Marketron

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 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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Radio Reaches Taxpayers

Author: Stephanie Heracleous, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB

The pandemic has thrown a wrench in the tax filing process the last couple of years as new incentives, deductions and tax credits have emerged. As we settle into the first few months of 2022, tax season is in full swing. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued more than $4MM in tax returns so far this year. Consumers are looking to online businesses and professionals for assistance in filing to make sure their taxes are prepared correctly.  

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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 Plays a Part in the Future of Retail

Author: Victor Texcucano, Content Coordinator, RAB

COVID-19 fears and restrictions have helped establish several new trends in the world of retail. Since the rise of e-commerce over the past decade or so, shopping has evolved to become much faster and much more convenient.

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Radio is the Best Policy for Insurance

Contributor: Rick Kestenbaum, General Manager, AnalyticOwl

As lockdowns occurred at the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Americans experienced financial concerns and reviewed all their household expenses – including insurance. Consumers evaluated their auto, home and life insurance policies. They also realized the importance of their insurance carrier’s ability to handle their concerns quickly, efficiently and virtually.

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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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Radio Connects for More than a Minute

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

“Just one minute.” How often do you hear or say that phrase in a day?  While it may not seem like a long time, a lot happens in a minute. For example, UPS will deliver 11,319 packages, your heart will beat 60 to 100 times and you will blink about 15 to 20 times. Those may be interesting stats, but what is fascinating is the amount of data that is generated in one minute.

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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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Celebrating the Hispanic Community Every Day

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

According to the latest data from Pew Research, the U.S. Hispanic population grew 23% – from 50.5 million in 2010 to 62.1 million last year. Hispanics are the largest minority and have a buying power of $1.9 trillion, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth.

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Radio – A Booster for Wellness

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

While many behaviors shifted during the pandemic, Americans became more aware of their overall health and wellness. As consumers focused on exercise and rediscovered the outdoors, many reviewed their intake of vitamins, supplements and nutrients as a way to improve and or boost their immunities.

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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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Financially Speaking, Radio Listeners are Confident

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Going to the store lately is always an adventure and not for the reasons you think. The adventure isn’t about what is available for purchase but more about how much the tab will be. Prices are rising. According to the Consumer Price Index, food prices have risen by 3.4% over the past year, and apparel is up 4.2%.

With the increase in prices, what impact is that having on finances?

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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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People are Tuned In and On the Go

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

People are resilient. It is an awesome wonder of human nature. There’s no doubt that everyone has experienced challenges, but looking around, you see that people have returned to doing what they did pre-pandemic. They are tuned into radio and ready to go.

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Meet the New Retail Shopper

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

We know that consumer shopping behavior changed dramatically in 2020 – due to both restrictions and personal preferences. However, live events are on, places are open, and consumers are ready for it all.

The National Retail Federation revised their 2021 annual forecast and now projects that retail sales will total anywhere from $4.44 to $4.56 trillion this year. Yes, consumers are ready to shop, but where they shop, why they shop and what they buy will look different in 2021.

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Objections Overruled. Radio Drives Double Digit Site Lift for Legal Services

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

A 2019 blog post noted how 58% of consumers will use search to find an attorney or legal service. That was well before the events we all experienced during 2020. No doubt, the search for legal counsel increased during 2020 for various and obvious reasons.

As many consumers and businesses across the country were impacted both economically and medically by the pandemic, the need for legal services spiked. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, bankruptcy filings were up 30% just between April and May 2020. When Americans needed help, broadcast radio was there to inform them of where to get those legal services – driving a double-digit lift in site traffic for legal services in 2020.

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The Value of Trust

Author: Jeff Schmidt, SVP/Professional Development, RAB

‘Trust me.” Ever have someone say those words to you? Or “I’m going to be totally honest with you…” Just saying those words is likely to raise red flags for the people with whom you’re talking. If people can trust you to be honest, why would you have to say it?

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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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