The three-week slide in spot play from radio’s top national advertisers came to an end this week with a small gain to cap the month. This comes even without Pfizer or Moderna making the Media Monitors list, as spend-heavy pharmaceutical companies try to promote their COVID boosters ahead of winter, which is a good sign for the fluidity and health of the radio ad market.
Lowe’s stormed into the week’s top spot with a notable spot play of 52,166, relegating longtime number one, ZipRecruiter, to the third position, which garnered 41,882 spot plays. Vicks held its second-place position with a minor uptick in its numbers, moving from 42,725 to 43,090 spot plays.
Meanwhile, consistent performer Babbel experienced a slight dip, sliding from third to fourth with a total of 41,088 spot plays. As the list made room for Lowe’s, it also welcomed Upside back after a week off the list into fifth place with 39,535 spot plays. This entry meant the exit for two prominent names: Pfizer and Discover.
The total spot play for the top 5 national advertisers this week reached 217,761, a modest increase from the previous week’s total of 214,209. It indicates that radio listeners had a marginally heightened exposure to ads from these leading brands this week. On the average front, the numbers increased to 43,552.2 from the previous 42,841.8, suggesting a broader spread across the top advertisers.
With Lowe’s making its significant entry and consistent players like Vicks holding their turf, the radio advertising landscape remains dynamic as the first month of Q4 comes to a close. As brands recalibrate their strategies for the holidays, the evolution shown in October promises an engaging tug of war in the weeks ahead.
