Author: Nick Arias, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB
Broadcast radio plays an important role in the lives of listeners and will continue to be a part of their daily routines. Engaging with radio content matters to these listeners and as broadcast radio expands the conversation via podcasts, the combined role that radio and podcasts play as part of the audio pie becomes significantly greater.
Continue reading “Radio and Podcasts – Engaging Listeners Everywhere”Author: Victor Texcucano, Content Coordinator, RAB
Electronic retailers are one of the more popular places where consumers shop for gifts for loved ones. Whether it’s a new tablet for the kids, a new laptop for a college student or a brand-new 80” 4K TV for the living room, electronic retailers sell many high-ticket goods valued by all consumers.
It’s never too early to think about winter holiday season, but summer may be the perfect time to start focusing on what people may start purchasing in the next few months as we quickly approach the big shopping season.
In 2023, holiday sales rose 3.8% year-over-year to $964.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). This reflects a return to pre-pandemic days in which, according to NRF, average sales growth during the holiday season was around 3.6%.
The holiday season is no longer confined to the last few months of the year. These days, it is important to keep deal-seekers interested in products they can give to their loved ones, or even buy for themselves.
So, what should electronic retailers know about those shopping in the 2024 holiday season? For one, at least 16% of U.S. consumers have already begun shopping for the holidays, per June 2024 data by CivicScience.
Electronics retailers should keep this in mind and promote sales and inventory availability throughout the year to attract consumers searching for the best deals. With consumer economic concerns, they are financially wary and are spreading out their holiday spending. This was also evident in 2023.
Over sixteen billion dollars was spent during the 2023 holiday shopping period using BNPL (buy now, pay later) plans, per Adobe Analytics. This shows the evolving way in which consumers are shopping for the holidays.
Electronic retailers, however, have significant competition, mainly coming from big-box stores, like Walmart or Target, and especially from e-commerce retailers such as Amazon, who alone accounted for 28% of all retail growth in the first quarter of 2024, per CNBC.
The good news is that according to 2023 MRI-Simmons data, 37% of those who said they’ve browsed Amazon in the last 30 days said they do research on products online then purchase it in-store.
An additional 81% of those who browsed Amazon recently said they like to shop around when deciding on their purchase. It is also important to note that according to eMarketer, 81.1% of total holiday retail sales happened offline.
Radio is a great way to reach consumers who buy and use electronics. Eighty-six percent of consumers who own a personal computer listen to radio. Additionally, another 86% of consumers who have spent $200+ on computer software in the last 12 months also listen, per MRI-Simmons. And within the next 12 months, 52% of radio listeners intend to purchase electronics such as a tablet, smartwatch, home theater system or others.
Radio also reaches 89% of consumers who have spent $100+ on audio equipment and accessories, like surround sound speakers or home theater/entertainment systems.
When including broadcast radio for an electronic retailer campaign, these advertisers should promote the potential cost savings and “deals” available. Radio listeners are more concerned about inflation compared to nonlisteners, although radio listeners have more discretionary income per 2024 Provoke Insights data. Fifty-six percent of radio listeners are saving money compared to 45% of nonlisteners when asked to describe their current financial situation.
Radio also influences behavior. Based on Provoke Insights data, 62% of radio listeners sought information online after hearing an ad and 88% purchased a product or service after that radio ads exposure. This is important too for electronic retailers to note since the data also shows that radio listeners are more likely than nonlisteners (21% versus 26%) to be swayed to trial a new brand.
While the official holiday season is months away, consumers have already started their shopping process. Electronics can be high ticket items so savvy shoppers will be on the lookout for deals and inventory. Retailers who are focused on electronics sales should amp up their opportunity to increase sales now through the holiday shopping period. Using broadcast radio to serve up and communicate deals is a way for retailers to boost online retailer website traffic and drive sales.
Digging Into Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ Partnerships with Stations, Local Children’s Hospitals, and Businesses
Contributor: Fred Jacobs, President and Founder, Jacobs Media Strategies
For more than four decades, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has been focused on raising money for local children’s hospitals in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Broadcast radio has played an integral role in these fundraising efforts, as stations in hundreds of communities have showcased their local impact and influence through partnerships with children’s hospitals and area advertisers. With the mission to change kids’ health, CMN Hospitals has helped raise more than $9 billion for 170 children’s hospitals.
Continue reading “How Talent “Ambassadors” Facilitate Charitable Initiatives and Sponsorships”Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
According to new estimates released by the U.S. Census, the Hispanic population accounted for nearly 71% of total U.S. population growth. In 2023, Hispanics were the second largest group per this data.
Continue reading “Radio is a Must to Reach Hispanics”Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
The auto industry has had its fair share of challenges and opportunities in the past few years. Events such as parts and labor shortages, strikes and the most recent security hack are just a few. While these events undoubtedly impact their business, they have an even greater effect on the consumer.
Continue reading “Driving Demand: The Impact of Radio Listening on Auto Sales”Contributor: Rick Kestenbaum, general manager, AnalyticOwl
According to the National Association of Realtors, the average age of a home in the U.S. is 39 years. That creates constant opportunity for plumbing and HVAC companies. Radio has proven to be an excellent way to not only promote emergency services, but also to get listeners thinking about profitable replacements, upgrades and renovations.
AnalyticOwl Industry Insights reports for these categories, based on responses measured between July 2021 and June 2023, reveal a number of opportunities that advertisers can use to better understand the impact of radio on website traffic and to understand where and how to optimize to even better response.
One key finding is that during this date range, 84% of plumbing website visits and 75% of HVAC website visits that occurred immediately after commercials aired came from search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.), while only 14% of plumbing website visits and 24% of HVAC website visits came from users who entered a specific website address. Why is this important? In Google Analytics, the “Referring Source” metric identifies the last website a visitor was on. That can give the impression that all of that traffic should be attributed to search engines when in reality many visits ae from people who had just heard a commercial and then used a search engine to get to the site. Understanding that people will overwhelmingly behave this way no matter what call to action is used is key to understanding the full impact of radio. Hard-to-remember website or landing pages addresses, dedicated phone numbers and response codes all attempt to create a narrow response path that most people simply won’t go down.
For both categories, response rates were at a fairly consistent level from Tuesday to Saturday. In this case, the best strategy is a consistent presence throughout the week in order to leverage that steady flow. The best daypart overall was Midday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., but Afternoon was close behind as was Morning Drive, which is unusual since Morning Drive usually drives higher numbers later in the day as a benefit of reach and frequency. Evenings and Overnights often prove to deliver good value given lower rates. And :30 was the best-performing ad duration, driving 2% lift in web traffic. This is an important consideration for those using :15s and/or :60s.
Radio visitors also drove quality visits. Session durations averaged 1 minute, 14 seconds with an average of 1.7 pages viewed, indicating serious interest and response. Bounce rates were under 50%, indicating that fewer people just visit a single page before leaving the site. And over 50% of site visitors used a mobile device, a great reminder that radio audiences can easily respond anywhere and everywhere.
Radio reaches adults who are in the market for plumbing and HVAC upgrades. According to Scarborough’s USA+ 2023 Release 2, radio reaches not only 86% adults who are planning any home improvement but 84% with HVAC plans and 86% plumbing plans.
Tapping into radio’s reach, advertisers who follow these insights will find that increased response leads to increased conversions and increased revenue.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
With temperatures around the country on this rise, who wants to cook? Dining out or taking out is the way to go.
Continue reading “Radio is on the Menu for Restaurants”Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
Navigating the complex world of attribution is not that complex with new measurement capabilities in play for radio success
There is a misperception in the advertising community that an audio ad’s influence on a consumer’s purchase journey can’t be measured to the same degree as ads that run on digital media. This inaccuracy is grounded in radio’s broadcast nature, which makes attaching a digital pixel for tracking individual listeners from exposure to purchase an impossibility.
Continue reading “If You Can Dream It, Radio Can Measure It”Author: Nick Arias, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB
As adults journey through life, one of the milestones some may reach is the purchase of a home. It is a significant event, filled with anticipation and excitement for some. This event is most often made possible with the guidance and support of a real estate agent.
Continue reading “Radio Works with Real Estate, One Home At a Time”Contributor: Beth Osborne, director, marketing and content, Marketron
As digital advertising continues to become a growing part of a station’s revenue, you may have a book of businesses that are digital-only advertisers. Maybe they aren’t convinced of the value of radio ads or seek an audience outside of your station demographics. For new advertisers, they may have never purchased an audio ad before. There are many reasons they may be in this bucket. The question is, should they be?
Continue reading “Why Digital-Only Brands Should Become Broadcast Radio Advertisers”Author: Victor Texcucano, Content Coordinator, RAB
While the oldest are now nearing their mid-40s and the youngest not yet 30, millennials now represent the largest generation group in the U.S. The U.S. Census in 2022 estimated that there were more than 72.24 million millennials.
Continue reading “As Millennials Go Through Life, Radio is There to Reach Them”Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Depending where you live in the U.S., greenery is popping up everywhere. We are in spring and heading into the summer months. This doesn’t just mean that flowers and trees are blooming, it also means that the real estate market is also blossoming. This is the time of the year when the real estate market becomes competitive.
Continue reading “Radio is a Must for Homeowner Services”Highlights of the Data & Trends from PQ Media’s preliminary Political Media Buying 2024
Contributor: Dr. Leo Kivijarv, EVP/Research, PQ Media
For the seventh time since 2012, PQ Media is sharing its outlook on political media buying from its election cycle report with RAB members. During a recent presentation, I noted how this election cycle differs significantly from every previous cycle due to a plethora of unanswered questions that still exist. Some of these questions come seven months before the elections, which for this blog I’m calling the Great Unknowns – there are 20. That’s how unpredictable this year’s election cycle has become in determining how much will be spent by candidates, political action groups (PACs) and advocacy groups promoting or objecting to a ballot referendum.
Continue reading “Elections 2024: The Great Unknowns“Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
During the height of the pandemic, consumers found themselves not only reevaluating where they lived, but also the furniture they had in their homes. Dining rooms and kitchens became makeshift offices. Consumers quickly realized that they needed to look at their home furnishings with a different perspective.
Continue reading “Radio Delivers Furniture Buyers”Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
What a difference a few years make. We have all seen it and experienced it. Although different, business is back from the impact of the pandemic. Shelves are full and automotive dealer lots are full. Automotive has gone from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market.
Continue reading “Radio Accelerates Website Traffic for Auto”Author: Victor Texcucano, Content Coordinator, RAB
Pens, pencils, paper, staplers, sticky notes… Even more expensive things like computers, printers and office chairs. These days, it’s practically impossible to run a modern office without such items. Whether you work from home or work at a business office, supplies get used daily, and while e-commerce retailers are fierce, office supply retailers have a need to reach consumers in their areas.
Continue reading “Use Radio for Office and BTS Supplies”Author: Nick Arias, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB
Although the year is still young, the summer season is quickly approaching. People are in the right mindset to get in the best shape possible. While many are reaching their fitness goals, there are some that are still figuring out where to start.
Continue reading “Radio’s Strength in Fitness”Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Partnerships are important. Ask anyone who is trying to grow their business, and they will admit that along with their own hard work, the partnerships and relationships they build with both consumers and other businesses has helped their own growth and impact.
Continue reading “Radio is the Perfect Partner”Contributor: Fleur Voruz, Senior Director/Media, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Through purposeful partnerships, radio stations uniquely position themselves as champions by raising funds and awareness for critical needs in their local communities. These collaborations not only elevate positive listener sentiment, but they also drive employee engagement and business value for the radio station and its sponsors.
Continue reading “Radio’s Impact: Championing Children’s Health and Building Transformative Business Partnerships”Contributor: Steve Passwaiter, President, Silver Oak Political
Last week, I provided some background into local races. I also focused on the importance of sharing insights and information about radio listeners, dispelling misperceptions about radio and tapping into the creativity that is synonymous with radio. This week it is about execution.
I think I’ve likely given you some definite clues about taking care of executing political advertisers. Armed with solid data about how adding radio to schedules helps increase the advertisers reach to voters, you’ve got a talking point to get someone’s interest. What are you doing to promote that? Radio has multiple platforms to reach listeners AND advertisers. It’s worth using some of those to make the results of this study known in your market.
The one indispensable piece of advice I can provide is the one that is used in the title of this blog: Don’t forget your backyard! Use your local influence; get out and meet the people within an hour’s drive that are going to control millions of local dollars. Get to your state’s capital and introduce yourself to the people that run the political parties at the state level. This is a group of advertisers running a massive one-day sale in November. How can you help them deliver their message to the market? Think about bundling those digital assets they can use, too. (Many are unaware that radio can do that too.)
Remember – you must play the long game in politics. That means that you don’t stop once the election is over. There will be dollars in play in 2025, and the “off” years are not so off any longer. This is a great time to expand relationships and explore new ways of helping.
I once was told by one of my old radio sales managers that the best time to sell is when nothing is happening. He was right about that. You’ll find that political agencies and political contacts will be more likely to hold a meeting with you, especially if you’ve have people that will recommend you. Sales is like politics – it is all about relationships.
As we consider the rest of 2024, pay particular attention to your properties that reach into the African American and Hispanic communities. Political parties will plan to spend not just candidate dollars but, dollars aimed at increasing voter registration and participation in both communities. Recent polling is showing a shift in voter attitudes and that likely translates to each political party having to do more work and spend more money to bring these voters to their side or keep them on their side.
There are local coordinators that are in charge of these efforts and it’s time to get to know them and see what you can do to help them to do their job. The financial rewards are obvious in the short term and the relationships you build are a bonus in the long term – with future election.
Former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, was credited for saying that “all politics are local.” For radio broadcasters who work hard and who are part of their communities, it’s time to change the rules of engagement. It is time for broadcast radio to reap the shares it deserves in political advertising.
