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

The good news is that 17 candles on a birthday cake are still manageable. The better news is there is no bad news. Radio Direct Response just celebrated its 17th birthday. We’d like to thank our clients, our staff, our friends and colleagues and everyone who’s helped make the past 17 years just a little bit more enjoyable than it would have been without them.

Business is thriving, due in part to the proliferation of what we like to call The New Radio. Satellite, online streaming and smart phone radio apps have complemented old school terrestrial beautifully, making 2010 (so far) the first year in recent memory that I haven’t read a trade publication article heralding the death of radio.

These new forms of radio – along with our friends in terrestrial, which still accounts for the bulk of radio listenership – continue to work with our buyers and clients to make sure that radio “works” and is accountable for meeting or beating our performance metrics.

It also helps that 100% of our media billings go to radio. Unlike a typical agency that might, on average, channel 7% of its annualized billings to radio, every dollar we spend on media goes into radio, in one form or another. We like to think that makes us 14 times more valuable as a conventional agency, since 14 times as much of our agency’s billings go to radio. Judging by our great media partnerships, the feeling is probably mutual.

Looking ahead, we see even more great opportunities in radio.

Retail trade promotions leverage radio schedules and on-air promotions to gain prime selling space in supermarkets. In-store radio broadcasts (like POP Radio) add new ways to touch the consumer at the precise point of making a purchase decision. Online radio streams add instant click-through potential to guide prospective buyers to a place where they can make a purchase.

In my 30 years of radio, there have never been so many opportunities to use the medium to sell practically any product or service.

I’m privileged to work with an extraordinary group of people who share my passion for radio. To you I say “Thank you!” for making it possible for me to wake up every morning and go to work doing something I love.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

I could scarcely believe my eyes, as I peered through reading glasses at the graphic in my AARP Magazine. Comic genius Bill Murray will turn 60 come September. Add 10 candles, and you can steal Bill’s cake for a birthday bash with my first adolescent, celebrity crush, Raquel Welch, who’ll turn 70.

Hey, forget all that. What the heck am I doing with a copy of AARP Magazine!

Since death has not yet claimed us, Bill, Raquel and I will all celebrate birthdays in September. And while my new age won’t end in a milestone zero, it will signal the start of my final year in what we, in radio, used to call “The Money Demographic,” Adults 25-54.

That was back in the 80s. Today’s longer life expectancies and aging adults who refuse to act their age have put a whole new spin on marketing and how radio reaches Baby Boomers.

Back in the 80s, there were essentially four radio formats that delivered Adults 55+ (or “55 to dead” as we used to joke): All News, Talk, MOR/Big Band (today called Adult Standards) and Classical. Today, News/Talk still does the job, but the music formats have been reshuffled in the radio deck.

Few radio markets still support an Adult Standards stations. Those that do often fill a suburban market signal high up on the AM band and cater to Adults in their 70s and 80s, who settle for Michael Buble and Diana Krall (filling in for Tommy Dorsey and Kay Starr) so that station management can fantasize that 30-and-40-somethings will also tune in.

Most Classical music stations are now public broadcasting outlets, low on the FM dial and supported by corporate sponsorships and listener donations, rather than 60-second commercials.

Today’s Baby Boomers, like their parents before them, stay young by replaying the music of their youth. But there’s a common bond between the sound of Classic Rock and Today’s Rock that allow a 20-something to enjoy the Stones or Zeppelin much more than 20-year olds in the 1960s managed to endure Wayne Newton or Lawrence Welk.

Classic Rock and Oldies stations populate the Top 10 of most major markets, keeping the music of Baby Boomers alive and available in direct proportion to the value of their discretionary dollars to advertisers. Sure, they may be not be as brand-fickle as their younger counterparts, but they can be swayed by an irresistible offer to try something new. And with their mortgages paid and the kids through college, the 55+ demo is getting a lot more attention than they did back in the Stone Age.

Speaking of which, it’s only appropriate we mention another birthday. Fred Flintstone will turn 50 in September, time-bending though that may seem. Me? I’d still rather share my birthday cake with Raquel Welch.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

Vince Raimondo, friend to all, devoted family man, gifted musician and lover of all things radio left our world on Thursday, August 12, 2010 following a 10-year battle with cancer.

For 25 years, I’ve been proud to call Vince my friend. Three times, I’d tried to lure Vince from radio to join Radio Direct Response. In 2006, Vince finally made the leap and, a year later, he confided in me that he wished he’d done it 10 years sooner.

Vince was already fighting cancer when he joined RDR, but that didn’t dampen his passion or determination to lead by example. Those of you who worked with Vince know exactly what I mean.

Vince faced his mortality with a bravery and humility I can only hope to model when my time comes.

Last year, for fun, our agency launched a commercial-free, Internet radio station called RDR Radio. Many of the radio refugees who work here stepped up to create and host a show. Vince took the 7 PM to Midnight slot and called his show “The Roadhouse,” featuring a tasty mix of R&B classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

For his on-air persona, Vince chose to call himself “The Ghost.” Recently, I asked if he made that choice with his medical condition in mind. He confessed that he did. Playfully (and it was delightful, not morbid, that Vince could discuss these things so openly) I asked if he chose “The Ghost” with the expectation that we would be compelled to keep the radio station going, pretty much forever, just to keep his voice alive. Vince just smiled and said, “Yep.”

From his early 20s working at the legendary Main Point (where Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band occasionally followed Vince home to crash on his couch) through sales and management assignments at WPEN, WMGK, WYSP, WJJZ, WNTP, Eagles Football and Metro Traffic, Vince left an indelible impression on all whom he touched. I could walk the earth for the rest of my days in search of someone able to speak ill of Vince and all I’d get for my trouble is a trunk full of worn out shoes.

To his wife Joyce, his son Mark, his parents and all who are feeling the sadness and grief of loss, all of us at RDR extend our heartfelt sympathies and share the loss of Vince’s physical presence. We were all the better for having Vince in our lives. I’m convinced he’s already making music somewhere, wherever his spirit has settled in for the next act.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

When the e-mail informed me that I could buy a round-trip bus ticket from Philadelphia to Toronto for just $1.00 each way, I didn’t believe it. So I visited the Megabus.com web site and a few mouse clicks later, I was staring at a $10.00 round-trip fare on an air-conditioned, double-decker bus with power outlets and free WiFi. So I booked it.

A few more mouse clicks snagged a downtown, four-star Toronto hotel for $79 a night and the next thing I knew, I was on my way. Why would I do such a thing? Why would I imprison myself on a 10-hour bus ride for two out of four days? To force myself to write.

Fate and good timing landed me a front row seat on the upper deck. A half-filled bus left the seat next to me empty. A few hours later, I realized that I had the world’s greatest $5.00 office space.

In addition to tackling a few writing projects I’d been unable or unwilling to give the time they deserved, I met some interesting people. I interviewed several of them for a book I’m writing. And I eavesdropped on a couple of conversations that sparked new ideas for radio commercials.

I also penned a couple of blogs, including this one, written as we cruise down the Pennsylvania Turnpike on the final leg of the journey.

With full web access, it’s almost like another day in the office – without all the distractions. I’ve experienced new sights, sounds and perspectives. If I worked solo, I’d probably take this trip every week – or even “live” on the bus as my mobile, $25/week office space with free WiFi.

Highway adventures aside, the main takeaway for me is, as a writer, to continue to put myself in new places where I can see the world and its inhabitants from different perspectives. Creativity flourishes. Problems get resolved. Writer’s block dissolves.

I’m constantly looking and listening for new ways, reasons and angles to spin a story, present a benefit and proffer an offer. Even on a double-decker bus. Are you?

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

Not too long ago, before PPM (portable people meters) changed the way Arbitron measures radio listenership in America’s top markets, radio ratings were published on a quarterly basis.

The “Summer Book” (July/August/September) was often dismissed as the least important survey. Agencies and media buyers argued that summer vacations and atypical consumer behavior made the data less reliable, creating a “no win” situation for radio. Stations that performed well had their good numbers “dismissed” by buyers as an aberration of quirky summer listening patterns. But those same buyers often smacked stations that performed poorly in summer, seeking lower rates to match the lower summer numbers.

This made the “Spring Book” the most important book of the year. Not only did it reflect the audience measurement of three “normal” months (April/May/June), it was often the guideline by which stations and buyers planned and placed buys through the end of the year – as the Summer Book’s value was discounted, leaving everyone to wait for the results of the “Fall Book” release in January.

In most of Arbitron’s 291 radio markets, this is quarterly method of measurement is still in practice. But in the top-rated markets (Arbitron adds more PPM markets each year), ratings are released on a monthly basis. The electronic measurement system of PPM enables a much quicker processing of data compared to the old school method of deciphering and inputting data based on handwritten diaries kept by randomly-chosen listeners across the country, whose listening habits are then weighted to given an accurate reflection of the actual population in their respective markets.

So today, in a PPM market, instead of a station jumping from a 3.5 market share to a 5.0 in a single quarter (from book-to-book), we’ll witness a more gradual transition, from a 3.5 to 3.8 to 4.4 to 5.0 as Month One evolves into Month Four.

Conversely, a radical format change (for example, from Classical to Hip-Hop) would show a dramatic one-month drop, as a station purges its old audience practically overnight, before building a new audience base through marketing and word-of-mouth.

The latest (June) PPM radio ratings are being released this week. Next week, our two entries in The RDR Blog Zone will feature a quick overview of America’s Top 10 radio markets. You’ll find out who’s on top, who rules the mornings and who’s delivering the prime audience demo of Adults 25-54. Tune in and log on!

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

Admittedly, I’m a focus group of one; a middle-aged, white collar male with a history of buying silver-colored sedans and then driving them for a decade.

I hadn’t planned to blog about the experience of buying a new car in 2010, but the difference in branding styles and presentation merits mention and carries lessons for all marketers about the way we wish to be perceived and the tools, tactics and personnel we employ to deliver that message.

Eight vehicles began on my new car buyer wish list. The field whittled down to four after the first round of showroom visits and test drives. Most sales consultants were professional, observing my reactions and offering help when needed.

Two salesmen missed the mark and blew the sale. Both lost points for bashing the competition. In fact, a Mercedes-Benz rep took on such an arrogant and superior tone that I didn’t even bother to take a test drive.

Mainstream dealer brands were all fronted by helpful sales reps who deftly answered my questions and didn’t pressure me for a decision. I couldn’t help but notice a similarity to my own style of presenting our ad agency, listening closely for a prospect’s areas of interest and then relating only that information which is relevant to his or her needs.

Comically, one rep actually said, “So, what will it take to get you to leave here today in a brand new car?” I laughed and motioned with my hands for him to tone it down a bit.

As a new car buyer – a role I play roughly one month each decade – I’m noticing many more car commercials on the radio; a testament to the adage that your ad needs to run on the day a consumer needs what you’re selling. I find I relate to branding commercials that present key benefits, but am bored by the recitation of car prices that, I know, won’t match the precise make, model and add-ons I’ll choose for my new car.

Some dealer ads scream prices and then mumble gibberish in a legal disclaimer to support that price. Others paint a lifestyle picture of how their vehicles will change my life – or at minimum – enhance it through their driving experience.

I guess it all comes back to what we think the buyer wants to hear. And as a focus group of one, I default to a preference for intelligent and compelling reasons to buy, rather than a high-pitch screaming ultimatum. With any luck, I’ll be behind the wheel of a new car by the weekend.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

Last week, I watched proudly as my 11-year old daughter won the Creative Writing Award at her grade school commencement. (I’m already planning my retirement.)

One of the games we played last summer to help her expand her writer’s perspective is an exercise that could help any good radio copywriter tackle a new assignment.

Here’s what we did. I wrote the names of 30 characters from the Nickelodeon TV series “Avatar – The Last Airbender” on slips of paper and put them in a hat. All significant characters were included, from heroes and villains to the pet lemur and flying bison.

Next, we took turns drawing one slip from the hat and then telling the story of “Avatar” in 60 seconds from the perspective of each character. The story unfolded in many tongues, from the vengeful fire lord and wizened elder to the jabbering gibberish of the pet lemur.

We played this game for laughs, but also to demonstrate the many ways to tell a story from different perspectives, with different attitudes and different means of persuasion.

Our writing team at RDR makes a similar survey of viewpoints when we tackle a writing assignment. What does the end user want? How will friends and family of the end user benefit from their choice? What might the product itself, if it could speak, say to promote itself? How would a competitor anguish over our brand’s unique selling proposition? What would a proud employee say to beam about our brand to a family member?

All of these perspectives – and countless others – represent an easy way to survey the many ways to tell your story. An unexpected viewpoint could spark a sensational 60-second radio commercial, or even a punchy one-line testimonial.

This multiple-perspective approach helps guard against “ivory tower copywriting,” where the keeper of the brand or the advertising agency limits options because it knows all the answers. We’d all do well to remember that it’s the customer that makes the buying decision and that any exercise that lets their voice be heard is one that will resonate far and wide across the marketplace.

A simple way to introduce this exercise to your team might be to play the game described above, using characters from The Wizard of Oz. Have fun with the Munchkins and Toto.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

As much as I love radio, I can’t listen to every format every week to keep up with new music. So I subscribe to Blender, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly and, of course, Rolling Stone.

A poll published in a recent issue of RS caught my attention as 1,744 of its readers weighed in on the role that music plays in their lives. 94.7% of those readers said that music is “extremely or very important” to them – and that if they had to give up all but one of these activities - listening to music, going to the movies, playing video games, reading or watching TV - 64.7% said they’d keep their music. That’s more than all the other choices combined.

The average number of songs in their iTunes library? 6,370. Wow! That’s an A-to-Z playlist that spans more than two weeks without repeating tracks.

59% said they listen to FM for music. Another 26% said they gobble up tunes via Satellite Radio. And 11% said they get their music from an online subscription service.

CDs are still the dominant medium for listening to music (87%), though a surprising number (34%) are playing their tunes on vinyl.

Which artists or groups were considered the most influential in the history of Rock & Roll? The top vote-getters were The Beatles (67%), followed by Bob Dylan (35%), Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones.

Music is simply a part of the Rolling Stone generation, which now, arguably, spans a 50-year age segment of our population. When asked why he listens to music, one reader responded, “Asking me why I listen to music is like asking me why I breathe.”

Music remains an indispensable part of our lives. And radio remains a vital channel in that delivery system. So go ahead. Crank it up.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

A great radio copywriter writes ADS for a listening audience assumed to have ADD.

(Please, pay attention long enough for me to make my case.)

It’s 2010, not 1939. The radio audience isn’t sitting in rapt attention staring at the three-foot-tall, floor model radio in their living room. Let’s be honest, if they’re looking at the radio in 2010 it’s probably because they’re in the process of switching stations.

Radio has become a secondary activity to driving, working, exercising, showering, eating and a thousand other “ing” words I won’t mention for fear of triggering ADD.

Radio is intimate. It’s portable. And it’s damned effective. But it’s rarely the primary activity of the person consuming it, with the possible exceptions of foreground formats (like sports and talk) where a listener can shut their eyes and entertain company in the theater of the mind.

That means your radio commercial had better be awfully good.

You’d better GRAB THEIR ATTENTION in the first three-to-five seconds.

You’d better give them an astounding BENEFIT that makes them want to learn more about your product or service.

You’d better tempt them with a GREAT OFFER, because chances are your competition will.

And you’d better RALLY THEM WITH A COMPELLING ACTION so that they do what you want them to do when your commercial ends.

Because radio listeners, almost by definition, have a built-in Attention Deficit Disorder. They’re doing something else and listening with one ear (give or take an ear). But don’t believe me. Look at the way you listen to radio. Uh huh. Now, you choose. Should a radio commercial spend 20 seconds painting an esoteric picture with sound, hoping the listener is staring at the radio like it’s 1939? Or should that radio commercial grab the listener by the lapels and never let go until the listener is ready to do our bidding?

I’ll make it easy. Here are my lapels. Grab a hold.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO

Check that. I want to smack ALL journalists that continue to waste words on “The Death of Radio.” Either you guys are the laziest writers in history or you just don’t care about the facts.

With over 235 million listeners every week, more Americans tune to terrestrial radio (AM & FM) than at any time in our nation’s history.

With roughly 20 million subscribers – and another 10-20 million estimated listeners eavesdropping on the radios of friends and family - the audience for Sirius XM is also at an all-time high.

Pile on the latest measurements of online (streaming) radio identifying some 42 million Americans listening to radio online in the past month and it’s easy to see that radio is alive and well and positioned for a robust future.

Over and above that, the proliferation of iPhone and Blackberry apps have turned smart phones into supercharged transistor radios, tuning in 10,000+ stations from around the world and cyberspace.

I can only shake my head in bewilderment at brands that shift their marketing dollars from radio into social media channels, chasing the buzz and hoping to stay relevant by trying something new. On the plus side, this creates more radio avails for smart marketers who understand the medium of radio and how to make it sing like the sweetest songbird.

Radio – in all of its forms – is cementing its role as America’s best targeted, most intimate, mass medium. Services like Pandora and Slacker now empower consumers to create and program their own stations, creating more time spent with the medium of radio, but not replacing consumption of commercial radio. Most Sirius XM subscribers still devote weekly hours spent listening to local stations, just as ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC television didn’t vanish when HBO and others offered premium, pay TV programming.

So, for those of you who have suffered through endless articles heralding radio’s death by cassette, Walkman, Game Boy, satellite, iPod and dozens of other would-be assassins, I invite you to join me on my mission. If you encounter one of these lazy doomsayers taking the easy way to filling their word quota by writing radio’s obituary, please, smack that journalist. And send me a picture.

Mark Lipsky, President & CEO