We contacted sales managers at radio stations all across America and asked for their secret weapons. We asked, “What’s the one marketing tool that advertisers on your station underuse?” Where are people having success that more advertisers would be wise to follow?

Answers ran the gamut, but far and away, one tactic was cited above others as an advertiser’s likeliest path to profit: leveraging endorsements from air personalities.

“Nothing sells a product better than having a well-known personality personally endorse a product or service,” says Keli Williams at KHKN/Little Rock. “Listeners trust our personalities and feel that they would not lead them astray.”
Makes perfect sense. Radio personalities and their programs become part of our daily routines, whether it’s the morning commute to work, our midday music companion or the afternoon talk show on the drive home. Once a radio show and its personalities become part of our routine, we begin to trust those personalities as friends.

We connect with what they’re talking about, since we follow their shows and lives on a daily basis. And we honor and respect their recommendations, whether it’s their review of the latest superhero movie or learning which car dealer will take good care of you when it’s time to trade up for a newer model.

“Listeners trust talent and when they hear about a product or business from our talent,” asserts Jim Richmond from KGMZ-FM/San Francisco. “The selling process is easier for the client.”

Dave McDonald, from KRSK-FM/Portland, OR, agrees. “When a friend tells a friend something, it carries more credibility than unsubstantiated claims often heard in commercials. Using these radio personalities as campaign endorsers help reaffirm the belief in a product, while also enhancing the trust factor between personality and listener.”

That’s not surprising. Even though most radio listeners will never meet their favorite radio personalities, they become virtual friends. You know all about your DJ’s dog Sparky and what they love most about the city you both call home. So when an advertiser uses radio personalities to promote their brand, it’s like word-of-mouth times ten thousand. And there’s no better testament to this than the campaign renewal rate of advertisers using personality endorsements.

“On-air talent endorsement campaigns renew at an 85% rate,” reports Ronnie Bloodworth from WMXC/Mobile. “Pairing the right talent on the right station with the right client makes the difference. The talent makes the difference.”
We can attest to that. Over the years we’ve found dog owners to promote dog food, overweight DJs willing to lose weight and just about every endorsement pairing you might imagine. It simply takes the time and effort and connections to research and negotiate the right opportunities.

Why not put the power of personalities to work for your brand, whether it’s in a single market, a cluster of cities or at the national level. The Radio Agency can craft campaigns to fit just about every budget. Ask us about it!