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Using Radio Alongside Other Media

Using radio alongside Local Newspapers

Local newspapers have been around for a long time and they are often seen as a “banker medium” by local businesses, despite the fact that their effectiveness may be debatable.

Local newspapers have some important strengths. They have the authority of print (that’s why people talk about information being “there in black & white”) and they are also ideal for providing detail (prices, location, products, etc). Full-page ads in local press can also say a lot about the stature of a business, although this is a very expensive option.

But there are two major disadvantages with local newspapers. The first is clutter: not only do people skip over the ads in the paper, but there often seem to be more ads than editorial on the page.

The second problem is age profile: most local newspapers are read mainly by older people (50+) and this means they are far from cost-effective for advertisers wanting to reach younger audiences.

They also tend to focus – unlike radio – on bad news, and this depressing tone can create a difficult environment for advertisers who are trying to excite or stimulate their customers.

Local Newspaper Advertising
Strengths	Weaknesses
Authority: “it’s in black & white”	Some titles are very low quality
Full page ads can demonstrate stature	Diminishing returns on costly full-page ads
Room for detailed information	Ageing readership for most titles
Can be in relevant sections	Ads are avoided
Demonstrates localness	Cluttered environment
Newsiness, “what’s on” factor	Tend to focus on bad news

What will radio add?

• Radio can cut through to create awareness and stand-out
• Radio can create excitement and then add “see local press for details”
• Radio is much more cost-effective for reaching the under-50s in most areas

Using radio alongside Direct Mailshots

One of the great strengths of direct mail is its ability to target specific groups of people – either by locality (e.g. within walking distance of a restaurant) or by business relationship (e.g. lapsed customers). Direct mail also offers great measurability in terms of direct response – it’s possible to calculate exactly how many responses were elicited, and their value to the business.

Mailshots can also include extensive product information and even product samples, although these can become very expensive productions.

But mailshots tend to suffer from two crucial weaknesses. The first is list quality: unless you have compiled the list yourself, it is extremely difficult to establish the quality of a mailing list (we all know what it’s like to receive a mailing which makes a wrong assumption about us).

But the biggest problem is avoidance. People call it “junk mail” because that’s how they feel about it: they are brutal about disposing of it, sometimes not even opening the envelope.

Direct Mailshots
Strengths	Weaknesses
Highly targeted (e.g. lapsed customers only)	Highly avoided
Personal, named communication	Recipients have low expectations (“junk mail”)
On paper, tangibility of print	Quality of mailing lists is highly variable
Can use attractive graphics	Clutter/competition on the doormat
Can use samples	Can become expensive productions
Opportunity for detailed information	Long deadlines
Can measure direct response	Questionable long-term effect on the business

What will radio add?

• Radio can cut through to create awareness and stand-out
• Radio can create excitement before a potentially valuable mailshot arrives

Using radio alongside Internet Advertising

The internet is definitely the fastest growing advertising medium of recent times, and it is a valuable tool for most businesses because the internet is where people increasingly interact with the brand.

It has a special appeal for business-minded advertisers too – they can literally count the number of clicks that a campaign generates for them (this is why internet campaigns are sold on a PPC – pay-per-click – basis).

However, internet advertising also has limitations. The biggest limitation is that people avoid it! The RAB 2005 Ad Avoidance Study showed that people avoid banners and pop-ups even more than they avoid junk mail. This resistance is made worse by the fact that people don’t like clicking on unfamiliar links.

So radio is ideally placed to play a complementary role to internet advertising. One of radio’s greatest strengths is that people don’t avoid the advertising – they zone in and out of the commercials depending whether they find them interesting or relevant.

Internet Advertising
Strengths	Weaknesses
Connects people to the company	People are wary of clicking on unproven links
Internet is funky, sexy, modern	Easy for ads to get lost there, clutter
Can be placed in very relevant pages	Ads get ignored (highest avoidance)
Reaches a wider audience	Wastage – e.g. surfers from abroad
Trackability – click-throughs can be counted	Hard to assess value of a mere click
Information can be constantly updated	Not everyone uses the internet

What will radio add?

• Radio can reach out to consumers, especially those who think they are not interested or who are not yet in the market
• Radio can build up name awareness in advance

Using radio alongside Directory Listings

In the old days, directories meant Yellow Pages – there were no rivals, and almost every local business was listed there. These days there are not only other directories distributed, but online directories have become hugely important – places like UpMyStreet.co.uk.

But, online or offline, all these directory-based media work in the same way: people turn to them in their time of need (either urgent need like plumbers or for more pleasant things like wedding hire).

This is simultaneously the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of directories as a promotional medium for business. Everyone turns to them in their hour of need – and completely ignores them the rest of the time.

This is where radio can help. Radio builds up awareness and understanding about a company BEFORE the consumer turns to the directory – this allows the company to stand out from all its rivals (which are of course all listed in the same section of the directory).

Advance brand awareness is invaluable to a business which uses directories – just look at the example of Dyno-Rod who dominate the blocked drains market.

Directory Advertising
Strengths	Weaknesses
Reaches customers at their time of need...	...ignored for the rest of the time
The most relevant environment	It's where all your rivals are
Many have long-established credibility	Difficult/expensive to stand out
Directories in almost every household	Difficult to make a distinctive offer
Tend to feature local businesses	Anyone can advertise there (inc cowboys)

What will radio add?

• Radio can build up name awareness in advance of the time of need
• Radio can also add a friendly personality to a company’s image

Adapted from information from Radio Advertising Bureau website (www.rab.co.uk) – it’s filled with great examples of radio and case histories

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