We have some new radio spots that aired recently on the New York Metro Traffic report. Traffic reports air during the morning and afternoon drive which is the most listened to times in radio. More people are listening to the radio during these times than any other time of the day, offering a larger audience for your ads to be heard. Below is the ads that recently aired. You can listen to some of our other radio spots here.
Feedback From the Radio
January 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Recently we put up a radio ad for one of our clients, Joan Hamburg. JAMES TOYOTA AD Well I guess the ad was well received because one listener emailed the radio station asking about the ad and information on how to contact the dealership. The radio station WCBS FM 101.1 was kind enough to help the listener get in touch with the dealership.
Listen to more of our Radio Ads here
Radio Advertising Spending Declines for the 10th Quarter in a Row
November 23, 2009 By 1 Comment
Radio advertising revenue is still on a big decline, being down by 16% during the third quarter. However, that was an improvement over both the first and second quarters, when revenue was down by 24% and 22%, respectively.
Radio advertising has been declining since early 2007, when the most recent month of year-to-year growth was recorded.
But the latest report shows some areas of improvement when compared to last year. And, generally speaking, the comparisons are getting better. Last year radio advertising saw a massive decline in the third quarter, when the economic crisis peaked during the fall, and dropped by about 9%.
Radio advertising has now seen 10 straight quarters of year-to-year declines.
Overall, third quarter revenue came in at $4.15 billion, with local advertising revenue down by 19%, to $2.8 billion.
National spots declined by 17%, to $639 million, and network dropped by 11%, to $253 million. Even off-air, which was well off last year, decreased by 11%, to $335 million.
Digital was the only category to increase, being up by 14% to $126 million.
The Cash for Clunkers campaign gave automotive sales leads a bit of an increase. The auto industry had its best quarter of the year as manufacturers increased their spending to support the federal rebate program.
General Motors’ spending went up by 101% over last year, while Kia increased by 145%, and Volvo increased by 26%. Hyundai also went up, increasing by 65%.
Yet still, the auto industry’s spending remained down from 2008 and has fallen from the top category to the third category.
Radio Advertising Rates Drop by 20-30%
November 17, 2009 By 3 Comments
Sports radio ratings aren’t as high as many people thought.
For big games, ratings shoot way up. But there are only a handfull of big games in any season. For other games, ratings drop way down.
As a result, the radio advertising rates that stations used to get for their live sports coverage have gone down significantly, by about 20% to 30%. Industry sources reveal that some stations radio advertising rates have dropped even more than that.
Some people think that the more accurate the ratings data is, the better it will be for everybody, even if it means stations having to reduce their radio advertising rates.
One such person is Bob Snyder, founder of Beason Broadcast Partners, which consults with sports radio stations and sports franchises on ad sales. He thinks that the more reliable ratings data serves to build credibility with New Jersey marketing companies, advertisers, and retail advertising agencies, making sports play-by-play broadcasts that much more attractive for advertising.
However, others think that the numbers don’t tell the whole story when it comes to play-by-play sports.
Tim McCarthy, senior vice president of radio at ESPN, says that overworked media buyers, who face tons of pressure from clients to get the best deal, only look at the numbers and without taking into account the unique, passionate audience that radio broadcasts deliver.
“What’s the value of a Yankees/Red Sox game or a Bears/Packers game? These are rivalries that have packed arenas for years. They have value. To say no one cares is not true.”
The problem is that radio stations are seeing less radio advertising revenue from broadcasting rights they agreed to pay big dollars for before the more accurate ratings data was released.
Those deals, since they are no longer profitable for the radio station, create a problem for the station’s bottom line. However they are still valuable because they set in place a station’s position in the market.
Now is the time to invest in radio advertising since the rates have become incredibly low. You can get more air time and reach more people with the same amount of investment, thereby drastically increasing your ROI.
Use Your Ad Dollars Wisely in a Growing Economy: Leveraging to Get More Ads
November 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This time I will talk about negotiating in a buyer’s market and leveraging your business to get the most out of your ad dollars.
Since we are in a buyer’s market right now, your business is in a great position to add as much value as possible. For television advertising this can mean that your business is mentioned more in intros and outros to commercial breaks. For radio advertising, this means a higher frequency of mentioning your business’s name, or co-op advertising of a local event. For print advertising, this means bigger ads and more ad placement.
Finally, you should try to leverage any advertising package that is presented to you in order to get as many leads as possible.
Next time, I will talk about establishing a public relations campaign by being a contrarian.
Why and How to Advertise During a Recession
November 2, 2009 By 9 Comments
Most companies were quick to cut advertising budgets as the recession took hold of the economy. To most people this seemed to be the rational choice. Historically, however, the data indicates that it is better to maintain a strong advertising presence through an economic downturn. Understanding this counter intuitive phenomenon will be helpful to companies who want to weather the storm and come out stronger than they started.
The best reason for any company considering advertising is a simple fact: the competition isn’t advertising. When a company stops advertising because of a recession, the market essentially is left open to its competitors. Customers will still need services irrespective of the recession. Your company can be the one the customer chooses because you’ve made your presence known.
Another positive from advertising through difficult times is creating a long term position for your company. The visibility of your product increases during a recession because of drop in advertising of your competition. Even if consumer spending has dropped, when a consumer does make a purchase your sales will drop if your product is not on their mind. Gaining the customers that pick you through difficult times can turn out to be a benefit in the long run. This underlying trust between consumers and your company is invaluable. There are some very good examples of this i.e. Pepsi rose to prominence during the great depression.
The bad economy can also be helpful in certain aspects. Television advertising, radio advertising, and internet advertising prices have also taken a hit. What better time to advertise than when you spend the least for a time slot! Use this time to make contacts in the advertising industry as well. An Account Executive can be your crucial contact to get your ads in prime placement, negotiate good deals on rates and even get extras thrown in for your ads.
Use this opportunity to talk to your customers directly. Customers react favorably when a company makes available products that help the consumer weather tough times. In the auto industry, companies have come up with great automotive marketing ideas and programs that protect buyers from the impact of losing jobs. These programs have reflected as positive growth in automotive sales leads. An example is Hyundai, who achieved a growth of 4.9% in sales with their assurance plus program. Toyota on the other hand has taken a 36% drop in sales.
In spite of seeing the obvious benefits of advertising through tough times we still face one question. Where do we get the money to sustain an advertising campaign in this economy? This is where we look deeper into budget advertising.
There are a few options available to a small business to advertise without hurting their bottom line. Here’s a look at few of them.
If you have a TV commercial for your product, post it on YouTube. It costs nothing to upload a video and it effectively increases your ad’s shelf-life.
Going back to the basics of traditional media is always a prudent choice. Issuing flyers and coupons can definitely help create a buzz. It’s a relatively low cost initiative and by implementing programs that offer a discount to those who bring in a flyer can bring in new customers.
Maintaining a website is crucial. Even if you do not engage in selling products online, having a virtual presence goes a long way. People searching for local businesses will notice your competition if they have a website and you don’t.
Radio advertising is a good way to reach out to local customers and give you the ability of choosing a target audience. Taking time to find out which stations and the time slots in which a particular set of people will be tuned in will help increase efficiency of your ads.
Co-op advertising is a great cost-effective way to get your name out in the public. The cost is shared by several related businesses. For instance, a bath fitting company can advertise with furniture dealers and reach out to common audiences. This increases exposure with limited need of expenditure.
At the end of the day, a bad economy does not necessarily mean bad business forever and effective advertising does not have to be expensive There has never been a better time to be innovative and reap the rewards.
How the Experts Use Direct Mail Part 2
October 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In the last post I talked about using direct mail to start a conversation with prospective customers, a conversation for which the next step would be visiting your website/landing page. In this post I will talk about using direct mail advertising to obtain customers outside of the traditional office space. This is, obviously, directly relevant to business-to-business marketing.
Many professionals work outside of an office setting, including construction foremen and operations managers, health professionals, private tutors, or retail owners. Using direct mail as part of an integrated marketing campaign is essential when trying to reach these prospective clients and building relationships with them.
One way to integrate direct mail into your marketing campaign is to use it as a primer before or after an email or phone call. Doing this will enable your prospects to become familiar with your business and what it does, with you, and with your brand. This will make them more receptive to your other communications, such as email advertising, radio advertising, or print advertising.
It is also a good idea to integrate personalized landing pages/URLs in with your direct mail campaign. This will enable you to customize the call-to-action for each recipient, increasing the chance that the recipient will respond. The Direct Marketing Associations says that 33% of direct mail recipients go online to respond, and that increases by 20%-30% when personalized landing pages/URLs are used.
As said in the last post, you can capture prospects’ information and build a database of qualified leads. That way you can also send follow-up emails or direct mails. Remember that direct mail is a great way to introduce your online assets to people, such as professionals outside of the traditional office space, who wouldn’t normally be in front of a computer. Start that conversation with mail, drive it to your website, and end it with a sale.