Advertisers are always on the lookout for ways of interacting meaningfully with listeners. Radio Specialist John Walls zooms in on the SA radio landscape and gives the ‘how to’ on breakthrough radio campaigns…
Something that seems to come up a lot and which we’d aimed to address with RadioWorks 2011 is a request from media agencies for innovative non-traditional ways of engaging with consumers.
Without taking credit away from the trusted and faithful generic 30 second ad, going beyond the 30 second ad in the form of non-traditional radio offers brands an opportunity to find a home in the hearts and minds of listeners. To be impactful and memorable, however, it must be done right, asserts Ultimate Media Director, John Walls.
“As far as Media planning is concerned, the radio landscape has changed vastly from what it was back then. Fast forward 17 years into democracy and there’s an infinitely greater choice of stations and products, as well as clients’ expectations of what media agencies need to deliver for them”.
“Whereas in the past there were only a couple of stations to choose from, and clients were happy with nothing but a 30 second ad, significant changes in our market prove that it’s never been harder to be a media strategist”, he says.
These include changing demographics which have seen the emergence of a black middle class. Walls notes that while advertisers had been chasing this emerged market for many years using radio, even stations which were traditionally aimed at white audiences are today boasting up to 50% black audience listenership.
With the introduction of radio licenses, the South African radio landscape now not only boasts new markets, but new choices and station offerings as well; “For the Media Strategist, this sometimes means much more headaches, as much as it means more choice. For the Marketer, it means more stations to choose from, with which to achieve the full potential reach of target audience”, he adds.
Not surprisingly, the rise of non-traditional radio solutions i.e. any type of radio advertising other than a recorded 30 second ad, which includes sponsorships, live-reads, give-aways, promotions, events, activations, stations hitting the streets and putting brand in hand, presenter endorsements, advertorials dressed up as content, digital solutions such as website competitions, SMS competitions, twitter and facebook, listener loyalty clubs etc, have all added to the revelry.
The clever advertiser
Not happy resting on their laurels, South African advertisers have started to realise that radio is probably the most natural way to create a meaningful 2-way interaction with listeners; “They understand that radio is the original social network, and that listeners use radio for emotional reasons, as a pick me up or when they’re bored in their cars or isolated while doing daily chores. They understand that radio is a friend to the consumer in a way that no other above-the-line medium can be. The clever advertiser understands that if a listener hears a message from their favourite radio station, they interpret it as a message they’re hearing from a friend”, he explains.
While digital social media might be an excellent way of reaching consumers, its perennial problem has been how to get people onto those platforms. Because of its compatibility with social media, radio is often the linchpin that holds these campaigns together. The ‘friend factor’ gives radio the ability to drill down into its audience to find the listener that likes orange-flavoured ice-cream or the one that likes to go fishing on weekends, and engage with them one-on-one.
Tips for creating non-traditional campaigns that work:
- Don’t wait for Programming Managers to come to you. Go see them. Take them out for breakfast. Get to know what their programming priorities are. Aligning with these prioritise will help them drive the process better through their presenters.
- Programming Managers hate a prescriptive ‘do it exactly like the client wants’ brief. Avoid it, rather tap into their strong understanding of what works for their listeners.
- Integrate brand ambition with Programming ambition. Marry PR with all of this from the get go. Don’t write advertorial/editorial after the story. Advertising and PR objectives are after all, the same.
- Your brief should be half the solution. Be careful. As a client, don’t come with the whole campaign and mechanics laid out. Have a simple plan, and allow the Programming Manager to tailor-make it or fill in the details. Do your homework on a station’s programming format.
- You don’t have to be a Creative to be creative. Radio has evolved. In the past, media was dictated by the creative. There’s been a shift. It’s called ‘Creative media planning’.
- Don’t be afraid to ask. Not every radio station has the same programming philosophy. Some stations will experiment.
South Africa’s radio landscape is immeasurably more robust in 2011. It is without a doubt an exciting time for media specialists to be taking full advantage of radio’s unique offerings, and invest in the medium. Not convinced? Click here to see the videos
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