Radio Needs to Be the 800-Pound Gorilla

May 1, 2014

After nearly a century in business, many feel that radio suffers from an inferiority complex. If broadcasters don’t talk about what makes our medium great, no one else will. Don’t expect the TV or the digital-only sales rep to talk about radio’s advantages – that is our job.

I’m amazed at the number of times we forget how truly dominant radio is, and its unique place in people’s lives. Most importantly, we need to remind our advertisers and potential advertisers what we have to offer. We need to be the 800-pound gorilla. A dominant presence that no one can ignore.

Radio reaches over 90% of all consumers in an average week. Even the internet, with its millions of web sites, cannot boast that. An advertiser’s message cannot be acted upon unless the consumer is exposed to it. Radio’s reach assures the advertiser that their message will be exposed to a vast portion of the population.

By nature, radio is an exceptional segmentation tool. Select who you want to reach by numerous factors, including geographic, demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle. Buy the attention of the group you wish to reach, and impact them better than other advertising options.

Radio hits its listeners between the ears. The power of an audio message cannot be ignored. Most people are audio learners, and therefore, there is no better way to impact their thought process than with sound.

Radio has it all:

• Unmatched reach
• Flexibility to segment
• The power of audio

We need to boast that we are still the 800-pound gorilla. Ignore us at your own peril. Remember, an 800-pound gorilla sleeps wherever it wants.

If you haven’t told your advertisers this before, tell them now. If you have told them before, tell it to them again – frequency sells!

-Charlie Sislen, Partner

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