(By Bob McCurdy) Often the best way to reinforce a point is to reference a quote or a corroborating point of view from a respected and influential source, which is why the “They said it, I didn’t” approach can be effective. It can provide the reluctant decision-maker the courage to pull the trigger and commit to what you’re recommending. The other benefit is that it can provide that needed jolt of confidence and conviction necessary to champion your point of view or suggested course of action, knowing that others more accomplished think similarly. What follows are some key quotes from respected experts/execs in 2019 that might assist in 2020.
Radio
Marc Pritchard Chief Brand Officer, Proctor & Gamble
“Radio is a great platform for us. That’s one area where we have been increasing recently because, what we have found, is that consumers are pretty engaged with radio.”
Brian Wieser, Global President, Business Intelligence, GroupM
“Both outdoor and radio retain unique characteristics for reaching audiences and don’t face direct alternatives in the ways that TV and print do.”
Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts
“And of course, most importantly, for what we do, Country radio is number one, period, for us. That’s our lifeblood to the fans.”
Nicholas P. Schiavone, the former Chief Research Officer of NBC Radio and the NBC Television Network, and now principal of an independent strategic consulting practice
“From an advertiser’s and agency’s perspective, radio’s ability to create ‘Imagery Transfer’ makes it an unusually effective and efficient marketing vehicle. With the proper creative execution, the right audio stimulus in a radio commercial will produce the visual elements of a comparable TV commercial.”
Martin Koch, Head of Development, Infotainment Multimedia at Audi
Over 70% of time spent listening today in the car is to broadcast radio. “It’s still very important,” he said during the “Connected Car, Audio on Demand, Advertising and Big Data” session. “This is the golden age of radio in the car.”
Mike Lindell owner of MyPillow
After selling a MyPillow to 44 million customers, Lindell says radio is the number one platform to promote his product. “If you don’t believe Mike Lindell on an infomercial, you trust the radio host.”
SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer
“There’s AM and FM radio, which is still a gigantic medium, and absolutely the easiest to use.”
Jean-François Sacco, Chief Creative Officer and co-founder, Rosapark
“The return to sound. With the over-saturation of images, customers will want to find meaning through sound and speech.”
ANA: Radio Personalities High on the List of “Influencers.”
In this “age of outcomes, where it is a requirement that media demonstrate proof of trust, authenticity, accountability, and attribution for the dollars marketers invest, leveraging radio’s personalities and the relationships they have with their followers is a smart and solid bet.”
Deloitte Highlights Radio’s “Revenue, Reach And Resilience.”
“Radio is the voice whispering in our ear, in the background of dinner, in an office, or while driving the car. It is not pushy or prominent, but it is there.” Those poetic words come from the Deloitte Insights 2019 “Technology, Media, & Telecommunications Predictions.” The medium also remains ubiquitous among Millennials, the study says. In the U.S., more than 90% of 18–34-year-olds will listen to radio at least weekly in 2019, for an average of more than 80 minutes a day. In contrast, TV viewing among 18 to 34-year-olds is falling at three times the rate of radio listening.
Television
Analyst: Record Cord Cutting Raises Concern for Media Stocks
Looking at the second-quarter financial and operating results released so far by cable operators, analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson Research said cord-cutting has become “freaking ugly” and the headwinds faced by media companies have gotten “much worse.” Over five years, the reach of broadcast networks is down 17% to 60.2%. The C3 ratings used to sell TV were down 13% in the quarter, Nathanson notes.
TV Viewing Drops a Historical 7.2% Quarter-To-Date
Linear TV viewing has declined a dramatic 7.2% since the beginning of third-quarter 2019 — the worst quarterly decline on record, according to a new study from UBS Global Research. And there’s more bad news for the industry, as older demos begin to falter. The study compared traditional TV viewing between now and 2010 levels, and found that the youngest viewers have eroded 50% to 60% over that period.
IPG Media Lab and Magna Global
More than $59 billion is being spent on television ads in the U.S., with no guarantee they’ll be seen. The study from IPG Media Lab and Magna Global found that only 71% of TV ads are “viewable,” meaning the audience member was physically present in the room for at least two seconds while the spot aired. The reason, of course, is that 29% of the time, no one was in the room.
Nearly 25% of Households Will Ditch Traditional TV By 2022
Cord cutting is on the rise in the U.S. and the trend isn’t about to change, according to eMarketer. The market research company reported Tuesday that nearly 25% of households will ditch traditional television by 2022.
Newspapers
In the U.S., weekday print circulation has shrunk from a high of nearly 60 million in 1994, to 35 million for combined print and digital circulation in 2018, according to the Pew Research Center.
Did you know?
There are 272.5 million cars/trucks registered in the U.S and that SiriusXM’s subscriber total is 34.6 million, which means only 12-13% of cars/trucks can receive satellite programming. It was predicted in 1994 that by 2004, satellite radio car penetration would be 10% 16 years ago.
A bunch of smart people said a lot of positive things about our industry in 2019. It is to our collective benefit to share these opinions with existing clients and those who might be contemplating giving radio a shot in 2020. At a minimum, they should be able to enhance our decks in the coming months.
