Radio is one of the most common methods of traditional marketing. Getting your business on the airwaves allows you to meet your audience where they are. In the car, at home, or at work, radio advertising is a great way to reach a large audience. While radio may adapt to the current Digital Age, it has been around for centuries and will continue into the future.
History of Advertising on Radio
Radio began in the 1800s but was much different than the radio we understand today. During its beginnings, radio only transmitted Morse Code. In the early 1900s, radio could transmit voices and was used for government or personal relations. In 1912 Charles Herrold began a weekly radio show that included music. This broadcast changed the radio business, creating an industry that still thrives today. In the 1920s the first advertisements appeared on radio for a Seattle- based music store and Massachusetts car dealership. With the first ads running over a century ago, radio has proven continued success in marketing.
Types of Radio Advertising
When using radio to reach your audience, it can be hard to know where to start. There are a variety of options available when it comes to getting your business on the airwaves.
- Live Read- This type of spot allows a well- known talent on the station to read your commercial, similar to influencer marketing.
- Jingle Ad- This type of spot is an advertisement written to the tune of music. A jingle is usually very memorable to the audience due to the connection between memory and music.
- Personified Commercial- This is similar to a Live Read, but instead of reading a spot, the talent gives their personal experience with the business as the advertisement.
- Sponsored Ad- This is one of the most common forms of radio advertising. A Sponsored Ad focuses on name recognition by mentioning a business during a portion of the broadcast, such as traffic or weather.
Benefits of Marketing on the Radio
Radio has benefits that are unique to this medium. As one of the oldest mediums used for advertising, radio has stood the test of time with proven success.
- Radio has a huge reach. This Nielsen study showed that radio reaches over 90% of adults in America every week.
- Radio allows you to select the audience you target. Each station, genre, and time slot has their own set audience of listeners. By finding the station your business identifies with, you will reach the common audience.
- With radio, you can get more for your money. One study by Neilsen and Catalina Solutions found that for every dollar spent on radio advertising, the business received $12 in sales.
- Radio increases brand awareness. Over decades, studies have consistently shown that radio has one of the highest brand awareness out of the marketing mediums.
- Radio meets your audience where they are—any time, any place. Almost 70% of radio listening goes on outside of the home.
- Radio has measurable analytics and results. Radio can be tracked by each spot, each day, and each flight. Assets can easily be switched if the business is not getting the results they want at any point.
- Radio works well with all other marketing mediums. When creating a marketing plan, rarely is only one medium used. Radio is the perfect complement to any marketing plan as it requires few assets and provides a large audience.
The Future of Radio Advertising
Radio may be changing, but it is still as relevant as ever. It has been used for a century as an advertising medium and continues to have a bright future. This medium continues to produce results due to how segmented it is. AM/FM Radio changes based on location, time, genre, and station. This allows you to choose the audience that is best suited for your business. Radio requires cognitive processing due to the lack of visuals. Some psychologists believe this is a reason radio continues to succeed and grow new listeners each year. Radio continues to thrive due to its large reach. In fact, most audiences are reached during their drive to and from work. In the future, radio will evolve to function with digital technologies.
Connect with Media Venue to get On-Air!
Let Media Venue get your business on the airwaves. Media Venue specialized in media buying and creating a marketing plan that best fits your business’ needs. Contact Media Venue today to get your business on the radio!
