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I just had the privilege of speaking at a conference with over 400 broadcasters. Standing on the stage viewing a roomful of people amazed me. Who would have thought just a few months ago that this would ever occur again? This was not the “new normal.” This was normal.
Last week, the May 2021 PPM data was released. This survey period covered April 29 to May 26. By casual observation I noticed that market listening in the May survey increased.
As The Ratings Experts, we wallow in data every day. We crunch the numbers to help our clients understand what happened to their station in a particular survey. The emphasis here is on the “what.”
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discussed the problem with big data. Not that it isn’t valuable. Every industry needs to understand how it is evolving. Deciphering consumer behavior is crucial to tailoring a product or service to keep up with what customers need and want.
In business today, companies pay dearly to learn about their customers. Understanding their consumer base is a tremendous selling point for most digital sales teams.
Most radio stations used to maintain a database of listeners, contest players, or fans of the format. These days, programming teams are stretched so thin and many stations no longer actively maintain their listener databases. I’m shocked when I have a conversation with a PD and they say, “Yep, I know it’s important, but I just don’t have the time.”
I would contend that, in this age of digital data, a listener database is more important than ever before. There are several reasons for this…
The most negative feedback a radio station, or any advertising-supported platform, receives is about commercials. Consumers generally hate them. Yet, these same consumers will actually quote famous, effective campaigns:
“Where’s The Beef?”
“Real Men of Genius”
“Wassup!”
So, is the issue the actual presence of commercials or their quality?
For those who are not yet familiar, the IBA (Independent Broadcasters Association) is a newly formed group of broadcasters. The predominance are owners that have stations in just a few markets, and the association is adding an important voice for our industry. In a short time, they have become a valuable resource to their 1,500 member stations.
The IBA just conducted a survey of its members on how they performed in the first quarter of 2021.
