[gregsta]

Radio is just one of the many different tools you can use from your marketing communications mix to get the message across. In my opinion it is only good if it part of an integrated marketing campaign. That is where the same message is getting sent out via different mediums so they will end up reinforcing each other.

At a company I used to work for the sales manager from the Dutch office told me you have to hit people with our message six times on average before they respond. Although I have no evidence to back this up it makes sense to me.

Another problem with radio advertising is its a pain in the backside to track....

Depending on your budget I would avoid radio advertising unless the station you are running with is used by most people in your target market.

A more cost effective route would be email marketing, providing you have a database on contacts, If you dont then paper based....

[KingPin]

Red, just as an alternative but this morning I spoke with the radio people and rather than splashing out on RA, they have invited me on to their show to talk about the media company and how it will benefit the town.

Sure the broadcast is only going to be local (but other surrounding areas listen) but were getting an hours air time.

If your the only company that does what you do in your area, it might be worth speaking with the station manager to grab a slot.

It's costing nothing, an hours worth of air time promoting the company, what could be better.

Just an alternative, then if that works think about RA on a broader range.

KP

[gregsta]

Hi Kingpin, that's a really good suggestion!

The same could be true about advertising in local newspapers too. If you have some news to shout out about then they should print your story too.

[glennmid101]

The problem with radio is that it is purely audio. Radio advertising needs to get 2.0

Personally any media that cant be targetted, and has no easy response element to it, is a complete waste of time.

But talking to people in radio is like banging your head against a brick wall, and i speak from experience.

To me the future of advertising has to be integrated, video, radio, sms, banner ads and search engine. Once you offer that to an advertiser, you can design that counting house.

[Scottscd]

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.

d

...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.

[PI Guy]

I have heard that radio ads depend on repetition with jingles and stuff

[Sam (Mr. Mu)]

I've heard that radio ads depend on repetition with jingles and stuff

[RedEvo]

I've heard that radio ads depend on repetition with jingles and stuff.

[RedEvo]

But seriously, I was looking at it from an awareness raising exercise but I'm going off the idea

d

[swpriest]

I've worked for one of the largest radio groups in the UK, and I've seen some very good, and very bad campaigns...

There are a number of factors which will affect the success of your radio campaign. I'm a strong believer in the 'creative-led sell' - this makes the listener engage more with the ad and the product you're trying to sell. While catchy jingles might help you remember a phone number, you have to have heard it a few times before it sinks in.

The creative led sell, when done correctly, makes the listener prick up their ears and listen: it makes them pay attention to the ad in full, making the call to action much more effective.

Also - making your call to action complicated will decrease your response rate. If you have to remember a phone number, or website when you're in the car, they're less likely to respond. Doing something a bit easier, like saying 'text the word CAR to 12345 and we'll call you back' takes some of the onus off the listener and on to you - making it more likely for someone to respond.

This kind of call to action allows for simple tracking of your campaign. Some stations will even set up the text number for you (for an additional fee).

Sorry for replying to an old thread, but responding to a radio-related thread was too good to resist.. :-)