage you watch the full, encore viewing of the show here.

Alejandro Ortiz, executive creative director, Campbell Ewald Detroit/NY, will be serving as the 2022 Radio Mercury Awards chief judge.

“I’m super excited, I have a lot of history with these awards… this is an amazing festival and the quality of work that comes in every year is incredible. I am really looking forward to seeing what everyone comes with.”

Stay tuned for more information regarding 2022 Call for Entry. Want to stay ahead of the curve? Be sure to subscribe to the Radio Mercury Awards mailing list here.

Tradition is Valued by Auto Buyers

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Before the pandemic, traditional aspects of the auto purchase were changing. People were considering subscription auto plans versus ownership. Vehicle options were also shifting. COVID-19 changed all that.

Traditional vehicle ownership is still considered to be the most convenient, practical and flexible by consumers. When it comes to audio entertainment, traditional sources are important.

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Marketers Ride New Waves of Radio Advertising

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB

One of the hottest trends in advertising is “screen-free media,” as people liberate their eyeballs and engage their ears with a potpourri of audio programming. However, for marketers to capitalize on the audio renaissance, they must develop an audio strategy that goes beyond ad buying and adopts a distinctive voice and sound for their brands, according to the Carat Trends 2021 report, titled “The Year of Emotionally Intelligent Marketing.”

The diversification of audio platforms and the attention audio commands among consumers has opened up tremendous opportunity for brands to expand their audio strategies and grow their audiences.

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Podcast and Broadcast Radio – Listeners in Common

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

The growth in audio usage across all platforms and devices has been incredible. One segment of that growth has captured a lot of attention – podcasts. Podcast listeners have been considered a niche audience. Do they differ from broadcast listeners, and what are their views about broadcast radio?

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Targeting the Next Big Consumer – Teens

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

An online search for Gen Z will deliver results in the billions regarding various topics and industries. If you are wondering why, it is because they are about to become the largest and most important consumer target. They may also be the most complex.

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Using Omni-Shopper Insights to Create More Effective Ads

Contributor: Sarena Gerard, Senior Research Associate, GfK

Combining online and in-store shopping is a highly personal, consumer-driven experience that’s here to stay — one that predates COVID-19 but that has picked up major momentum over the last 18 months.

For many consumers, pivoting from in-store to online shopping was one survival tactic among many adopted to cope with pandemic lockdowns —and as the omnichannel trend continues to rise, many advertisers are working hard to get in front of consumers in both online and in-store environments. This is especially true in categories that have experienced strong omnichannel growth over the last year – among them clothing & fashion, household cleaning products, and packaged foods and beverages.

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In Your Ears – The 30th Anniversary
Radio Mercury Awards

Author: Madison Wright, Associate Producer, Radio Mercury Awards

For the past 30 years, radio broadcasters, agencies and advertisers have entered their creative work into the Radio Mercury Awards. Produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau, it is the only awards competition that exclusively honors creativity in radio and audio since its creation in 1992. Around 20,000 commercials have competed for close to $3.5 million in prizes.

When reflecting upon the Radio Mercury Awards, especially during this special anniversary, two things come to mind – the rich heritage of the awards show and how they continue to matter to the creative community as the medium continues to evolve.

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Radio Mercury Awards”

Radio Post-Pandemic

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB

The challenges that the marketing, advertising and media community faced throughout 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been like nothing any business has ever seen or experienced before. These challenges brought opportunity and have demonstrated a collective resilience in nearly every sector of business.

The next frontier for radio has been shaped by many of the lessons learned as consumers, businesses and brands have leaned in to audio across all platforms as the soundtrack to their daily journey.

What is new is old. What is old is new. Radio trends born from past truths.

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Motivating Listeners to Act in 2021

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB

Forecasts reveal that digital is driving the advertising rebound in 2021 and, according to Tony Hereau, VP of cross platform insights at Nielsen, “Radio is the soundtrack of America’s recovery.”

Radio, across all of its digital platforms, has and continues to experience exponential growth, earning significant share of media consumption throughout 2020 and the post-pandemic. While over the air AM/FM radio accounts for 76 percent of the daily audio time spent with any ad-supported platform, understanding consumer behavior as they move across platforms and what motivates listeners is critically important for marketers who are poised to succeed in the rebound.

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A Look at Black and Hispanic Audio Consumption

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

The events of 2020 have magnified the importance of reaching ethnically diverse consumers. Advertisers across a wide array of categories, from Main Street to Madison Avenue, have increased their focus to reach Black/African American and Latino/Hispanic consumers. Knowing the media habits of each of these audiences is important to connect with them.

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Radio – A Trusted Medium

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

After a tumultuous year, consumer confidence and optimism are slowly on the rise. According to the Consumer Confidence Index®, these improved in February after an increase in January. While confidence is increasing, what about the issue of trust?

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Gen Z is Tuning into Radio – Social
Media Platforms are Taking Notice

Author: Madison Wright, Events and Communications Coordinator, RAB

You may be looking at this title and are thinking “Gen Z doesn’t listen to the radio; social media is where you reach them.” Did you know that radio reaches nearly 44,000,000 Gen Zers every week, according to Edison Research? While this group makes up around 20% of the U.S. population, per Statista, there is no denying the listening power of Gen Z.

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Media Platforms are Taking Notice”