By
Duane Sprague
Radio is
an effective advertising medium-when used properly.
Radio is best
used for targeting a particular demographic group, to build message
frequency, as a value-added promotional tool (live remotes, free
radio spots, free sponsorships, free promotional announcements,
tickets to give away), and as a promotional medium (special sale
events, etc.).
Radio is a
targeted medium because each radio station attracts a specific
demographic group based on the station format. Which means that
every station has a "best demo." For example, an Album
Oriented Rock station is dominated by males 18-34 years of age.
A Big Band/Nostalgia station is dominated by adults 65+. A Classical
station reaches upscale adults 35-54, and a News/Talk format is
dominated by males 45+.
Because people
have a favorite radio format, people also have a favorite station.
And because, as the saying goes "birds of a feather flock
together," any given format will attract a certain and predictable
demographic group. A typical person has one favorite station,
and two others they listen to less frequently. By knowing the
demographic cell in which your target audience falls, and if your
target demo is narrowly defined, you can hit many of them with
a one or two radio station buy in many instances. However, it
is best to hit both your primary and secondary demo for maximum
reach and effectiveness in any given media buy.
Each station
also has a best time slot or day part, where rating points and
audience listenership are the highest, making your spot more effective.
Some stations have more listeners in morning drive (Monday-Friday
6am-10am in major metros, and 7am-9am in smaller metros), and
others have more listeners during mid-day (Monday-Friday 10am-3pm)
as they are the listen at work format or talk radio.
So for an
effective campaign, you want to buy only the radio stations that
deliver the highest number of your primary and secondary demos.
And of those stations, you only want to buy the best day parts
that deliver the highest number of these target listeners. But
don't forget, that people are creatures of habit, and they have
listening patters that are nearly set in stone. Which means that
in order to reach the entire target audience of any one station,
you will want to run your spots Monday - Friday in the morning
drive, mid day, evening drive, and Saturday and Sunday 10 am -
3 pm. With the majority of your spots running in the morning and
evening drive times.
When looking
at the Arbitron data, be aware, that you must compare the audience
share (the % of people listening to that station in that day part
out of all people listening to all radio stations in the market
in that day part) AND the total number of people listening in
that day part (given in quarter hour averages). A station may
have a very high audience share in a particular day part, but
only 1,200 people are listening.
How
To Use Radio Better.
