All About Radio Advertising Space
If you have your own company with a variety of products or services, you have probably realized how important advertising is to your revenue. The only way to let consumers know about your company is to get their interest through the use of ads. Radio advertising space is thought to be the most affordable and most effective marketing medium. In addition, there is a large history behind radio advertising space and the use of radio to promote companies.
The History
Since the 1920s, radio has been our source for all information. Before there was television, all that families had for entertainment or politics was the radio. It is only convenient for companies to fill in certain commercial time slots or radio advertising space with their product. According to the radio industry, they only receive around 8 percent of all advertising revenue. This is a great asset to companies, knowing that they will be able to keep most of their profits for other things.
Ease of Accessibility
One of the main reasons that viewers are more tuned into the radio is because of the fact that most people are in their vehicles 80% of the day. They are usually alone, so they will listen to the radio to fill in the quiet space. Advertising on the radio attracts the drivers without them realizing it. They do not have to look at an advertisement or read one in order to get your message. All that they have to do is listen. In addition, radio is thought to be an intimate form of advertising. This means that the audience will be more likely to listen to the commercials, especially your ad, since there are less distractions around them at that time.
Perfect Time of Day
The strength of your radio advertising space is dependent upon the drive time that you choose. The times of the day when people are more likely to be driving their cars is when you need to be having your ad aired on the radio. Both morning and night is referred to as AMD and PMD in radio terms.
AMD is morning, usually from 6 to 10AM. This is also considered to be the most expensive radio time because this is when people are most likely to tune in. PMD is the opposite, and is usually from 4 to 7PM. If your product is targeting the younger generation, then it is best to choose the afternoon time slots. This is when kids or teenagers will most likely be in the car or listening to radio elsewhere. People are also more alert in the afternoons, as opposed to early in the morning. Other radio time periods are described as DAY, which is from 10AM till 4PM, and EVE, which is 7PM until midnight.
Most radio stations will have two ways of buying radio advertising space. For example, ‘‘specific placement’ is when you specify which radio talk show you would like your ad to be aired the most. There is also ‘run of station’’, or ROS, which is a format that spreads your advertisements into all day parts. This is the most typical advertising space method for test runs of your campaign. It will allow you to see which time of day you attracted the most audience based on your product sales.
Even if you hire a media buyer to help you purchase radio advertising space, you need to be in the know-how of all things radio related. This will ensure that you are receiving the best deal on your radio advertising space, and you will know if the media buyer is negotiating the best prices.
