As pharmaceutical companies continue to use radio for a powerful lift, one COVID vaccine maker has traded places with another on the week’s list of the top five national advertisers. For the week of October 16-22, Media Monitors shows a total of 214,209 spot plays, showing a decline when compared to the previous week‘s 221,670.
Job search platform ZipRecruiter remains the industry frontrunner, but this time with an increase to 53,041 spot plays from last week’s 47,600. This uptick suggests that ZipRecruiter is doubling down on its advertising efforts at the front end of Q4 as retailers seek seasonal help ahead of the holidays.
Vicks, which had dropped to fourth place last week, climbed to second place with 42,725 spots. Returning to the list after a two-week absence is Babbel, moving into the third position with 41,997 spot plays, pushing previous top contenders like Moderna and The Home Depot out of the top five.
Speaking of Moderna, pharmaceutical company Pfizer made its way into the list, recording 38,944 spots, as it pushes its COVID booster shots in collaboration with Biontech. Discover rounded off the top five with 37,502 spot plays.
The overall decrease in spot plays continues, with the average spot plays per advertiser falling slightly to 42,841.8 from last week’s 44,334. While radio’s national ad market remains healthy overall, it has now been three weeks of measured decline. With 2024 economic fears growing, coupled with global tensions rising around conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, many analysts are waiting to see how holiday spending will be affected.
