Radio: A Strong Buy

Radio is strong.

I’m not just saying that because I’m biased.

According to recent research,

• Broadcast radio reaches over 79% of all U.S. adults daily, who listen on average for over two hours daily.

And it isn’t just for an “older generation:”

• Even among younger adults (18-34 years old), radio reached more than 79% of the population –  with an average listening time of more than one and a half hours each day.

When I’ve run advertising campaigns, I’ve always included radio in the mix. There’s no reason to change, either. Smart money goes into smart radio buys. Use radio well, and it delivers exceptional results!

More encouraging data about radio here (see the report titled, “How U.S. Adults Use Radio and Other Forms of Audio from the Council for Research Excellence Video Consumer Mapping Study”).

Black Friday “Cheers and Jeers”

I didn’t go shopping on Black Friday. I’ll admit, though, that I did buy some items – online. Maybe you did, too? One of my favorite websites, DealNews, offers their perspectives on stores and sites that served customers well – and some that didn’t – last week. You might be surprised by some of their conclusions!

They Tweet For Money – Would You?

Interesting article about Twitter users who post ads for money. You mean my friend’s Tweets might be ads? Yup.

So, would you mind pulling in a few extra thousand dollars a month this way? Is this selling out? Do you mind when folks use Twitter this way?

Methinks the Twitter revenue model might just explode with this kind of micro-ad sales. Isn’t anything pure anymore?

Google’s Shifting Interests

Leaving two “traditional” media advertising sales efforts, Google is now planning to shuft their attention to…(surprise!) online streaming. Article here.

Makes some sense, in light of what Google does. Still, I think there is a lot to be made in traditional radio advertising. The medium has some 90% of the U.S. tuned in weekly. Where there are ears, there will be ads!

Cuts At Clear Channel

Trimming jobs to affect 1,500 at radio/advertising giant Clear Channel Communications. Targeted employees and budget cuts are said to include local programming hosts and production staff.

I’ll suggest that eliminating local programming is a mistake. While some of my favorite radio shows are nationally syndicated (and I happen to work for a national broadcast), there is a strong case to be made for a good local presence. That is what makes for good radio. And as the ol’ saying goes, “All news is local.”