All great things come to an end. Even the hyper-connected tech savvy consumer will eventually get tired of being on their phone constantly. A recent study from iHeartRadio sheds light on media consumption trends.
The results highlight the effects of “tech-fatigue”. This refers to consumers scaling back phone usage. This means less opportunities to reach your audience.
1. Digital Detox
The digital detox trend, coupled with data privacy and malware fears has made the mobile advertiser’s life difficult. 64% of participants in the study reduced their daily phone usage from 5 hours to 4 hours in the span of 14 months. That is a 20% drop in phone usage.
2. Broadcast Radio is Unaffected by Digital Detox
The listening rates for AM/FM radio have remained constant over the past 5 years. 90% of listeners have listened to the radio at the same consumption level, if not more.
3. Broadcast Radio Gets More Time Than Social Media
This one may be a bit hard to believe, but that doesn’t make it any less true. The average daily time spent per adult (18+) in the U.S. on radio is 102 minutes and 51 minutes on social media. Radio gets twice as much engagement time than social media.
The moral of the story is to prevent your campaign from being hurt by trends such as tech fatigue. Having radio in your marketing mix ensures reach, scale, and reliability.
Call us today for great deals on radio spots! 562-439-3900
When advertisers are preparing a new spot for an audio advertisement, a lot of time is spent on deciding how long the spot should be. Westwood One wanted to see if spending a significant amount of time on deciding spot length had a strong enough impact to justify the time spent on this otherwise simple decision. What they found was that longer ads do perform better, but they do not always lead to a significant difference in creative scores.
Now that advertisement length is known to not drive a significant impact on the performance of the spot, attention can be turned to finding other ways to optimize audio advertisement performance. Three best practices were identified.
1. Less messages leads to better recall!
Millward Brown, a global leader in brand strategy consulting, advertising development and optimization, media effectiveness, and brand equity research, reports that more messages in an ad leads to a lower likelihood of a single message being recalled. Powerful numbers are provided to prove this point. The first message of an ad with four total messages only has a 43% recall rate compared to an ad with a single message.
This makes sense once you think about it. Cramming a bunch of messages into an ad makes it harder to remember anything that was in the ad. A 15 second ad with one message will likely perform far better than a 30 second ad with three messages.
Instead of taking a 30 or 60 second ad as an opportunity to say everything you can about the brand, take that time to communicate one central idea in an entertaining & memorable way. Think about Snickers’ advertisements. “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” One central idea that is communicated in a consistently entertaining & attention grabbing way. Time is not wasted talking about taste, size, packaging, price, or the myriad of messages they could communicate. Instead, the message is just to eat a Snickers when you’re hungry. Now that’s memorable.
2. Prioritize brand building, not sales activation
The Head of Effectiveness at adam&eveDDB, Les Binet, and Peter Field, a Marketing Consultant, studied the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) database of case studies to prove this point. They explain that sales activation campaigns focus on customers who are likely to buy in the very near future which is accomplished by leveraging existing brand equity to drive sales.
They make the analogy that sales campaigns are like carbs; they produce a sugar rush-like short term sales boost followed by a crash. Sales campaigns are easy to measure because results tend to be immediate and direct.
Similarly, branding campaigns are compared to protein; a sustainable and long lasting source of energy. Brand building is more difficult and requires greater investment, however, it is critical. This involves the process of creating mental associations and beliefs that ultimately leads to the preference of one brand compared to the next. To build a brand, mass media like television and radio are necessary. This is because the objective is to communicate to everyone in the category, not just people in the market right now.
The difference compared to sales campaigns is that brand building sales effects grow and compound, becoming a main driver of long term growth. The ideal mix of sales and branding campaigns should be 60% branding and 40% sales. This makes sense because that means more brand equity is being built than being spent on sales activation.
3. Focus Creative on Emotional Claims Instead of Rational
This may sound backwards, but let’s stop and think about it. Becoming top of mind for consumers is an issue of reach. Creating brand likability and understanding is the product of good advertising. Does this sound like a feat that is accomplished through dumping facts or telling a captivating story that touches the heart?
The Binet & Field analysis reveals that emotional branding performs more strongly across all metrics, including: awareness, commitment, trust, differentiation, fame, and image. Emotional advertising and storytelling creates bonds and associations more efficiently than throwing a bunch of facts about the brand or product at the audience. Naturally, these efficiencies translate to an increase in the bottom line. Creating emotional bonds with the target market yields higher long-term sales, share, pricing power, and loyalty.
To sum up, it’s not the spot length that matters. Focus on the number of messages, branding and sales mix, and emotional claims in your audio creative.
Give us a call 562-439-3900 so that we can create high quality audio creative for you and get you great deals on media placement!
It’s 2020! And at Media Partners Worldwide we are still experiencing a lot of interest in radio and audio, and with life life-changing technology at our fingertips like our smartphones, AirPods, voice assistants and smart speakers, it continues to thrive and be the king of mass reach!
According to Nielsen, Radio is still the #1 reach medium, and has held its top position consistently for 16 quarters. Moreover, mobile devices, streaming, and podcasts have fueled the demand for content that can go wherever the consumer goes.
So what trends do we see in 2020?
Fragmentation of all media not affecting radio
Radio may be the king of mass reach, but it also commands a majority of our attention. In Nielsen’s Total Audience Report Q2 2019, time spent with radio among adults 18 and older is nearly 12 hours per week, while adults spend just under six hours a week with their TV-connected devices. They say we’re living in the golden age of TV, but there are only so many hours in a day one can set aside for binge-watching. Radio is there to entertain and inform when you are in your car, at the gym or wherever you go, helping to keep AM/FM radio as the #1 in-car entertainment choice.
Political Season with News/Talk driving the listening
Even though, pop music and country is reaching more of the younger audience, News/Talk was by far the most listened to genre last year according to Nielsen with a 9.5% share of listeners among persons 6+ in 2019. Though it’s held the top spot among general audiences for almost a decade, listening typically spikes around key election years, and 2020 will be no different. Radio has proven itself as a trustworthy resource for consumers who want to stay informed at the global and community level, and as usual, radio will not disappoint.
Looking to reach loyal, highly-involved listeners? Media Partners owns inventory on many News/Talk network that are jam-packed with top stations across the country.
Demand for Attribution on Radio
Attribution is a buzz word for 2020 and what everyone is looking for and wants with radio/audio.advertising has made it easy for marketers to precisely track campaign response, and that granular level of detail has raised the bar for other media platforms. At Media Partners Worldwide, we provide our ADTRACTION software so we can measure and pinpoint how your campaigns drive traffic to make smarter creative and media buying decisions, so you can get the most of your dollars spent.
Radio is still relevant as a medium for many advertisers, with less fragmentation, more attention and now attribution is possible.
The Television Bureau of Advertising announced in late 2019 that it is planning to lead an industry wide change involving the transition from a rating-based to an impression-based system of audience measurement for television. Their plan is to implement these changes in 2020. Is it possible that radio will follow in suit?
Many big players in the television world are on board with the change. This includes NBC, CBS, ABC, and other television media giants. Ratings got the job done in an era of limited media platforms, but simply won’t cut it in today’s fragmented and measurable media landscape.
The problem that the TBA is trying to solve stems from the local TV market being based on cost per rating point. This is calculated by taking a program’s Average Quarter Hour Persons and divides them by the population. This is called a rating. These ratings are shrinking. An impression-based system solves this problem by providing more granular measurement that minimizes ratings compression. Costs would then be based on a cost per thousand impressions system. The bottom line is to give media sellers more power when it comes to pricing and simplify the job for advertisers when they are buying media by having everything on a common metric. A large part of this transition is educating key stakeholders on the benefits of the switch.
Now, the radio industry isn’t just closing their eyes and covering their ears while all of this is going on. Brad Kelly, Managing Director of Nielsen Audio says, “Advertisers are telling us having a commonality of metrics would ease cross-media planning and buying, and help remove friction from their processes.” Kelly is not the only decision maker for the whole industry of radio. There needs to be a consensus in the marketplace for any change to start being implemented.
As of now, there are no signs that radio is either for or against a change in metrics in their respective industry. However, one can only imagine they are feeling the pressure to innovate as they watch their fellow traditional media giants make the switch.
Industry leaders like Tom Langmyer say, “TV and radio are the only mediums that typically don’t transact based on CPM calculations, but we have the data.” A metric that can highlight the value of using radio as an advertising platform could be exactly what the industry needs. However, radio “must continue to sell integrated marketing plans, sponsorships, events, and unique experiences that aren’t valued solely on impressions. That’s where smart sales and marketing people provide even more value,” Langmyer states.
This transition allows for simplification when buying and selling media, accurate targeting and evaluation, less friction in media planning. Is this decade going to be the comeback for TV and radio?
Instagram often gets neglected by marketers because they believe it will be of no use to their respective business or that their target market is not on there. With over one billion monthly active users, it is safe to say that at least some members of the chosen target audience is present. There are five big reasons to start including Instagram in marketing plans.
Target market access: with the one billion monthly users mentioned above, combined with social media’s ability to communicate personable messages, this is a great medium to find your target audience.
Intuitive: Instagram’s user interface is powerful and simple. There is no learning curve or training necessary. For the most part, you can jump right in and get to work.
Free: It costs nothing to make an Instagram, publish content on it, and see an endless amount of content. There is also an option to do paid advertising on Instagram as well. The core functions are free, though.
No equipment necessary: Smartphones are sophisticated enough that an expensive camera, studio, or any other content production tools are not necessary. Creativity, patience, and the slightest photography know-how will get the job done at superb quality
Automation capabilities: Adding another platform to the marketing mix can sound like a lot of extra work, but it really isn’t thanks to recent developments from Facebook, Instagram’s owner. There are automation dashboards that allow Instagram posts to be scheduled ahead of time, in bulk with tools such as Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social.
To summarize, start using Instagram in your marketing plan because it’s free, easy to use, doesn’t require fancy equipment, and your target market is on there!
As small business owners know, there are many challenges to be faced when starting your own company. One of those obstacles is generating leads. Finding the unique way to attract people to your business requires strategy, patience, and creativity.
Here are 5 ways to engage potential customers and get them on the path of eventually buying your product or service.
1. Strong Branding
Customers love authentic companies who are strong with their message and consistent with their content. Millennials are typically more likely to support a brand if they feel they are reliable. (Check out our blog on millennials here!) So, don’t try and be everything to everyone.
Keep your brand strong by having a clear definition of who you are and maintain this definition throughout your content, visuals, and products.
2. Newsletter
If you don’t have a newsletter, you are missing out on ample opportunities to engage with potential customers. Make sure you put a newsletter sign up in every possible place that makes sense on your website.
Email campaigns are a great way to fight your way through the internet noise and be seen. Create your newsletters to include industry news, product announcements, and insights from your company. For more tips, check out our post on email marketing here.
3. Blogs
Nowadays, most reliable companies have a blog. It allows your company complete control of what is said on your niche topic and it also allows opportunities to have the undivided attention of your reader.
Create posts with statistics and credible information to authenticate your brand and allow your readers to learn. Give it real value and don’t make it all about you. Of course, there will be room to promote your product or service. But foremost, relay engaging information and join conversations that are prevalent in your field.
4. Networking at Events
Don’t forget about the real world in this predominately digital market. By going to events, you will meet people, expand your network and gain referrals.
Bring business cards and put yourself out there. Even if the event doesn’t directly pertain to your business, go anyway as it can bring about valuable contacts and leads.
5. Offers
You want to get potential customers to visit your website and an offer is a great way to do that. But keep in mind, that the offer must have enough value to a visitor to merit providing their personal information in exchange for access to it. An example of this would be creating an ebook on something prevalent and informative to your niche, or a special coupon code that offers a discount if the customers provide their email address.
Then you can use this information to send out your newsletter or latest blog post via email, which will keep your customers coming back for more.
Once you put all these elements together, you will establish brand awareness, connect with the potential customer and find what strategy works best for your company.
For more information on lead generation or how to market your small business, contact us here at Media PartnersWorldwide via phone (562) 439-3900 or email [email protected]
1) It’s Targetable Podcasts give advertisers the luxury of nailing down their target audience. Podcasters have the freedom to talk about any topic. From “new moms”, “wine and good food”, “health hacks”, “fancy cars” to “wilderness survival tactics”, you can find a plethora of podcasts that will reach your perfect customer.
2) Podcasts Provide a Word of Mouth Platform When a listener’s favorite host reads the commercial, it’s just like a friend telling them to try your product. Listeners trust the host and value their opinion. Also, many podcasters will provide added value and include your product on their website or mention you in their trusted blogs.
3) Time Podcasters typically are not restricted by time and when segments need to start and end. They can be as long or short as it takes. Because of this, you can get improved and nontime restricted content.
4) Podcast Listeners don’t Skip your Ads Podcast followers are less likely to skip your ad because they are loyal and attentive to the show. Ads are typically read in the beginning, middle and sometimes end of the show. Listeners want to hear the show and often the ads are integrated in such a way that they sound like they are part of the content.
5) The “Untouchables” are Listening Those 18-34 cord cutters and ad blockers are listening to podcasts now more than ever. The research shows that they actually listen to the ad, too.
6) You can Better Measure your ROI The most popular way to track success are through unique checkout codes, vanity URL’s offered in the ad or a drop-down menu with a selection of sources from which they “heard the ad”. While not flawless, they offer a few easy ways to gauge how your podcasts are performing on each specific show.
7) Your Commercial is Evergreen Most podcasts embed your commercial in their podcasts and it will be heard anytime a listener downloads the specific show you were in. Some loyal listeners listen each week to their show, but many download and save the show to listen in the future. Listeners continue to hear your commercial weeks, months and even years after your paid run. That can mean free impressions and increased results long after your schedule has ended.
8) Over 80% of Listeners can Recall your Brand
Midroll did a recall study and found that listeners:
* 80% could recall at least one advertiser in each episode
* 67% could recall a specific offer or promo
* 51% were more likely to buy the featured brand in the show
9) You can Easily Test Different Offers Because hosts record their shows typically on a weekly basis, you can change your offer as needed each week. It’s a great platform to test new offerings and new promotions without “production” costs, if the hosts are reading your commercial in the show.
If you are ready to include podcasts in your plan this year, here’s what you should consider:
* You should plan on testing with at least $10k a month.
* Be prepared to pay cpm’s of $15 to $20 per commercial.
* You need to be open to testing different podcasts that reach your target audience.
* We suggest giving each show a minimum of 4 weeks.
* Be ready to send out your product to the host so they can try it and get familiar with it before they read your spot.
* Some hosts will be more effective at endorsing your product than others.
Bottom line, podcasts are working and brands like Audible and Blue Apron are just a few of the advertisers who have jumped on board and are realizing the great potential of podcasts. Isn’t it time that you got into the mix?
Our seasoned team at Media Partners Worldwide can help you get started.
Reach out to us at 800-579-3031 or email me at [email protected].
Quick Tips to Improve Your Facebook Marketing Campaign
Facebook is one of the most under-utilized online advertising channels, despite its popularity as a social media platform. With approximately 1.4 billion active users, it would behoove you to test the Facebook ad waters and build a proper strategy for your business.
In an attempt to help weed out all the clutter, here are some quick tips to get you started on your Facebook marketing campaign.
Appearance
* Coordinate your cover photo, profile picture and pinned posts to match your call to action. If you want to maximize engagement with your marketing campaigns, try matching your copy and creative across all three.
* Use a recognizable profile picture. Since your profile picture is at the top of the page and used as your thumbnail, you want to make sure it’s something that potential customers or fans will recognize, like your logo.
* Plan your “About” section, carefully. Since a preview of your “about” section is shown beneath your profile picture, it is going to be one of the first things people see. Make sure to write relevant information about your company and include your website.

Posting
* Think about ways you can target your audience, such as by age, gender, interests or education. The more specific you are with targeting the stronger your engagement will be.
* Create original posts, but don’t overwhelm your followers by post more than a few times a day.
* Post during peak times. Websites, such as coschedule.com, offer analytics of the best time to post on Facebook and other social media platforms. For example, posts published between 1-4 p.m. usually have the best click-through and share rates.
* Visual content is essential to succeeding on social media. Research has a shown the use of visual content in Facebook campaigns can generate 65% more engagement after only one month.
Analysis
* Facebook offers features to track your engagement with followers such as “Insights.”For example, if you are looking for page specific data, like engagement rate per post, “insights” is a great tool to utilize.
* Use tracking URLs with UTM codes to identify which posts are driving traffic and conversions to your website.
* Promote your best content, the content that you know works. You don’t have to spend precious time in the beginning completely changing your campaign. If something has worked for you before, try it again.
For more information on using Facebook ads to promote your business, visit us at www.mediapartnersworldwide.comm or call us directly:(562)439-3900
5 Reasons To Use Live Streaming Services in Your Marketing Campaign
So your marketing campaign needs some work. You want to boost engagement, expand your marketing plan, accumulate new followers, and of course, sell more products. Well, live streaming may be able to offer your business some help. Here are a few reasons why:
1. It is a natural progression
Since you already know about the advantages of digital and video marketing, live streaming is your next step. Video marketing has now become interactive through live streaming. Video currently accounts for half of all Internet traffic, so it makes sense that you’d want your business to be a part of that. Videos are accessible, affordable, and their ROI has been tested and proven to work.
It’s opening up an entirely new world of interactivity, and that’s something you should be taking advantage of.
2. It is cost effective
Cost is important especially when you are operating a small business. Well, live streaming is no more expensive than conventional video marketing, which has attributed to its rise in popularity. All you need to live stream is a stable Internet connection and a good camera that can shoot in HD quality.
3. It creates a community
Live streaming allows people to communicate with each other while watching your video. Your target audience can comment and ask questions, thus forging a type of community guided by you and your brand.
This improves user experience in an organic, natural way that can bring about referrals and recommendations from your audience to boost the number of followers you have.
4. It gives the option to provide education
You are not just selling a product or service. In fact, you are proving education which adds value to your brand. Live streaming can allow you to provide an interactive lesson, seminars or lectures.
Customers can ask questions in real time and those questions can be addressed immediately, which clears up any confusion that blocks a potential sales conversion. This can also nourish your brand’s community and boost your interactions with your target audience.
5. It provides transparency
People want to know what your brand is all about, even behind the scenes. They want to gauge your authenticity. Live streaming makes that easier. Customers can now look behind the scenes as part of special presentations for free.
For example, you can show them a demo of your latest product. You can show them around the office and introduce them to some of your staff in real-time. The advantage this has over traditional video marketing is that you are designed to feel like you are in the room with them.
For more information about live streaming services for your business, visit us at www.mediapartnersworldwide.comm or call us directly at (562)439-3900
So your marketing campaign needs some work. You are seeking new initiatives and tools to boost engagement, expand your marketing plan, accumulate new followers, and of course, sell more products. Well, live streaming may be able to help your business. Here are a few reasons why:
1. It is a natural progression
Since you already know about the advantages of digital and video marketing, live streaming is your next step. Video marketing has become interactive through live streaming. Video currently accounts for half of all Internet traffic, so it makes sense you’d want your business to be a part of that. Videos are accessible, affordable, and their ROI has been tested and proven to work.
It’s opening up an entirely new world of interactivity, and that’s something you should be taking advantage of.
2. It is cost effective
Cost is important especially when you are operating a small business. Well, live streaming is no more expensive than conventional video marketing, which has attributed to its rise in popularity. All you need to live stream is a stable Internet connection and a good camera that can shoot in HD quality.
3. It creates a community
Live streaming allows people to communicate with each other while watching your video. Your target audience can comment and ask questions, thus forging a type of community guided by you and your brand.
This improves user experience in an organic, natural way that can bring about referrals and recommendations from your audience to boost the number of followers you have.
4. It gives the option to provide education
You are not just selling a product or service. In fact, you are proving education which adds value to your brand. Live streaming can allow you to provide an interactive lesson, seminars or lectures.
Customers can ask questions in real time and those questions can be addressed immediately, which clears up any confusion that blocks a potential sales conversion. This can also nourish your brand’s community and boost your interactions with your target audience.
5. It provides transparency
People want to know what your brand is all about, even behind the scenes. They want to gauge your authenticity. Live streaming makes that easier. Customers can look behind the scenes as part of these special live streaming presentations.
For example, you can show them a demo of your latest product. You can show them around the office and introduce them to some of your staff in real-time. The advantage this has over traditional video marketing is that you are designed to feel like you are in the room with them.
For more information about live streaming services for your business, visit us at www.mediapartnersworldwide.comm or call us directly at (562)439-3900
Instagram often gets neglected by marketers because they believe it will be of no use to their respective business or that their target market is not on there. With over one billion monthly active users, it is safe to say that at least some members of the chosen target audience is present. There are five big reasons to start including Instagram in marketing plans.
