Marketron

Radio. No Secrets Here.

During the recent Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) 2017 Media Conference, Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at P & G, challenged CMOs to demand transparency from their digital media partners by eliminating ad fraud and making sure that the ad purchased actually reaches the intended  consumer.  Little to no audited proof of ad delivery should be considered unacceptable.

Continue reading “Radio. No Secrets Here.”

Whet the Appetite with Radio

Isn’t it odd that when you hear someone talking about a meal they had you suddenly crave it?  And the more descriptive they become – using words like creamy, spicy, and juicy – that image comes to life, driving you to crave it even more.  These words don’t have to come from someone sitting next to you to whet your appetite; they can come from listening to the radio.

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Radio Rules the Road

“It’s Saturday night, about time to go.  Got my white leather jacket and a neon soul.  Once I turn on the radio I’m ready to roll.”  Those lyrics from Maren Morris’ “80s Mercedes” resonate with everyone.  Who doesn’t know that feeling of getting in the car, turning the radio on and listening to your favorite songs? Continue reading “Radio Rules the Road”

Radio + Smartphone = Constant
Companion

According to Statista, there will be well over 220 million smartphone users by the end of 2017.  These users will engage with radio in various ways – texting, downloading or just listening in.

Continue reading “Radio + Smartphone = Constant
Companion”

Women – The Importance
of Communication

Everyone you know has a woman who has been influential in their life.  As people, we understand the important role that our mothers, aunts, sisters, and friends have played.  As women break through glass ceilings and help pave the way for others, the advertising industry has already recognized the important role that women play.  Radio, however, has always communicated to women and with women – from local radio personalities to nationally syndicated program hosts.

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of Communication”

If Reach is the New Black, Then
Radio is Red Hot!

There has been a lot of press lately regarding reach.  Most recently, an article by Andy Sippel, svp at Advertiser Perceptions, a business intelligence firm serving the global advertising industry, used the phrase regarding reach being the new black.  If that is the case, then radio is red hot! Continue reading “If Reach is the New Black, Then
Radio is Red Hot!”

Brand Sales After the BIG Event

An average of 111.3 million people watched Super Bowl LI on network TV and there were 190.8 million social media interactions, according to Nielsen.  The average cost to advertise was $5 million for a 30–second spot.  That’s a particularly high cost – especially when the impact of Super Bowl ads to influence brand purchase is minimal.

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Radio’s Digital Growth Drives
Local Market Business

The line that separates media and marketing is blurring as advertisers continue to reach their target audiences across devices and platforms.  While some media are struggling to find ways to best serve advertisers in their quest, radio is providing them with alternative solutions. Continue reading “Radio’s Digital Growth Drives
Local Market Business”

Music is Good for You

Isn’t it amazing how sometimes you hear a portion of a song on the radio and the tune just stays in your head?  You find yourself humming, tapping or just moving your head to the beat even when you’re nowhere near a radio – but you just learned a new song.  That, my friends, is the power of radio – learning about new music.

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Silence Can Be Golden in Radio Ads

A barn.  Blue skies.  A horse running through the fields.

A great image just came to your mind reading those words, right?  But what color was the barn – red?  What color was the horse – brown, white, black, spotted? And while the horse was running through the fields under the blue skies, was it a winter day with snow on the ground or were there wild flowers growing.  Whatever your answer was, it doesn’t matter.  The image that came to mind was relevant to you and that is the power of radio commercials.

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Insights into CES 2017

The overarching theme behind all of the products showcased during  CES® 2017 centered on providing a positive experience to the consumer.

The RAB team hit the road (in this case the convention center) to get an inside look at how the IoT and specifically, AI is changing our future.  According to Shawn DuBravac, Chief Economist and Sr. Director of Research for the Consumer Technology Association, there are five key trends:

  1. The new voice of computing – using voice to manage and connect with devices
  2. Artificial Intelligence – taking care of things that we don’t
  3. The network – tapping into the potential of our own connected devices
  4. The transformation of transportation – how vehicles will evolve
  5. The digitizing of the consumer experience – how augmented/virtual reality will shift entertainment experiences, etc.

That list may perplex some but we are all experiencing them already today in some form or fashion. The voice that was frequently referenced throughout CES was that of Alexa.  While Alexa, the voice of Amazon Echo, is not new, how Alexa currently uses the consumer’s voice to interface with other devices is quickly expanding, and Ford displayed how their partnership with Amazon’s Alexa Voice System can work.  Artificial or Augmented Intelligence is on the verge of making a consumer’s experience better – even easier – by either automatically adjusting a refrigerator’s most efficient temperature to potentially playing a podcast automatically while driving.  And speaking of driving, self-parking or automatic braking systems already exist, but the opportunity to provide the passenger of a driverless vehicle with endless entertainment options are in our future.

With Alexa Voice System technology being integrated into literally everything it can, there is a great possibility that voice activation will replace the graphical user interface (mouse, keyboard, touch screen, etc.) in the not too distant future, according to DuBravac.  Therefore, the implications and opportunity for “branding” radio stations and their call letters to help a listener tune the dial are enormous.

So what does this mean for radio?  Like the numerous products and innovations in technology displayed at CES, at the center of it all is the consumer – providing them with the best possible experience – and that is what radio continues to do.  Just this past week, CBS Radio News and iHeartRadio each announced their integration into some of these devices.  CBS Radio News will now be available on Amazon’s Alexa service.  iHeartMedia announced iHeartRadio’s integration across connected devices and tech.

Radio will always be there to deliver content to their listeners – with either the push of a button, the touch of an app or even through the use of their voice.

If you’d like to see some what our team experienced, visit RAB.com, scroll down the homepage and go into the CES section of our video wall.

Closing the 2016 Political Year

Today’s blog post is courtesy of Leo Kivijarv, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Director of Research of PQ Media

As stated in our previous guest blog posts, this was a strange year given the Trump candidacy. He spent significantly lower on media advertising and marketing than previous presidential candidates on most media platforms, with the exceptions of digital, event marketing, promotional products, public relations & word-of-mouth. Continue reading “Closing the 2016 Political Year”

Radio’s sustaining presence
in American culture

Today’s blog post is courtesy of Ginny Morris, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Hubbard Radio, LLC

Radio, as an industry, will celebrate its “first” vibrant 100 years in 2020.  The country has seen the evolution of radio over that time from a nascent technology with few users to a pervasive and ubiquitous part of American culture. We all know radio’s history, right? The AM band dominated for decades before the FM band finally found its legs, and combined, the two continue to be a solid foundation for today’s ever-evolving “audio landscape.”

Our family has been in the broadcasting business since the early 20’s. My grandfather, Stanley E. Hubbard, started with one radio station: WAMD. In our company’s 90-or-so years we have never been more excited about the radio business. Audience levels are near an all-time high of 247.4MM people 12+ every week. Radio offers a richer experience for our listeners across our digital platforms and a more dynamic environment to help our advertising partners grow their businesses.

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in American culture”

Ad Fraud Isn’t Possible
in Live Broadcast Radio

Studio microphone stand on background sign light ON AIR. 3d illustration

Throughout 2016, data became more and more important in advertising – finding out the who, what, where and why.  So what happens if the data you receive comes into question?  Articles like this one from Advertising Age and The New York Times only adds to that concern.

Continue reading “Ad Fraud Isn’t Possible
in Live Broadcast Radio”

Reporting from The Attribution
Accelerator – What You Need to Know

Conversion Rate Optimisation Icon. Business Concept. Isolated illustration.

Today’s post is courtesy of Jim Spaeth and Alice K. Sylvester of Sequent Partners.  This is a follow-up post on Multi-Touch Attribution.

The Attribution Accelerator conference, sponsored in part by the RAB on November 30, confirmed that the advertising industry has pinned high hopes to a new measure of media performance, Cross-Channel Attribution modeling.

Close to 300 marketers, agency, media and research providers looked at the in’s and out’s of attribution and its traditional forbearer, marketing mix models. Marketer representatives in attendance included: Unilever, Estee Lauder, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, Weight Watchers and Citi.  The conference was designed to generate dialogue about Return On Investment measurement and hear what marketers have experienced and need.

If you think this is just another post on ROI, it’s not.  It’s about the future of planning what media is included in the plan…or not!

Continue reading “Reporting from The Attribution
Accelerator – What You Need to Know”

The Secret Formula to Great Radio Ads

radio

What makes a great radio ad?  Is there a magic formula or do you just have to have a gift?  In today’s post, some of radio’s great creative minds share their thoughts and approach to writing great radio ads.  Have you tried their approach in the past?  Please tell us what you think about their suggestions.

“Radio is one of the few remaining mediums with captive audiences. They can’t click away from you; they can’t skip ahead. While they are driving in their car, you own their attention,” said Chris Smith, Brand Creative Group Head from The Richards Group, as he was emphasizing radio’s continued relevance as a great storytelling mechanism despite all other advertising choices.

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Watches, Bracelets and Rings – Oh My!

Jewelry on window display

You’ve all heard about radio’s incredible reach and its ability to create relevant imagery in a person’s mind.  Did you know that radio is great at selling shiny new objects, too?  Yes, it can help to sell watches, earrings, bracelets and rings – oh my! According to National Jeweler.com, the holiday sales are off to a strong start.

Continue reading “Watches, Bracelets and Rings – Oh My!”

Radio – Part of the Local Community

Multi Ethnic People Holding The Word Community

Radio, the top reach medium, provides news, traffic, music to the over 247 million listeners every week.  Radio delivers content that listeners want wherever and whenever they want it, but radio is also more than that.  Radio is part of the community.

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Let Radio Data Tell the Story

hires

Today’s post is courtesy of Maura Kautsky, VP Marketing NextRadio

I saw this funny quote the other day that couldn’t be timelier “Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed”.   And boy has that data evolved.   As you read from the previous blog, marketers are moving from big data to data attribution which provides insight into what receives credit for conversion.  Continue reading “Let Radio Data Tell the Story”