Radio advertising

Written by Kieran McNeill

Radio can be a very effective way to reach a passive audience. It’s also a growing advertising medium, with 12.5% year-on-year growth.

Which is, according to the radio industry, faster than the growth in digital advertising.Some key radio statistics:

  • 36 million UK adults listen to commercial radio weekly
  • There are 380 licensed stations in the UK
  • 53% of people listen via a digital device
  • 88% of adults listen to radio every week
  • You can view some interesting data on radio advertising on the RAJAR.

Radio stations

With 380 stations in the UK, it is important to select the right one for your business. If you are a local business, a local station is a great choice and will be relatively cost effective.

If you have a global brand with a larger budget, you might want to consider a nationwide station. The bigger stations will usually have regional stations as well, so you have limited geographical targeting available.

Time of day

The time of day your advert will be played is also important and better timeslots invariably come at a greater cost to you. Depending on who your target audience is, the commute can be a great time to catch people so the drive time slots of 6am-10am and 4pm-7pm are usually more expensive.

Creative

With radio you only have a short period of time to get your message across, usually 30 or 60 seconds so you need to keep the message concise and clear and have a call to action at the end. Creative that stands out with a catchy jingle can also work well depending on the product or service offering.

How to reach younger radio listeners

As younger listeners have become more used to paid-for platforms, other online platforms such as Spotify and Soundcloud offer advertising and because they know more about their listeners you can use this to your advantage with their targeting options.

Spotify has enabled targeting based on the following:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Platform (desktop, mobile Android, mobile iOS)
  • Genre

DAX

Dax is another interesting advertising option set up by Global. It includes streaming platforms, podcasts and the Global stable of radio stations. It covers Europe, Asia and the US, so a great option if you’re looking to reach an international audience.

On the app, the user can choose what music they want to listen to, but they will still get a presenter and adverts – but not just audio ads, you can run visual banner ads too.

Want to know more?

If you are interested in finding out more about how radio advertising could work for your business, why not get in touch? We’re on 020 3371 3295.

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