That’s the headline in The New Hampshire Union Leader regarding radio’s top spending category. All major carmakers are reporting weak numbers to start 2019. Higher interest rates are partly to blame with the average rate to borrow for a new car at 6.2%, up from 5% a year ago.
Nissan and Toyota posted bigger declines than analysts estimated in a Bloomberg News survey. The automaker’s only brand to grow for the month was Ram, with a 24 percent surge in truck and van deliveries. The Jeep brand had its first monthly drop since December 2017.
The irony here is that the dealers expect a certain style of ads from their radio partners – based, almost exclusively, on long-held traditions.
And the stations, understandably, defer and comply.
Unfortunately, the stations are ill-equipped to supply more powerful and effective ads.
Station reps are also more likely to genuinely promote the old-school approaches – solidly favouring the ol’ “yell & sell” route as the way to go.
There is some justification for that as the dealers would likely push back on anything else that Creative might be able to supply.
That assumes that Creative, wherever a barebones department might still exist, could come up with any truly viable alternatives.