Field Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is

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For what seems like years now, Entercom CEO David Field has said radio is undervalued. He’s never bought into the radio naysayers who say that flat revenue is the new up. He’s consistently stated that radio is the most undervalued and least disrupted media. And he has always said you can reach more people, get better results for far less money, using radio, and “we should act like it.” David Field is doing more than just talking the talk.

Field likes to use the phrase “Radio is punching below its weight.” So now, with a much larger company thanks to the merger with CBS, Field is using his new platform to promote both Entercom and the radio industry by advertising in publications he knows are read by big advertisers and marketers.

On Monday, Entercom launched a two-week pro-radio advertising campaign that will run in several national publications. Chief Marketing Officer Ruth Gaviria announced the campaign to Entercom employees and says the campaign will begin with a multi-page advertising spread about the power of Entercom and radio in Ad Age. It’s called “A Marketer’s Guide to Radio” and includes charts from Nielsen and Edison Research, and a Q&A with Field about the power of radio. Over the next two weeks, the company will also advertise in AdWeek, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, and Broadcasting & Cable in addition to a digital campaign on NYTimes.com and WSJ.com.

Many radio companies use their own radio stations to promote the power of radio. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that, however, those ads are typically placed in dayparts with fewer listeners, such as overnights. You have to wonder how many big advertising decision-makers are listening to radio from midnight to 6 a.m.  What Entercom is doing is different. Finally!

Field has said he’s going to use his bigger platform to push harder for more ad dollars, not only for Entercom, but to lift up the entire radio industry. It didn’t take him long to put his plan into motion. When was the last time a major radio group spent real advertising dollars promoting radio to big advertisers? There are only two questions that remain: 1) Will any other radio groups do the same? 2) Will advertisers buy his pitch?

12 COMMENTS

  1. David Field, and all industry colleagues, the answer to radio’s growth challenge is simple: give advertisers what they’ve told us they want for decades, and what most of the industry refuses to do (despite being proven to generate more dollars per hour of prospecting, preparing, presenting and closing): 52 weeks of documented sales results, every penny being directly attributable to their radio buy.

    How? Having walked the talk on this – in and out of radio sales and ownership – turning seven figure results a number of ways, proven time and again, I don’t give a rip. You don’t need me to do it for you, you can do it yourself. However, I’m happy to pay it forward and share how it’s done – in generating from $2MM from a small market of 7,500 to $114MM in advertiser sales results from a market of 200,000, the money’s there.

    There’s million dollar bills lying all over the streets of the USA and Canada – all that’s needed is someone to pick them up.

  2. Thank you, David Field. Radio is undervalued. Advertisers need to be reawakened to the power of radio. Sales Managers and Account Executives also need to believe in the strength of their product.

  3. Wow. This is how you promote radio! And NOT by spending a million dollars on self-aggrandizing water misters for your office, or lavish multi-million dollar yacht cruises overseas, or automating sales…like Bob Pittman does at Iheart. Finally, there is a modern-day leader for radio with David Field.

  4. Commitment to excellence is becoming obvious with this merged major player. With the other players mired in legalize, Field has established leadership position. Bravo!

  5. So glad to see this. I tweeted out this morning, that radio at one time big outdoor advertiser, TV advertiser and lots of print. It pays to advertise correct, this is so encouraging. I recall years ago sitting with a buyer who we were trying to get to place a schedule on the station. She looked at me and said ” you know you want me to advertise with you but you do not advertise the station.” Guess what changed that afternoon.

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