(By Bob McCurdy) I’ve always found that the best way to make a sales point is to have someone else make it for you. Supporting information or an endorsement that comes from independent, well-informed sources is typically more readily accepted as fact.
So what do the following respected media/marketing executives have in common?
— Kate Coultas, JC Penney Senior Manager of Corporate Communications & Public Relations
— Chris Weil, Chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide
— Pankaj Kumar, VP of Media Sciences at Comcast
— Mark Fratrik, SVP and Chief Economist at BIA/Kelsey
— Kathy Doyle, EVP of Local Investment at Magna Global
— Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates
— Dr. Bradley Vines, Director of Nielsen Consumer NeuroScience, Europe
— Jennifer Hungerbuhler, Carat’s EVP and Managing Director of Local Video and Audio Investment
— Paul Street, USA TouchPoints Director of Global Research
— Sean Bryan, Co-Chief Creative Officer at McCann/New York
— Natalie Swed Stone, U.S. Director, National Audio Investment at OMD.
They are all independent sources who think pretty highly about radio!
Several weeks back, I recapped 2017 articles that focused on the importance of “reach.” While researching that blog, I uncovered positive comments about radio made by these respected marketing executives. When you aggregate all of these quotes on one page, it is quite impressive.
November 2017
“We know people are listening to their local radio stations and they don’t get to fast-forward through the commercials like on TV, so that’s a great place to have more call-to-action messaging going on and letting them know about the sale coming up this weekend and the coupons that we have.”
Kate Coultas, JC Penney Senior Manager of Corporate Communications & Public Relations
“You are more effective. You have the ability to drive sales. If you want to move stuff off the shelves, you go to radio. Radio is in a good place.”
Chris Weil, Chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide
September 2017
“Radio is there, radio is staying—and based on the data that Comcast has about the effectiveness of the airwaves— it’s time that you guys get the credit where it’s due.”
Pankaj Kumar, VP of Media Sciences at Comcast
July 2017
“Local radio stations continue to reach a sizable local audience and provide that access to national and local advertisers. When retailers, car dealers, and local restaurants want to reach a large audience announcing a particular promotion or sale, they often turn to radio as part of their advertising mix….It is expected that retailers…and other advertisers…will continue to use radio in this way.”
Mark Fratrik, SVP and Chief Economist at BIA/Kelsey
“We still get e-mails from listeners telling us how much they like [Magna Global’s ‘Pure Michigan’ radio ad campaign]. This is the perfect example of theater of the mind. You can’t help but see certain images when you hear those spots….We’ve had clients completely walk away from radio and then walk right back. Because it does work and it is effective. They do see a difference in their local business.”
Kathy Doyle, EVP of Local Investment at Magna Global
June 2017
“Everything we’ve read about listening and aging audiences—plus all the digital propaganda—would have us believe that only our grandmother is listening to radio. Turns out the industry’s biggest supporters—the advertisers who foot the bills—aren’t buying it at all….Radio works, and they’re telling us in the latest survey data that radio’s got one helluva ROI.”
Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates
May 2017
“Unlike video, which consumers can look away from, sound can have an influence whether consumers are fully paying attention or not. This is ideal for connecting with non-conscious emotional associations and makes audio a powerful vehicle for developing brands in the mind of the consumer.”
Dr. Bradley Vines, Director of Nielsen Consumer NeuroScience, Europe
April 2017
“Radio has had remarkable stability in terms of listenership. And most importantly, it delivers a strong reach at a very, very efficient price. It’s that personal connection with a local deejay that listeners often form that’s absent from digital audio.”
Carat’s EVP and Managing Director of Local Video and Audio Investment, Jennifer Hungerbuhler
“AM/FM remains ideally suited for in-car audio while people are going about their daily lives and making their shopping decisions.”
USA TouchPoints Director of Global Research, Paul Street
And just this week:
“I think radio continues to be an important part of the mix. It’s a very efficient way to reach your audience with a message, however I would say that we as an industry are not using it as much as we should for brand building. I think, unfortunately, a lot of brands consider radio part of the media mix as a means to push out promotional information instead of a means to build their brand and drive sales. Radio is very good for that. I’ve seen how radio can actually build a brand and can change the way people feel about a brand—not just inform them about promotional information or what’s on sale this week.
“The fact is that very often we feel a brand and understand a brand with our ears first. We need to remind agencies, brands, production agencies, everybody, that radio and audio can be as powerful as any other medium and any other sense to connect with the hearts and minds of customers.”
Co-Chief Creative Officer at McCann/New York, Sean Bryan
“The change in television and video is so much more dramatic than the change occurring in audio. The stability of audio is providing a measure of confidence to clients. The reach message is resonating very powerfully. It is driving much of the audio strategy. Reach is now a valuable commodity and radio is now in a position to be the primary driver. As TV and digital fragment, audio’s position escalates.”
Natalie Swed Stone, U.S. Director, National Audio Investment at OMD
Some accomplished marketing pros have said some great things about the radio medium in the past eight months. These comments can serve to not only reinforce our own belief in our medium, but also provide a kind of “safety net” to those considering the use of radio.
“Endorsements” such as these can provide considerable gravitas to our “why radio” conversations.
Bob McCurdy is The Vice President of Sales for the Beasley Media Group and can be reached at [email protected]
These Bob-reported anecdotal examples demonstrate the efficacies of radio – when presented powerfully and appropriately – and are what keeps us as a medium that still has great potential.
There are, however, very few other laurels on which radio can rest.