It’s best to have simple messages on radio: Steve Martin, BBC World Service

Contrary to popular belief, an advertiser doesn’t need to be loud to be heard on radio. “This is because there is no simultaneous competition on radio. When your message is on air, it is the only message on air. Your ad is not competing for attention among a mass of other ads, the way even hoardings do,” said Steve Martin, on-air editor, BBC World Service, at Radio Rocks, an event organised by Radio City and agencyfaqs! According to Martin, radio is about conversation with the listeners. “So, announcements should be confined to airports and railway stations!” he quipped.

Martin went on to shatter another theory: that it’s easy to avoid radio ads.

“If you don’t like what you see in your newspaper, you can put it down, turn the page or even ignore it. Even on television, you can switch channels easily,” he said. “But on radio, it’s different.”

He said that if you don’t like a radio ad, you’d have to go to extraordinary lengths to avoid it. Most radio listeners would have to stop what they’re doing, get up and turn the radio off or switch to another station. By this time, the ad would have probably ended. This is a hassle and, therefore, radio listeners simply zone out for the duration of the ad.

Comparing radio with print, Martin said that there is no fine print when it comes to radio. “One can’t tuck conditions and caveats away in small text at the bottom of the ad.”

“Once it’s on air, it’s on air. This means that it’s best to have simple messages on radio,” he asserted.

Martin further said that radio is probably the only media that can build a bond of friendship with consumers as it is essentially personal in nature. People tend to think that television and print talk to everybody, but radio is what caters to individuals. “When a radio presenter recommends something, it is like a personal endorsement from somebody you trust,” he said.

In addition, listening to radio is a secondary activity… one tends to listen to a radio in accompaniment to some other activity. And this is often the medium that is likely to reach consumers at the closest point of purchase (PoP).

Another interesting point is the parallel between television viewing and radio listening. While television is a primary activity that is confined to times when one has nothing else to do (mostly late evening), radio listening is spread throughout the day, with the biggest peak in the morning when people are often at their busiest.

However, this does not mean that listeners will not tolerate radio ads. “Listeners don’t hate radio advertising… they just hate bad radio advertising,” Martin said.

According to him, the following elements go into the making of a good radio ad: a clear brief highlighting the strategic objectives, an entertaining ad with a powerful idea that engages its listeners emotionally, and a genuine consumer benefit. In addition, the ad should be well written, appropriately cast and directed. The ad should be long enough to do the job, and no more.

On the evolution of marketing on radio, Martin said, “First there were advertising spots, following which was sponsorship. Now, there is sales and promotions work created on radio, which is growing fast.”

In fact, 25 per cent of the UK’s radio revenues in 2005 came from sales and promotions activities. Such promotional work can exploit the closeness and personal nature of radio for brands and it allows room for brand endorsement from popular and trusted RJs. In fact, it can even bring in new listeners for the radio station.

Martin concluded on a positive note, revealing that in broadband enabled homes, television viewing has been seen to go down, while radio listening has stepped up. After all, people do listen even while they surf the Internet.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!