Did you realize that interest in radio is growing among media buyers?
Did you realize that radio ties television in growing interest?
Probably not. It’s apparently a secret.
A new survey of media buyers found that 25% of agency buyers are more focused on radio than they were last year, a 31% increase.
Not only did interest in radio increase, it equaled the increase in spot TV!
Given the persistence of the “Radio is Dead” meme, you’d think it ought to be big news. But it’s not.
The news was buried in a single sentence in the last paragraph of a 1000 word press release that focused almost entirely on the battle between television and digital.
The study, ostensibly a comprehensive look at agency attitudes across media, barely touched on radio. Check out the press release and a MediaPost story that completely ignored radio.
Perhaps radio got buried because the study was done by Strata, a division of Comcast that sells software to buyers. Comcast has plenty of horses in the TV versus digital race, but nary a one in radio.
But perhaps radio got buried because the business is doing a lousy job selling the value of radio.
Let’s be honest.
Think about the last time you saw another mainstream media mention radio. Rush Limbaugh calls a college student a slut, and suddenly radio becomes front page news.
Perhaps not the best PR for the medium, but at least people noticed radio again.
And within a week, it was over.
People went back to talking about singing cats on YouTube, Facebook’s IPO, and porn on Pinterest.
If buyers are thinking more about radio today, it is despite radio’s PR efforts, not because of them.
This year is shaping up to be a lack-luster year for radio if the first quarter is any indication.
Is it any wonder?
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