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No Es Política Como Siempre (It’s Not Politics As Usual)
January 28, 2020
You may have noticed that it’s election season (really, when ISN’T it election season?).
For every media platform, that means a potential influx of additional revenue. Everyone is looking for an angle to unlock their unfair share of that stream. Here is another potential “key.”
A recent article on campaignsandelections.com featured research that highlighted a better way to reach Hispanic voters. We won’t go into too much detail, except to say that one of the big conclusions was that Latinx voter turnout could be significantly increased through the use of Spanish-language ads. While the focus was on television, the implications for radio are vast.
The lowest of the hanging fruit points towards Hispanic-formatted and targeted radio stations. Ratings for these formats can often be problematic. This has everything to do with the current political climate. Many potential Nielsen PPM wearers are skeptical about the process. There can be a perceived “big brother” aspect to it all.
What is not in question is the impact these stations have on their community. That is where this new research can be used to bring in more political dollars.
The October Nielsen survey used updated population figures based on the 2010 Census and forecasted to 2020. While these changes varied by market, we noted that the Hispanic population generally grew at a faster rate than other measured ethnic populations. This is a voting bloc that candidates will pay particular attention to. The translation – they will spend more to reach that audience.
That said, this could also be an opportunity for so-called general market stations. We suggest you take a deeper dive into your Nielsen data. Through programs like the PPM Analysis Tool you can determine what percentage of your audience is Hispanic. Further, you can determine what percentage of that percentage lives in households whose language dominance is Spanish.
Is that audience segment big enough to justify the airing of Spanish-language ads on an otherwise English-language product? That is likely a programming decision. But, as with all things in today’s radio, it can be a sales opportunity.
At the very least, having a solid understanding of the ethnic composition of your measured audience can be a great talking point for your sales staff. It could be a difference-maker in getting on a political buy.
The Ratings Experts from Research Director, Inc. have decades of experience in this area. We know how to find that audience and help package it for sale. If you would like some insight into this opportunity, we would love to discuss it with you – contact us here.
Regardless, this new research – when used effectively – is another way to demonstrate to advertisers (and politicians) the power of radio.
-Steve Allan, Programming Research Consultant
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