Play Ball with Radio

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

The role that sports plays in the lives of Americans became magnified during 2020. Whether it was the dribbling of a basketball on a court, the crack of a bat or the sounds from a huddle – people needed to watch and experience sports.

Sports fans are passionate, and they are engaged in the team or player they are following. They are emotionally connected – just like they are with radio.

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Motivating Listeners to Act in 2021

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB

Forecasts reveal that digital is driving the advertising rebound in 2021 and, according to Tony Hereau, VP of cross platform insights at Nielsen, “Radio is the soundtrack of America’s recovery.”

Radio, across all of its digital platforms, has and continues to experience exponential growth, earning significant share of media consumption throughout 2020 and the post-pandemic. While over the air AM/FM radio accounts for 76 percent of the daily audio time spent with any ad-supported platform, understanding consumer behavior as they move across platforms and what motivates listeners is critically important for marketers who are poised to succeed in the rebound.

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A Look at Black and Hispanic Audio Consumption

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

The events of 2020 have magnified the importance of reaching ethnically diverse consumers. Advertisers across a wide array of categories, from Main Street to Madison Avenue, have increased their focus to reach Black/African American and Latino/Hispanic consumers. Knowing the media habits of each of these audiences is important to connect with them.

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Radio – Still the One

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Last week’s post highlighted radio advertising as trusted by consumers, according to a YouGov survey. The latest Total Audience Report from Nielsen not only confirms that finding, but also illustrates that radio ads are very/somewhat trustworthy among adults 18-34. Yes, they are listening, and they trust the ads they hear on radio.

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Radio – A Trusted Medium

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

After a tumultuous year, consumer confidence and optimism are slowly on the rise. According to the Consumer Confidence Index®, these improved in February after an increase in January. While confidence is increasing, what about the issue of trust?

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Gen Z is Tuning into Radio – Social
Media Platforms are Taking Notice

Author: Madison Wright, Events and Communications Coordinator, RAB

You may be looking at this title and are thinking “Gen Z doesn’t listen to the radio; social media is where you reach them.” Did you know that radio reaches nearly 44,000,000 Gen Zers every week, according to Edison Research? While this group makes up around 20% of the U.S. population, per Statista, there is no denying the listening power of Gen Z.

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Media Platforms are Taking Notice”

It’s About the Bigger Picture – Insights into CES 2021

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

During RAB’s CES coverage, RAB, along with guests, discussed not only the change with CES from in-person to virtual, but also the changes in products and efforts by various tech companies. Shawn DuBravac, futurist and president of Avrio Institute, suggests when hearing about the products presented during CES, to zoom out of the individual product announcements and “look at the bigger picture.” DuBravac continues, “Push more broadly around products tying into their bigger goals and bigger desires… this is really going to disrupt the advertising market.”

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Happy Anniversary, Radio!

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

This month marks radio’s 100th anniversary. It’s an incredible milestone, and never has radio been more important, valued or recognized as it has this past year.

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Celebrate Radio

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Radio. According to Merriam-Webster, radio is “the wireless transmission and reception of electric impulses or signals by means of electromagnetic waves.” At the Radio Advertising Bureau, these are just some of the words we use to define and describe radio: mass, personal, engaging, live, local, interactive, informative, entertaining. And yes, there are many more that can be used as we celebrate radio.

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Radio Has a Great Story

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

As states across the country locked down, it created massive shifts in behaviors and routines. We’ve all read about studies that have analyzed the shifts and the overall mood by people across the country. One thing was evident among all these studies – people are missing what they did every day.

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Reaching Black and Hispanic Populations through Radio and
Other Media

Contributor: Gabriel Soto, Manager of Research, Edison Research

Under the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to disseminate information to various communities effectively. Often overlooked, African-American and Hispanic communities can benefit with a few insights into each group’s media consumption.

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Other Media”

The Spirit of Radio – Connecting in Times of Business Unusual

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB

“There’s something about the spirit of radio. It helps us all to know each other better and gives us a sense of purpose and community in a time where we need those things more than ever.”
– Adam Grant, Creative Director, AKQA (abridged).

Historically speaking, in periods of great challenge, truly there is no more important medium than local radio. In uncertain and unpredictable times, broadcast radio has proven that it is the backbone of the country’s information distribution system, with increased listening among consumers across all of its platforms.

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Insights from The Infinite Dial

Contributor: Laura Ivey, Director of Research, Edison Research

The most telling image from The Infinite Dial 2020 presentation is a screenshot of our presenters, Edison Research SVP Tom Webster and Triton Digital President of Market Development John Rosso, leading the webcast with over 1,500 attendees from their respective homes. No one could have anticipated that our setup would be driven by social distancing precautions. Now seems like a most appropriate time to talk about the most recent findings on the “infinite dial” of podcasting, digital, audio, radio and social media that connect us all.

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Radio. It’s On!

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Cancellations, social distancing, empty streets, working from home, virtual classes – this has become the new norm for many of us. We are all anxiously waiting to get back to how it used to be. In the interim, there is one thing that everyone can count on. Radio. It’s On.
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Radio by the Numbers

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Artificial intelligence. Autonomous vehicles. Robotic pets. It is easy to become enamored with technology and the latest gadgets, because they provide us with something that we didn’t know we needed or wanted. However we have also seen some technology or gadgets that some thought would be the next hottest thing, fizzle out.

Despite these tech advances, people today still use and appreciate the value of Radio. At its core, Radio remains relevant and prevalent, regardless of the device or platform used to tune in.

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The Voice That Keeps You Company

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

During RAB’s team coverage of CES 2020, John Holdridge of Fullscreen, a social content company, believes that there is a pending social recession. He said that people may “optimize their time for their health and well-being, there may be a point of turn-off for social.” How can eliminating social media be beneficial to a person’s health and well-being? According to a survey sponsored by the Cigna Health Insurance Company, loneliness is at an all-time high and triggered using social media. On the other hand, some studies have pointed to audio and voice as an aid to battle loneliness.

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Celebrating the Black Consumer

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

February is Black History Month, also known as African American Month. It celebrates and recognizes the roles that African Americans have played in shaping U.S. history. Originally established as Black History Week by American historian Carter G. Woodson, it was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1976.

As consumers, African Americans have a buying power of $1.3 trillion and are 47.8 million strong. They are socially active – as end-users as well as influencers. They also spend more time with media across devices – specifically radio, than the U.S. population in general.

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Insights into CES

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

Once viewed as an event for techies, CES has radically evolved. CES 2020 was not about consumer electronics, it was about the consumer experience. Technology is shifting everything. It is driving brand transformation and enhancing the experience for consumers, while also having an impact on everything they do – banking, cooking, shopping and raising families.

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Radio’s Top 10 to Usher in 2020

Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB

As we leave one decade to enter another, we couldn’t be prouder of the progress that radio has made to continuously deliver first-class and relevant content to listeners any way they wish to consume it. Among consumers today, audio is hot and radio is hotter. Advertisers from Main Street to Wall Street are tapping into radio’s incredible power and unique attributes. Why? Because radio is emotionally engaging, personal and measurable with the ability to deliver ad messages in a safe and receptive environment.
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Radio is Back in the Home

Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB

“What’s today’s weather forecast?” Did you know that is one of the top requests on smart speakers by their owners? Personally, that’s a question I ask my smart speaker daily. In fact, I often find myself wanting to ask that question out loud – even when I am away from home.

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