Radio Redux: Why You Might Be Missing the Masses

General consensus would point to one of the above options as obvious fact but according to Nielsenamp8217s Q1 2015 Total Audience Report the masses are mistaken The answer is in fact amp8230 radio In the age of mobile media AMFM radio remains the dominant and perhaps the most mobile mass mediumAccording to the report radio reaches 93 of all adults age 18 every week TV was second at 87 and smartphones were third with 70 I look at these numbers and once again I am struck by the yawning gap between radioamp8217s efficiency and its waning share of ad budgetsFour years ago we began our partnership with iHeartMedia formerly Clear Channel because we believed in radio when others did not This is not a tip of the hat to MediaLink but more to what I knew iHeartamp8217s legendary leader Bob Pittman would be able to help deliver We believe in radio even more today and now the truth of its enduring power is evident courtesy of Nielsen That is the power of radio and just as importantly the power of radio advertising dollarsAs the new data demonstrates radio is stabletogrowing while other media such as TV and desktop PCs are slightly declining amp160In 1971 about 90 of the population listened to the radio regularlyamp160 Today that number is about 90 This is an indicator that we still love to listen while other media habits have ebbed and flowed radio has remained a regular part of our daily media dietEven more telling radio reaches Millennials Among adults 1834 according to the new Nielsen numbers radioamp8217s weekly reach among this coveted demo is 93 compared to TVamp8217s 76amp160 One of our partners likes to say that radio is the original social media which is of course the Millennialamp8217s sine qua non I think thereamp8217s strong truth in that viewpoint and it returns us to my earlier comment unlike those that came before them Millennials arenamp8217t mired in the antiquated thinking of a time when radio was a box either in your car or in your living room Millennials are growing up in an age when radio means something very different It simply means carefully curated audio entertainment that is very often both live and local and can be accessed onthego wherever that may bePerhaps this is why marketers donamp8217t give radio its due credit because itamp8217s so easy to fall into a singular view of what the medium is or was Luckily most Millennials realize that radio lives across physical devicesamp160 They move seamlessly from the car to the phone as they pull into the office without missing a moment of their favorite morning showOr perhaps marketers continue to downplay radioamp8217s presence because familiarity breeds neglect Radio is after all ubiquitous in our lives According to Nielsen it reaches more people across all age groups than any other medium Radio is everywhere in many different forms and perhaps to some that makes it invisibleItamp8217s true that the consistency of radio use across age groups suggests that radio is part of our routine something we automatically do while commuting or preparing dinner So how does radio solve for an active versus a passive listener Music is a hook naturally but those in the radio industry would argue accurately I believe that advertisers need a sound strategy to better engage users in ways that are native to the form Letamp8217s face itamp160 With the ease of producing video creatives have lost their passion for audio But the numbers suggest this may be a huge missamp160amp160 More than a few clients Iamp8217ve spoken to have admitted when they buy radio they often just run their video spots as audioamp160 With 9 out of 10 consumers listening it seems it may be time to reprioritize and reinvent what audio creative should be todayIn order to maximize this burgeoning opportunity advertisers must believe in the potential They must not ignore it any longer but innovate against it So whatamp8217s your sound strategyThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage management or associated bloggers

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Radio Redux: Why You Might Be Missing the Masses

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Michael Kassan

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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Radio Redux: Why You Might Be Missing the Masses

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Michael Kassan

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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