I know, consider the source and the flexibility of statistics. But there's no doubt in my mind that traditional radio has been too overlooked in the rush of online media.
  The above charts show the incredible audience migration of the past decade, but notice where local radio still ranks. Much of the online audience is coming, not from converted broadcast listeners, but from the overall explosion of media consumption, says TargetSpot's Eyal Goldwerger. 52% of Internet radio listeners are listening at work, but 79% of that group are also listening at home, cites Goldwerger from his own study. That suggests "it’s a much longer day” than the traditional 6a-8p workday. The real news is that more total media hours are being created. Never has the ad community had a hungrier audience. Significantly for me, Goldwerger admits that, while internet radio listening is still booming [just look at Pandora's astronomical recent growth], broadcast radio “still owns the drive time." Even with the growth of mobile devices and satellite radio, people still reach for the dial. "Radio is intrusive," points out my friend and longtime local media buyer Steve Fitz. "It creates awareness and interest...Without the use of traditional media at the early phases, the take off point, however defined, is bound to be further down the runway." Well, intrusive, yes. We are less apt to fiddle with our audio sources when attempting to aim a vehicle down the Northway at rush hour. And many of us still like local content—online's remaining weakness—while driving. So, for local advertisers especially, broadcast gives a substantial kick start to any online media efforts, though the big national brands also claim to be getting their best returns on a mix of broadcast and online media. It would be interesting to see some local case studies, any volunteers? |
Interesting information about the obsticles of alligning traditional and digital campaigns:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advertising-fails-to-find-a-media-mix-120962504.html
What I find interesting are the dual definitions of success: effective campaigns vs. effective media sales.
ReplyDeleteThere are two challenges. First is how to integrate new and old media (or radio in this case) to best complement a campaign effort, and this is the thankless role of the agency or marketing VP. Second is how to educate the client about the relationship between the two parts of the whole. The media salesperson can find this frustrating, but a media buyer sees it as a benefit — cash in on the deals that are popping up in, say, broadcast, because so many buyers can't see them.
I make it sound too easy, keeping up on trends and changing efficiencies is no longer a year to year exercise, it's week to week, day to day. I don't envy media buyers these days, glad I don't do it anymore.
Note the STRATA study emphasis on shaky measurement criteria. Used to be if sales were up, it worked, and if not, it didn't. Now we've gone and spoiled the client.