Contributor: Jimshade Chaudhari, SVP Product, Marketron
Every year, the RAB-Borrell Digital Benchmark report catalogues the health of digital marketing in the U.S. radio industry. Every year, the results are interesting ̶ but none, I would venture, can compete with 2020.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, nonessential workers limited their vehicle use – other than for trips to the supermarket or leisurely drives. As lockdowns lifted, drivers hit the road again as businesses reopened and companies developed hybrid work-from-home and office schedules. In a report issued by INRIX, a location-based data and analytics firm that tracks traffic and parking, the vehicle-miles traveled may have had dropped initially but speeds increased. Based on this same report, collision rates began to climb back up to pre-COVID-19 levels between August and October.
Recognizing the shift in consumer behavior, the insurance industry responded by offering their customers discounts or rebates. However, those consumers who had once not owned or leased a vehicle, were now beginning to view vehicle ownership as a form of personal protective equipment. All these shifts created another behavior – search for auto insurance.
While radio reaches 88% adults who use any auto insurance provider, radio’s reach is even higher among adults, Blacks/African Americans and Hispanics who are planning to switch their auto insurance provider – 90%, 94% and 93%, respectively.*
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
It has been well-documented that consumers, now more than ever, care deeply about how brands are addressing social and environmental issues. According to the 2020 Porter Novelli Executive Purpose Study, 89% of business leaders believe companies that lead with purpose have a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace. In fact, 85% agree being a purpose-driven company drives profit. The bottom line is that in increasingly competitive markets, in just about every category of business, a brand’s contribution to society becomes the decisive point of difference for consumers.
Continue reading “Purpose in Action with Radio Drives Business and Positive Change”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is here. It has been a very unusual year for everyone, and the pandemic has prompted many of us to stop and appreciate some of the things that we may have taken for granted in the past.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Engagement. Local. Heart. Soul. Creativity. Partnerships. Those were words that resonated across the various sessions and events that took place during Radio Week.
From Oct. 5 – 9, CEOs, managers, sellers, radio personalities and some the brightest creative directors participated in two of radio’s biggest events – Radio Show and the Radio Mercury Awards.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
As one of radio’s top-spending categories, the role that radio plays in the car, as well as car sales, remains a dominant force. Radio reaches consumers (or auto-buying intenders) while they are in their car – on their way to work or just running errands.
As the events of this past March progressed and many people found themselves homebound, things changed. However, the role that radio plays in driving traffic to auto dealer websites did not. Radio was effective at driving search for dealerships pre-COVID-19 and continues to do so today.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
As states are in various phases of reopening, consumers find themselves in various stages of their own phases. These phases continue to shift and change the behaviors that had once been routine to so many. In order to meet the challenges, needs and concerns of their customers, businesses will need to be nimble to best address and meet their customers’ expectations.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Coming off a holiday weekend, it is a reminder of the way things used to be. Very little about this year has been usual so far. Everything is different and continuously changing. This is now the new normal – constant change, shifts and analysis into what consumers are thinking, doing and plan on doing.
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” This simple, yet meaningful advice is perhaps more relevant and inspiring today than when it was first spoken.
There has been a marketing shift brewing over the past several months that has been ignited and fast-tracked by the current climate. We are seeing brands across all categories expressing their humanity, supporting consumers, contributing and leading social justice causes and using the power of their voice to publicly express their values and lead by example to inspire and activate change.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
As states across the country locked down, it created massive shifts in behaviors and routines. We’ve all read about studies that have analyzed the shifts and the overall mood by people across the country. One thing was evident among all these studies – people are missing what they did every day.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Think of the last time you went to buy or lease a new car. What were the steps you took? How long was the actual shopping and buying process? If you are like most people, it took about three months to shop, and a lot of it was done online.
The greater question is, what impact will COVID-19 have on the auto purchase journey?
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Local truly matters. If there is one thing that everyone has learned during this pandemic, it is how important local businesses and communities matter – to everyone. When this all began, little did anyone realize how much walking into local businesses would be missed. You walk in, say “hello,” and if you frequent them enough, they call you by your first name. This event has been a very painful reminder of how much these local businesses mean to all of us.
Kelton Global, a consumer insights and strategy consulting firm, has been analyzing consumer behavior and sentiment since the onset of the pandemic. The most current data shows that 52% of Americans believe that the long-term effects of the coronavirus will be mostly positive than negative, and 9 out of 10 believe that there will be one positive change to come out of the outbreak.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
It may be hard to imagine, but it was just a few years ago that headlines focused on how a particular generation was changing and impacting everything – from the workplace, to food and shopping. It is without question that 2020 will be marked as a year that impacted how and where all consumers shop.
Continue reading “Radio Ad Categories Web Increases During COVID-19”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
It can’t be said enough – these are extremely unusual and difficult times for everyone. As each day passes, I think it is safe to say that we all hope and look forward to things getting better. They will, but it is just a matter of when.
I am certain that many of you have gone to local businesses in search of certain products or items and looked at the people in those businesses in a way you never had before. They are on the front lines, making sure that we have what we need.
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
“There’s something about the spirit of radio. It helps us all to know each other better and gives us a sense of purpose and community in a time where we need those things more than ever.”
– Adam Grant, Creative Director, AKQA (abridged).
Historically speaking, in periods of great challenge, truly there is no more important medium than local radio. In uncertain and unpredictable times, broadcast radio has proven that it is the backbone of the country’s information distribution system, with increased listening among consumers across all of its platforms.
Continue reading “The Spirit of Radio – Connecting in Times of Business Unusual”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Cancellations, social distancing, empty streets, working from home, virtual classes – this has become the new norm for many of us. We are all anxiously waiting to get back to how it used to be. In the interim, there is one thing that everyone can count on. Radio. It’s On.
Continue reading “Radio. It’s On!”