
(By Charese Frugé) Anny Mansfield is Corporate Research Director for Gen Media Partners, a research resource for agencies, brands, and partner radio stations. She’s an expert at analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, as well as consumer insights, to help build powerful station, market, and category presentations across any market size and rank, for total market, Hispanic, and Urban National Advertisers.
She finds data to develop marketing strategies that help GMP account executives deliver compelling stories and solutions about the power of radio to advertisers and their agencies, especially for new business development. She also works directly with local stations to provide them with research and analysis that can help them generate more local business.
Mansfield has 25 years of experience in research, marketing strategy, and analytics. She served on the National Radio Research Consortium (NRRC) and held previous positions at Katz-Univision, and Interep.
“I started my radio career at Katz Media in 1999 as an Intern.,” explains Mansfield. “Katz sponsored my visa and offered me a permanent position, first as a Research Analyst and then as Research Director. I oversaw all of Univision Radio National Sales research for 70 radio stations in 16 markets. I left Katz, went to Interep, and then joined Gen Media Partners, where I’ve held the position of Corporate Research Director for 17 years.”
“The magic started when R.M.I.T, the university I was attending in Australia offered as part of my degree an opportunity to apply for an International internship. I was studying advertising and chose New York, the heart of the advertising marketing industry. I spent four months in NY and was amazed at how much I loved it. I returned to Melbourne Australia and completed my degree but struggled to find employment.”
“With the help of a friend who was a web designer at Nike, I created a video resume, which was well ahead of its time, we’re talking back in 1999. I received a couple of offers and Katz was one of them. I began assisting the Vice President on the corporate floor then moved into research. I always loved researching, storytelling, and creating the best compelling stories. I became the Research Analyst for Univision Radio and was then upped to Research Director. I moved to Interep as the Hispanic Research Director. When we emerged as Gen Media Partners, I was tasked with working with all broadcasters — Hispanic, General Market, Urban, as well as independent broadcasters.”
“Fast forward to today, and my goal is delivering actionable data that drives sales, including highlighting the strengths and capabilities of the local radio stations we represent, which translates to increased revenue,” says Mansfield.
“I believe there is always a story to tell. I love to dig deep and look not only for the strengths of a radio station but also for the qualitative data that can demonstrate the real power of a station to reach and influence listeners that are consumers of a specific brand. Quantitative and Qualitative data provide different types of information and using both independently and or combined can help paint a more complete picture. For example, you can use Quantitative data to show the rank positioning of a station and use Qualitative data to help position the strengths of the radio station within a particular category or advertiser.”
I asked Mansfield about the method to her madness. “The first thing I do is define the purpose and key questions, then gather relevant data from reliable sources,” she says. “The next step is to critically evaluate the data using appropriate methods to identify patterns and trends. Finally, I draw logical conclusions to interpret the meaning of the findings, communicating them clearly to our sales team and advertisers.”
Mansfield shared a great example of a local success story with me: “We had a scenario where the competition was getting bought and had superior ratings. Through my research, I was able to prove that our station had better coverage within the store location and the competitive station did not. The competitive station was 2 hours south of the store location thus not effectively reaching the consumers that shop at the store. The agency saw with our data that our station had superior signal and store coverage and added us to the buy.”
As for the use of AI on her side of the business, Mansfield is not convinced it’s foolproof. “It seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days,” she says. “AI is a powerful tool to streamline the research process and uncover new insights, but it does not serve as a replacement for my own critical thinking and analysis.”
“I have always viewed the research role as an extension of the sales force. Working in conjunction with our sellers, the radio stations we represent, and the advertising agency, I provide data that can translate into ad revenue for the station and create awareness and sales revenue for the brand. When everybody wins, that is extremely rewarding for me.”
“It doesn’t come without challenges though. Some of the biggest, when you lose a piece of business, an account, or do not get the share you deserve,” says Mansfield. “I have learned what is most important is how you view the challenge. If I look at it as a hindrance, I won’t be able to think clearly to overcome it. I view a challenge as a great opportunity to learn, grow, and develop problem-solving skills.”
As for what’s ahead for Mansfield, “I want to continue to grow and evolve – I strongly believe you can never stop learning,” she says. “I intend to stay informed of the growing media platforms, trends, and new research products, tools, and resources offered within the industry. I want to super-serve our broadcast partners and agencies by offering helpful creative solutions which can drive revenue. Most importantly, I would like to be an advocate for radio and the importance and power that radio can have on our communities across the nation.”
Follow Anny Mansfield on LinkedIn.
Charese Frugé is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talents, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. Find her at @MCMediaOnline. See more Women to Watch here.