(By Charlie Sislen) In a previous article, I discussed the glut of automotive advertising on television and how a car dealer’s message can be lost in the clutter. Most advertisers will benefit from converting some of their TV ad dollars over to radio. It allows them to cost-effectively reach a new audience that may not be watching TV.
The challenge, then, is how to prove this with facts. We have good news on that front – Nielsen is offering a product that can do just that. It’s called Nielsen Media Impact. Several broadcasters have already used this tool to convince TV advertisers that it’s in their best interest to move a portion of their dollars from television over to radio.
This service is currently available nationally and in dozens of markets locally. It includes TV, digital, and radio data.
Put simply, Nielsen Media Impact can demonstrate to an advertiser what happens to GRPs and reach as you move dollars from specific TV stations to your radio station or cluster. In most cases, an advertiser will see that they can increase GRPs and/or reach by making this shift.
In other words, get more (GRPs or reach) for the same advertising dollars. Who can argue with that?
As with most opportunities, there are some caveats.
The service is not free, and apparently it’s not inexpensive. Therefore, any broadcaster who invests in the Nielsen Media Impact service should ensure they have a team in place that can and will take advantage of this tool. There are two elements that are essential to realizing its value.
First, your sales team needs to have a good enough relationship with their clients to gain insight into their TV expenditures. This should include the advertiser’s budget and cost per point on a station-by-station basis. Without this information, the output lacks authenticity.
Second, it’s important to have a sales team that will take the time to utilize it. Often, management buys effective tools for their team, and it sits on the proverbial shelf. No matter how great a tool may be, it has zero value if it is not utilized.
After learning about Nielsen Media Impact, we feel that it can greatly bolster smart and well-connected salespeople who are willing to invest the time it takes to yield a tremendous impact on their billing.
Charlie Sislen is a partner at Research Director, Inc. He can be reached at 410-956-0363 or by e-mail at [email protected]. This essay is part of a series titled “Growing the Radio Pie.” To view past articles, visit The Ratings Experts at Research Director, Inc. online here.
