Photo Credit: RAB/NAB Radio Show 2018
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
During the 2018 Radio Show, the overarching theme was about data – demystifying it, understanding where to get and how to use it as well as the opportunities it can create.
In addition, throughout the Radio Show, there was a secondary message: Radio is a strong and nimble medium that continues to evolve, to not only meet but exceed the demands and expectations of its listeners and advertising partners.
Election day 2018 is about eight weeks away and while it is not a presidential election there are many state and local races that will be decided.
In this edition, Erica Farber, President and CEO of the RAB speaks with Kip Cassino, Executive Vice President of Borrell Associates. Borrell Associates recently updated their forecast for political media spending by media choice with their forecast for radio showing modest growth from their original April forecast.
With less than one-third of the 8.9 billion of political dollars yet to be spent this year, Kip shares his advice as to how radio can compete for a larger share of the available dollars and how important it is for radio to make the case that radio is local.
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Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Over 247 million. That’s a great number. It’s the number of people that listen to radio every week. It is the top reach medium – touching more people every week than any other medium or device. This is something that we in the radio industry know.
Smart speakers are quickly becoming commonplace in the homes. In fact, a recently released study by Edison Research done in partnership with NPR stated 18% of all Americans 18+ own a smart speaker. These audio playback devices feature voice activated digital tasks and can operate as home automation hubs. Serving as a central information source for users, these devices are most importantly providing easy access to listen to one’s favorite radio station.
Erica Farber is the President & CEO of the RAB and in this edition she speaks with Tom Webster, Senior VP for Edison Research. They discuss some interesting findings from the study covering such topics as ownership and usage data, media behavior interests and activities, and purchasing and advertising attitudes of smart speaker owners.
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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.
In this edition, Erica Farber, President and CEO of the RAB, speaks with Bill McElveen, Executive Vice President of the Eastern Region for Alpha Media. One of the many strengths of local radio is the difference it makes in a person’s life. It is truly the voice of the local community.
Listen as they discuss the state of local broadcasting, the importance of creating remarkable content and the need for the industry to focus on creating value for the advertiser.
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News by definition is meant to inform and provide all of us with information we need to make the best possible decisions we can that affect our lives and our communities.
In this edition, Erica Farber, President and CEO of the RAB, speaks with Craig Swagler, General Manager of CBS News Radio Network. They discuss the state of news in general and its importance in radio today.
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Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP Business Development, RAB
At a recent MediaPost conference, one of the panelists responded to a question posed to him by stating that we have left the “exposure age” and we are now in the “age of outcome.” He further expressed his opinion that marketers, agencies and all media must continue to evolve to measure outcome in robust, transparent, statistically significant ways.
Data helps us reveal insights and craft stories of real outcome that enable advertisers to create relevant messaging for their audiences – messaging that will ultimately equate to high value touches with their consumers.
Continue reading “In the Age of Outcome, Radio Has Some Great Stories to Tell”
Author: Fred Jacobs, President, Jacobs Media.
Since its inception, social media has been a much-discussed digital platform – especially in radio circles. The low cost of entry, the ease of interaction and its widespread popularity has made for a great opportunity for radio brands to connect with audiences in ways that were once not even possible.
In recent weeks, we’re learning more about the true toll of social media networks on our privacy and personal information. If we didn’t realize it before, we do now: there’s a cost to social media. Mark Zuckerberg did not provide us with a conduit to our friends, families, and listeners as a public service. He’s been monetizing our data. And we’ve been gladly checking off the “accept terms and conditions” box as we scroll through our news feeds.
Continue reading “Radio’s Connection – On-air and Socially, Counts.”
Author: Andrew Curran, President and COO, DMR/Interactive
BIA Advisory Services reports that in 2017, revenue for AM/FM radio “experienced a 0.2% drop from 2016 to end the year at $13.87 billion.”
This lackluster performance took place as consumer confidence was the highest it had been since 2000 and unemployment was its lowest, helping fuel a stock market boom.
Compounding the issue, BIA lists radio as the 5th most significant local advertising platform, behind direct mail, television, newspapers and mobile.
Continue reading “Radio’s Employed Audience: A True Competitive Advantage”
Author: Jateen Parekh, CTO and Co-Founder, Jelli.
Digital has transformed advertising in the last few years but audio as a medium has been left behind. Jateen Parekh, the CTO and co-founder at Jelli, shared his thoughts on the matter in an Adweek article entitled “Brands Need to Join the 21st Century and Tap Into Radio Advertising.”
In his piece, Jateen points to the fact that radio is a massive market – bigger than TV – that marketers have largely ignored, primarily because of the medium’s particular challenges.
Continue reading “Audio is Booming – Turn Up Your
Radio Strategy”
There is little doubt that we are in a golden age of media overall, as content is available everywhere and across all devices. Yet, according to Nielsen’s second quarter 2017 Comparable Metrics Report, radio remains the top way to reach consumers across all media platforms – 93% A18+. And radio also provides advertisers with effective digital opportunities to compliment and extend its large over-the-air audience. Such as: streaming, on-demand podcasts, HD radio, NextRadio, and pure plays… the list continues to expand. Radio’s social media websites provide advertisers with new ways to relate to the enthusiastic radio audience. As smart marketers, we must look ahead to understand these drivers of change and signals of progress to navigate forward. The media landscape is vast, complex with technology changing the way consumer’s engage with media and radio remains the best way to reach consumers across demographics.
Radio is the number one source for new music discovery. The raft of new technologies and devices are opening up new discovery methods, but also providing new ways for radio stations to deliver content – most notably via streaming. 37% of music listeners say that one of the things they like most about listening to traditional radio – and that adds to the enjoyment of the music – are the DJ’s (Nielsen Entertainment’s 2017 U.S. Music 360 Highlights).
According to the latest Nielsen Entertainment 2017 Music Year-End Report for the U.S., the surge in streaming continued throughout 2017, topping all forms of music consumption (Albums + Track Equivalents + On-Demand Audio streaming Equivalents). Streaming continued its leadership over downloads as the dominant music consumption platform of 2017, fueling the music industry’s overall volume growth of 12.5% year over year. The increase was led by a 58.7% increase in On-Demand Audio streams compared to 2016.
The addition of streaming data to the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which both reflects and drives hit radio playlists, means that streaming is now playing an important part in determining which songs are played on radio. Radio programmers today are influenced by traction demonstrated by artists and songs performing well on streaming services.
2018 is now in full swing, and with so many retrospective articles across publications it is also a great time to take a new look at media comparisons. 2017 seemed to be the year for digital and social media as seen in so many articles.
However, figures in other research publications and newsletters painted a very different image.
It’s incredible to believe that 2017 is coming to a close. The year just seemed to fly by.
There were so many events that took place around the world this past year and many of these events left a mark in the world of pop culture. Similar to events that shaped pop culture, there were events that shaped and influenced how radio is perceived. Continue reading “2017 – It’s Been An Incredible Year”
By now, the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping is reaching a crescendo for many of us. With aching backs and feet from all the window shopping for ideas to shopping in-store, there is nothing better than sitting down for a good meal.
There are numerous dining options for consumers – from quick-serve to fast casual to sit-down restaurants. With all of these options, enticing their taste buds can be a difficult challenge. How do you reach consumers that are on-the-go or right before they are about to shop? With radio, of course.
The passing of Black Friday and Cyber Monday marks the advent of all things holiday – songs, shopping, gift giving, visiting, entertaining and stress. Yes, holiday stress syndrome is a real thing.
The stress of the holiday season can cause people to get sick with a cold, virus or just feeling run down. According to a recent article on MSN, more people go to the emergency room during the holidays than any other time of the year. With all of the running around that traditionally occurs during this season, consumers will find themselves under the weather — leading to visits to their local doctor.
Thanksgiving’s arrival marks the start of the holiday season and the sounds of holiday music can be heard on the streets, at retail and on the radio, and that’s in part because holiday music is known to improve one’s mental spirits. Whether it be the positive memories that arise from hearing many of the classic songs or the simple spirit of the season, holiday music gets us in the celebratory mood.
Approximately 240 AM/FM radio stations across the country flip formats to all-holiday music immediately after Thanksgiving. Some start even earlier and the impact of holiday music listening has numerous positive effects of holiday shopping.
During this time of the year, consumers are thinking about gift ideas for their loved ones. According to a November survey by Prosper Insights & Analytics™, jewelry is on the top ten list of gifts that will be given this year. It is also one of the gifts that consumers want to receive – 22% of respondents want jewelry as a gift.
Who are these jewelry gift givers? According to 2017 GfK/MRI data, adults 18+ who purchased a fine jewelry item as a gift for someone else, 81% listen to AM/FM radio. Among those adults who purchased fine jewelry for themselves, 78% are AM/FM radio listeners.
With the arrival of Fall, a shift began. Stores have long been prepped displaying décor for fall holidays and Halloween. Sadly, it is just a matter of time before holiday ornaments and decorations are available for purchase as well.
Although some of the things that people do may change with the start of new seasons, there are other things that won’t – like listening to the radio.
