Quote:
Originally Posted by RedEvo
I know this is complex issue but on balance is radio advertising effective or not compared to other broad brush marketing techniques.
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...No
Again, like every other marketing method it depends on the product/service and target market. If your target customer consists of people driving home from work everyday then FM radio advertising is probably one of the most effective methods out there. For many businesses it will be useless.
From my own experience I've found that radio advertising rarely provides a worthwhile ROI. I'd personally put that down to the method in which radio advertising is used as a marketing medium. Due to radio being radio the call-to-action doesn't have an effective impact (if you're in the car and the ad tells you to visit a website it may be numerous hours before you get the opportunity).
I believe it comes down to how you utilise the method of communication. You need to create emotional desire for powerful selling just like any other form of advertising. Sound is the only medium available when it comes to radio so you can't rely on images, video, animation or interaction. This is why memorable jingles and using words (and voice tone) which trigger specific emotions is very important.
Audio doesn't have as strong an impact as visual information so that's why it's very important that radio campaigns are long-term. They're probably most useful for brand awareness campaigns as you can provide specific jingles or pieces of audio which listeners may hear 30+ times over a long-term period.
Radio advertising does work for some companies as they buy repeat campaigns (unless they don't understand the concept of ROI). I've noticed many businesses which do use radio as a regular form of advertising will often utilise what I mentioned above.
I'd personally avoid suggesting radio advertising to my clients unless it fits in perfectly with their target customer. This is plain and simply because these days there are much more effective methods of direct marketing and advertising which give higher returns.