Radio Direct Response: Direct Response Radio Advertising Agency | Blog Zone

Now that audience measurement has evolved into the use of the Portable People Meter (PPM) in America’s largest markets, Arbitron is takings radio ratings to a whole new level for professional sports franchises. Arbitron has created special custom PPM ratings packages specifically designed for sports teams and their needs.

Last month, Arbitron announced it had reached an agreement with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins to provide custom PPM services for the team. The Pittsburgh hockey team is the first NHL franchise to sign up.

The Penguins are, however, not the only sports teams to sign on for custom PPM ratings. Arbitron has focused in on sports team franchises that have taken their broadcasting rights in house so they can package and sell their own commercial inventory.

Arbitron’s Sports Manager Chris Meinhardt was quoted in Inside Radio saying, “PPM measures an individual event more reliably than the diary. It captures listening that may be overlooked.”

Teams from all four major sports have enlisted Arbitron’s services to try to better serve their stations, fans and advertisers with their custom PPM ratings services. Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds have the strongest share numbers so far this year. Reds flagship station WLW has averaged a 25% radio audience share among Men 25-54 when the Reds are on the air. The St Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins also have custom PPM agreements with Arbitron. Additionally, the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and several NFL teams have signed agreements for the custom PPM package.

“Premier events, like the playoffs, can have dramatic impacts on the total number of listeners,” Meinhardt continues. “Radio plays an important part of a fan’s experience. While an individual’s first choice may be to watch a championship game on TV, if they’re away from home, they’re going to find a way to catch the game. Other sporting events see similar radio audience increases. Some of the greatest increase in listeners, as a percentage, has been NBA and NHL playoffs.”

The services include pre and post-game show analysis, game summaries, plus playoff and championship analysis for those teams that reach the post season. In some markets, coaches’ and player specialty shows are also included as part of the package.

Expect more pro teams to tap into these customized ratings in 2011 and beyond.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Did you ever think that your cell phone could equate to ratings for your favorite radio stations? It’s true. The Arbitron Company, the organization responsible for monitoring and distributing all radio ratings via their Portable People Meters (PPM) and via their standard diary collection, announced that they will now incorporate cell phone only households that rarely or never answer their landlines to their survey sample.

These households are being added to improve sample quality for younger demographics and provide a more complete representation of the market since, to date, cell phone homes that rarely or never answer their landlines have had little or no chance of being included in audience measurement surveys.

The company estimates with this addition that 35% of its persons 18-34 sample will come from the Cell Phone households in diary markets and almost 40% in PPM markets by year’s end.

These changes represent a 70% increase in the diary market cell phone sample compared with year-end 2009. The cell phone sample is now expected to represent almost 17% of the total Persons 12+ Diary market sample, on average across all markets.

So the next time you pick up your cell phone to go somewhere, just remember someone may be calling you to find out if you listened to the radio this week and if so which stations and for how long. Congratulations, you are now an even bigger part of the radio ratings equation.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Radio’s “prime time” ends as 9-to-5 commuters arrive home and join their families for dinner. Then, the evening’s entertainment medium of choice shifts to television. This creates lower demand for nighttime advertising. In turn, this results in better marketing value (lower CPMs and, in some cases, higher ROI) from commercials aired after dark.

Running opposite to the lower general use of radio from 7 PM – Midnight, listenership under 25 spikes higher. This is attributable to the fact that students, busy with schoolwork during the daytime hours, are now available to listen to their music after dark.

Younger-skewing formats such as Urban Contemporary and CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio) often lead their market competitors in audience share from Monday-Friday from 7PM-Midnght.

For direct response advertisers, these higher listening levels among younger consumers do not necessarily translate to greater opportunity. Persons aged 6 to 24 are not those most likely to have a credit card – or the credit – needed to make a DR purchase.

During baseball season, flagship MLB radio stations (like WPHT/Philadelphia) can see their audience size quadruple with play-by-play coverage of their hometown teams. Naturally, advertising rates increase proportionately, usually with a premium added on top to offset licensing fees.

Here are a few stations that shine after dark:

With their legendary market leading status, WTOP, D.C.’s dominant News station, leads the field with a 16.2 share (besting WASH’s 15.5).

In Boston, Top 40 KISS 108/WXKS-FM rules the nighttime airwaves with a 21.2 share. KISS’ closest competitor and sister-station WJMN-FM (JAM’n 94.5) along with WODS-FM are tied for 2nd each with a 12 share.

In the Lexington-Fayette market, Country is king. WBUL, one of three country outlets, holds the top spot with an 18.8 share. The next closet competitor is Top 40 WLKT with a 15 share.

In Little Rock, Urban KIPR owns the streets after dark with a 14.4 share. The next closest competitor is Top 40 station KLAL with a 12.3 share.

In San Antonio, perennial Top 40 giant KXXM sweeps up with their monster 22.7 share. Their next closest competitor is country outlet KCYY with a 17.2 share.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

As a Direct Response Radio Advertising agency we not only create and produce radio commercials, but we also are responsible for making sure that each and every spot arrives at each and every station and network scheduled to air it.

Trafficking is often a cumbersome and detail oriented function of operations, but a vital link in the chain to meet and make certain that commercials air when they are scheduled.

This involves making sure that the networks and/or stations receive the correct commercials with correct information for airing, including flight dates, spots lengths, day part and rotation restrictions – and receiving that information in a timely manner and in the correct audio format. Most accept the current mp3 format as standard.

The Citadel networks specifically require commercials to be sent to them with no less than two weeks in advance of the scheduled airdate. Other networks like Premiere Radio, Westwood One and Dial Global request copy in hand at least one week in advance of their scheduled airdate. When it comes to local stations most ask to receive a commercial one business day in advance (or two days in advance of a long holiday weekends.

With such a staggered schedule of copy deadlines, it’s best to build extra time into your Creative/Production timeline to account for unforeseen delays (e.g. a legal department that holds up production over disclaimer copy).

No one wants to miss their start date. Hopefully, this overview of the process and media deadlines will help you get on the air in time to drive sales when you need them.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Much like Morning Drive, a great deal of PM Drive listening occurs in the work place and during the listener’s commute to/from work. Energy levels, on-air, are up. Information about the day has come into focus, so current events, along with traffic updates, are part of the programming mix.

Personalities play a more foreground role than during Middays, often interacting with news, traffic and weather reporters. PM Drive is radio’s final third of its “prime time dayparts,” so audience levels are large, with the exception of the final 6PM-7PM hour, when commuters arrive home and begin family time or switch to TV as their medium of choice.

PM Drive is an excellent choice for marketers that wish to make an impact as the workday commuter returns to their non-work lifestyle. Is there a food or beverage item they need to pick up at the store? A retail sale that might lure them in for a nighttime purchase? A home project in need of supplies?

Some of America’s top-rated PM Drive radio personalities include:

• Gary Nolan on KOSI-FM, Denver. As Program Director and PM Drive Host of this Adult Contemporary station, Gary scores a 20.1 share of the Denver audience, far ahead of the #2 station in town.
• Mike O’Brien on KCMO, Kansas City. Mike’s a 25-year veteran of the KC market, where his 17.8 audience share keeps him atop the market on this Oldies station.
• Eddie Fingers & Tracy Jones on WLW, Cincinnati. Former major league baseball player Tracy Jones pairs with Queen City talker Eddie Fingers for an 18.4 audience share on this powerhouse AM talk station.
• Marc Sherman on KODA, Houston. Sunny 99.1 FM in Houston is one of America’s heritage Adult Contemporary stations. Marc Sherman has been a fixture on KODA since 1991, where his PM Drive show currently captures a 23.2 market share.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Middays are part of radio’s prime time, falling between Morning and Afternoon Drive time, typically defined as Monday-Friday from 10 AM – 3 PM. “At work” listening comprises a majority of the listener base, with others tuned in from their cars or other locations where radio keeps them company during the day.

The Midday shift attracts primarily adult listeners, as most school-age children are in school, be it K-12 or college. (During the summer months, the midday listener base widens to include usage by students on summer break.)

Music stations focus on the music with little (if any) of the foreground features that may air on these stations during drive times. The most common exception is the Noon hour, where stations may program a special block of music (e.g. the “All Request” Lunch Hour), to put a little fancy packaging on essentially the same music mix.

Foreground stations, especially Talk and Sports, fare well in the Midday hours. Many break the daypart down into two programming segments to keep a single host from having to host a five-hour shift. Well-known personalities like Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and Glenn Beck capture and hold their audiences for long stretches of listening during their three-hour shows.

Here are a few “Monsters of the Midday.”

Atlanta News/Talk station WSB-AM dominates the midday hours with the 8:30AM-1PM program hosted by Neal Boortz. Neal’s show just finished first for the 47th consecutive ratings period.

In Charlotte, Urban AC formatted WBAV-FM reels in the ratings with Chirl Girl, delivering the latest in celebrity interviews and entertainment news, live and direct from the Queen City.

Adult Contemporary station WLTW-FM (Lite-FM) in New York’s captures huge midday ratings with the right mix of music for the workplace.

With the advent of Arbitron’s PPM ratings system, statistics now show that Midday is radio’s #1 daypart for reaching the largest segment of radio listeners, surpassing Morning and Afternoon Drive. Yet, old buying habits and the high-profile perception of drive time, keeps drive time rates higher than Midday, making this oft-overlooked daypart one of radio’s strongest for direct response advertisers and deserving of a fresh test for your next campaign.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

The Portable People Meter, radio’s new age monitoring ratings system, continues to roll out with the addition of St Louis, Tampa, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver. Arbitron has established PPM as its means of electronic measurement in surveying radio listening in the top 25 markets. However, the number of markets accredited by the Media Ratings Council remains at two: Houston TX and Riverside/San Bernardino CA.

Last January the MRC rejected accreditation for New York City and Philadelphia. On October 15th, New York’s approval was again delayed as Arbitron failed to meet the minimum requirements for accreditation. Arbitron’s VP/Research Beth Webb addressed what the company is doing to try and increase the number of accredited markets by the MRC (Media Rating Council).

“Arbitron continues their due diligence by undergoing the yearly audit, holding meetings with the MRC and by continuing to answer questions being raised by the audit committee. Arbitron continues to work closely with the MRC on all markets to support the accreditation evaluations.” All remaining commercialized PPM markets have been audited by the MRC prior to their commercialization, however, final decisions on the accreditation in those markets has not been made by the MRC yet.

Arbitron SVP of Marketing Bill Rose defends against criticism that PPM is detrimental to minority radio stations, using Howard University’s WHUR in Washington DC as his example. “WHUR has been gradually growing its ratings under PPM and has now become the market’s leading station.”

Arbitron has also showcased data slides showing the company’s success in hitting the targets for PPM panel recruiting and in-tab samples in particular demographics across various markets. Eight additional markets including Portland, Sacramento, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Kansas City and Las Vegas are all scheduled to become currency on New Years Eve 2009. Whether all 25 PPM markets will have received their MRC accreditation before time runs out on 2009 remains to be seen. However this PPM train is rolling and appears to be in it for the long haul.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Radio is a lot like New York City…it never sleeps. Nearly every station is on 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Whenever you turn it on…it’s there. Radio delivers a service to people whether they are listening at home (either over the air or via the Internet), in their cars or at the office. However, what comes out of the speakers is often very different depending on the time of day. There are five primary day parts that comprise a daily station’s schedule. The shifts are Morning Drive usually 6-10AM, Middays 10AM-3PM, Afternoon Drive 3PM-7PM, Evenings 7pm - Midnight and Overnights usually Midnight to 6AM. Variations on these shifts exist and often used to separate stations from their competition or to accommodate nationally syndicated programming. This is the first in a series of postings on radio dayparts.

MORNINGS
Morning Drive is the most coveted day part in radio. For many stations, it has the most listeners tuning in at any one time. It often features programming designed to deliver lots of information in a short period of time. Music stations usually combine features like news, traffic and weather with what are called benchmark features, contesting and pop culture oriented content that is well known and very relatable. Some stations often have programs that recycle and repeat information as listeners are coming and going to the program every 15-20 minutes throughout the show. Morning drive is usually the most- sought after and most expensive day part for advertisers. Since their goal is to reach as many listeners as possible, mornings delivers on that promise daily. Morning drive listeners can include a combination of adults and their children as people prepare for their day. Parents are getting their kids ready for school and or preparing to go to work at their job. Listening in the car is the most popular time that people listen to Morning Drive radio during their commutes to work. The average person drives between 20 and 45 minutes every day to and from their morning destination. Since mornings are the most expensive day part the way to reach the most listeners is to air spots in the highest frequency possible. Other day parts can afford to have spots spread out across the shift but do to the turnover in AM drive, the more spots air, the better chance the client’s message will be heard.

Typically, “All News” or “News/Talk” stations perform especially well in Morning Drive, as listeners tap into to their favorite information station to get the news, weather, sports and traffic information they need to prepare for their day.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Remember a few years back, when Subway ran their campaign featuring Jared Fogle, the man who lost a tremendous amount of weight eating Subway sandwiches?

Now, Washington is debating the legality and fairness of making advertising claims, like Jareds whose results may not be typical.

Senators want to protect their supporters from advertisers, while also protecting the interests of friends in the advertising community, Federal and consumer watchdogs want to protect consumers and punish the wicked. Advertisers want unscrupulous competitors shut down while retaining their own rights to sell their wares, as reported in a recent story in Radio Business Report.

RBR reports that Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Saftey Chairman, Mark Pryor (D-AR) laid out the types of deceptive advertising he was concerned about, including bait and switch, ads disguised as news, paid bloggers, false testimonials, free offers, false advertising of green products and bogus claims in general. He added, the vast majority of advertisers are good, suggesting we must find ways to punish the bad minority without hurting the honest majority.

Also in question are consumer testimonials and whether it is fair to highlight those who have experienced extraordinary results with a product. Advertisers said yes, it is fair and often motivational to others.

The Federal Trade Commission is concerned that consumers exposed to deceptive advertising, particularly in health matters, fail to explore conventional treatment options, a dangerous situation that can sometimes lead to fatal results. One proposed solution is to require advertisers to disclose average results. Advertisers cry easier said that done, saying that even defining what an average result is can be nearly impossible, especially in the weight loss category.

Advertisers support self-regulatory practices, saying the last thing they want is the bad reputation and scurrilous competition from false advertisers. In fact, many complaints come from competitors, a healthy sign of a self-policing marketplace.

Industry support for self-regulation is over 90%, says C Lee Peller, President and CEO of the National Advertising Review Council. Advertisers who refuse to participate are referred to the Federal Trade Commission or other appropriate government agencies.

Radio Business Report concludes, Nobody is in favor of false advertising, least of all honest advertisers. But its extremely difficult to construct a dragnet that catches the crooks without also rounding up a large number of innocent. Speech is a slippery thing, which is why the First Amendment must be respected. Trust your instincts because as the old saying goes, the truth will set you free.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations

Thirteen months ago I wrote a blog called “Reaching the Masses: The Reach of Radio”. I outlined Arbitron’s just released data report, RADAR 97, describing how the US population used national radio networks on a weekly basis.

On June 22nd 2009, Arbitron released its latest figures for RADAR 101 and guess what? Radio networks are reaching even more people than a year ago. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. More than 235 million people in the US listen to radio every week. Arbitron is reporting that more than 213 million people aged 12 and older are listening to more than 7700 RADAR Network Affiliated stations as compared to 210 million just over a year ago. Every day, more and more people are discovering the power and reach of network radio.

Radio strength and stability continue to grow as the latest figures report 92% of persons 12 and older use radio each week. Even 89% of the teens tune in, despite the advance of new technologies, MP3 players, the Internet and other forms of media, continue to tune in. Radio also reaches about 93% of both African American and Hispanic Adults aged 18-49.

Radio continues to reach the educated and affluent. RADAR 101 reports radio reaches 94% of college graduates ages 25-54. A whopping 95% of adults 25-54 with college degrees and an annual income of $50,000 or more all tune in over the course of a week.

Network affiliated stations reach almost 86 % of college graduates aged 18-49 with an annual household income of $75,000 or more. The growth of network radio seems to be unstoppable as the baby boomers continue age and become more affluent.

What does this mean to you? Plenty. If you are an advertiser looking for ways to promote your business, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the latest buzz on the cool, new media at the expense of sacrificing tried and true delivery systems. Look to radio, where more than 235 million tune in every week to enjoy a personal, one-on-one experience with their favorite stations and personalities.

If it’s not already part of your media mix, put network radio on your RADAR.

Danny Ocean, Vice President/Director of Operations