Marketron

Audio is Booming – Turn Up Your
Radio Strategy

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.

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Radio Strategy”

Falling in Love with Radio

Author:  Pat Walsh, President & Chief Operating Officer, Emmis Communications

When the team at Emmis sits down to talk about what sets radio apart for our advertising clients, the discussion always leads back to the power of connection. Radio’s connection is an intensely personal relationship with personalities and content that has become a central part of the lives of nearly every American. The fact that this powerful connection comes in the form of an entertaining and ever expanding LOCAL content portfolio that includes broadcast audio content, events that excite and engage, and digital content that combines the power of audio, video and social, makes radio a truly special partner to the advertising community. Delivering on this intimate and connected local relationship makes radio a trusted friend in just about every American’s daily life. This type of relationship is what enables radio to continue to reach and resonate in the lives of 93% of Americans but it’s the trusted partnership radio has with its vast audience that feels special at this time of year.

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Radio Wins in Chicago – A Case Study

“Radio is the most important thing we use on the media side because it touches so many people.” 
Ed Wehmer, Founder, President & CEO, Wintrust Financial Corp.

“It’s personal, it’s daily & we can tell our story in an evolving way on radio.  That’s hard to do in other media.”
Diana Sikes, Senior Vice President, Art Van Furniture 

“We can target different demographics, change the message.  It’s a tremendous, flexible medium.” 
Roy Spencer, President & Owner, PermaSeal Basement Systems

“Radio is the core of our influence strategy.” 
John Alfirevich, Dealer Operator of Apple Chevrolet and President of the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers Association

These are real, current testimonials that speak to the effectiveness of radio and are highlights from a bi-product of the Radio Broadcasters of Chicagoland (RBC), a committee of the Illinois Broadcasters Association, focused on demonstrating the power, influence and evolution of radio as the most effective results-driven medium through innovative collaboration.

These testimonials represent phase 2 of what is called an “RBC Roadblock” concept where more than 40 radio stations in a single major market (Chicago) simultaneously air the :60 spot.  Phase 1 of the Roadblock campaign was first introduced through an unprecedented and uninterrupted “live” 30-minute “Town Hall Meeting” conversation between Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill Kurtis and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Since then, the “roadblock” concept has been used to support fundraising efforts for 2017 hurricane victims and, more recently, this campaign featured advertisers who believe strongly in the medium of radio.

The results have been terrific.  Click here for the case study.

Results:

Inaugural Event: Chicago Radio Town Hall Meeting

One third of the population listened to the broadcast.

7 in 10 Chicagoans were aware of the event, with nearly half knowing  about it prior to the air date.

88% of those who tuned in listened to all or most of the broadcast.

Eight in 10 adults dialed in to their preferred station.

The location of listening was equally split between those listening at home and away from home.

Radio: Still the One

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.

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Local Radio Reigns Supreme

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported on the shuttering of a chain of Eastside community newspapers. One article even went so far as to say, “Local and regional newspapers that serve Southern California are going through tough times, leading some to question whether traditional newspapers can survive.” Radio has always been there – now it is even more valuable! The importance of local radio to the local community can’t be understated.

The challenge for local Newspapers has been how to sustain a newsroom and make a profit when print advertising is fleeing to lower-cost space on the Internet.  Most digital ads are concentrated on Facebook and Google, not newspaper websites. These two Internet giants take in 60 percent of online ad revenues.

Radio was shown as the most trusted platform used after the impact of hearing about “fake news” in political coverage.  See below for the Kantar “Trust in News” study where it was revealed ‘mainstream news media’s’ reputation remained largely intact while social media and digital-only news platforms sustained major reputation damage. In addition, Facebook and other digital platforms are not designed to promote civic connection, but rather communities of interest often unmoored from particular geographies.

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Radio Delivers For Local Businesses

 

Small businesses are thriving and looking at 2018 in a positive way, and radio is the perfect vehicle to help them meet their 2018 revenue expectations and goals. Each year BIA/Kelsey conducts Local Commerce Monitor™ (LCM), a survey that tracks small-business advertising and marketing spending, buying preferences, and reported return on investment. Within the LCM, BIA/Kelsey also examines franchises. A franchisor licenses its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its business model, brand, and rights to sell its branded products and services to a franchisee.

In the past year, strong economic growth has led to an increase in spending by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and franchisees on advertising and marketing.

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Digital Integration Pays Big Dividends For Radio

Author: Dave Casper, RAB/SVP Digital

“Digital has been integrated into all facets of broadcast radio’s offering both in programming and sales, and the results are definitely paying off,” stated Erica Farber, President and CEO, RAB.  “As radio continues to provide integrated marketing solutions to its advertisers we expect to see continued growth.”

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Radio’s Influence on Music

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.

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The Big Game and Radio

The practice of listening to the home town team on the radio and watching the game on TV is as alive and well today as it ever was. The connection formed between the radio broadcaster and the listener is extraordinary! This is a trusting relationship only radio can provide. This connection can drive sales and help to build your brand.

The big game is a big deal for radio stations and it is here next weekend! And you can bet everyone across the country will be tuning in to hear the Pats and Eagles play-by-play. Westwood One will cover the game nationally. Listeners coast-to-coast can hear the game called by their favorite announcers including Kevin Harlan and Boomer Esiason, and this year also includes Hall of Fame reporter Ed Werder. Local announcers in Boston and Philadelphia include WBZ’s Bob Socci and Scott Zolak, and WIP’s Merrill Reese and Mike Quick.

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The Power of a Sonic Brand

 

Ba da ba bah bah.  Bah ba da bah duh bum bum.  Ding ding ding ding ding.

That looks like gibberish or baby talk, but when you HEAR it, they are iconic brand audio signatures from McDonald’s, Farmer’s Insurance and T-Mobile.

There has been an exhaustive amount of research done over the past several decades on the power of sound and how it impacts moods, influences product sales, influences consumer spending, stimulates our brains, aids in healing, is reassuring, keeps us company and triggers all kinds of reactions.

According to Harvard Business Review research, the strategic use of sound can play an important role in positively differentiating a product or service, enhancing recall, creating preference, building trust, and even increasing sales.

At the end of 2017, Veritonic released an update to their groundbreaking audio logo index that objectively examines and measures the impact of audio signatures through their proprietary EchoTime™ technology that tracks emotions and engagement among an online panel of more than 1,000 targeted panelists.

Key findings from the study include:

  • Jingles increase success
  • Brand audio logos/cues enhance uniqueness of message
  • Clarity and focus on a product drives purchase intent
  • Multiple product mentions in a single spot diminishes impact
  • Emphasize your products, not the competition
  • Millennials respond more positively than older adults

So you see, a brand’s audio signature is incredibly valuable and should be leveraged in radio.  The sound of a narrator’s voice, the music featured in the commercial or a slogan can trigger an immediate consumer response and for new radio advertisers, perhaps they already have an audio asset that can be transformed for impactful radio.

For more information on Veritonic, the Audio Index methodology or to view the full executive summary, click here.

CES 2018 Las Vegas

 

Among the biggest stars at CES 2018 were the newest smart speakers and the latest skills they offer. With it comes many new opportunities for radio as audio, and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) devices like Alexa are influencing the way consumers are tapping into their favorite stations using these skills. The machine learning is improving the way we interact with the technology. So it’s no surprise that this year’s CES theme was AI! Everything is getting smarter due to data. As the devices get smarter, audio will play a larger role.

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Radio: Consumers’ Weekly Leader

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.

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Getting Fit with Radio

Now that the holiday eating and drinking events are behind, consumers will suddenly feel guilty about all of their indulgences.  One look at any talk show, home TV shopping program or even ads on the internet seems focused on one thing – getting fit.

While there are some adults (okay a lot) that will make health and fitness one of their resolutions, there are many who go to the gym or exercise on a regular basis.

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2017 – It’s Been An Incredible Year

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”

Dining During the Holidays

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.

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Is Radio Ready for 2018’s Political Advertising Bonanza?

Today’s blog post is courtesy of Gordon Borrell, CEO, Borrell Associates

A radio owner yawned the other day when I told him about the record year ahead for political advertising — $8.5 billion in all, and all headed for local markets. “We have music stations,” he said… “Political isn’t really something we pursue.”

I’m sure people who listen to music are also voters. And I’m pretty sure that, in a world where big bucks are being thrown at persuasion marketing, radio’s personal connection with listeners makes it perhaps the most persuasive medium.

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Radio Can Help With What Ails You

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.

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Holidays Start with Radio

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.

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Jewelry Retailers Shine with Radio

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.

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Reaching the Auto Buyer

The automotive industry is anticipated to see a slight uptick at the end of 2017.  Although October was slightly down, end-of-year incentives should provide a boost to November and December.

However, it’s not just about incentives.  Auto buying intenders are well educated prior to entering any dealerships.  The question is how do you reach them?  And when you do reach them, you need to understand their auto buying and auto servicing preferences as well as their radio listening habits.

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