Five Lessons from Content Controversy - Walter Sabo

For decades radio hosts have made comments or played songs that have caused discomfort to their advertisers How advertisers react to those moments actually can have more negative impact on their brand image than anything said by the radio hostTypically an advertiser39s first reaction is to pull its spots out of the show Many advertisers also claim that they didn39t know their spot package was running in that programHere are five lessons that may be helpful for radio media planning after a controversial event1 Radio is a remarkably powerful medium One voice without a script or team of producers is capable of creating a national stir and countless newspaper columns and editorialsLESSON When buying radio put top senior media planners and senior quotCquot level management on the job to harness radio39s power to benefit your brand2 Most advertisers buy a run of day package hoping they will be quotbonusedquot in the network39s big shows Certainly network salespeople proudly present proof of performance affidavits boasting runs in the show When trouble hits these advertisers sometimes say quotI didn39t know we were running in that showquot UnlikelyThat39s as annoying as Zooey Daschenel39s repeated claims that she doesn39t know why people say she39s cute httpwwwfoxcomnewgirlheygirlIt is reasonable to suspect that many buyers have never listened to the shows they are buying they just want dah numbers quotGRPSquot quotCPPSquot and quotROIsquotLESSON When buying radio listen to the station and the shows You watch the TV shows you buy listen to the radio You might discover that you like the radio shows or stations more than you imagined you would and make a deeper radio buy3 A callin talk show is designed to elicit response It is the opposite of a bully pulpit The audience is encouraged to participate that39s why it existsWhile TV shows and newspapers are closed systems that rarely tap the power of audience interaction radio invented it If a show39s audience disagrees with the content they will overwhelm the show with their contrarian phone calls It is unlikely that daily listeners to a given show are offended Commercials were not airing in a unique environment for that show Rating39s success in radio is dependent on content consistencyLESSON The audience for a given show likes the show A radio show or station buy delivers the same commercial environment every day It39s the nosurprise medium4 Radio offers extraordinary environment control compared with the Internet Go to any online video website search for naughty videos and watch which advertisers appears as popups prerolls and banners You will see the most prestigious brands the biggest advertisers investing in packages supporting R rated content on the Internet Those ad buyers will also say they didn39t know their message was attached to that content butamp8230there it isLESSON The Federal government offers advertisers rigorous standards for content on Radio and TV that brands are not afforded online or in print There are escort agency ads in the Yellow pages not on the radio A network radio show has two additional levels of protection A delay mechanism at the point of production and at the point of broadcast There are TWO gatekeepers that can cut illegal content from airing5 The Audience knows your brand is not responsible Radio advertisers typically buy quotaudiencequot not shows Listeners understand that spot advertisers do not quotsponsorquot the show preview the content or do script reviews Really they do Spontaneity is the essential appeal of radioToday39s audience has a profound understanding of content creation They or their friends and family have made online videos Facebook and Twitter comments or their own blogs They have experienced the frustration of low response rates and the fun of significant audience feedbackThanks to the Internet not radio or TV the audience is able to control a brand39s image Customers go online to respond to advertiser placement they do it based on how well the product lives up to its promises and the level of its customer service Brand sanctity vanished when the modem arrivedLESSON Pulling ads out of a popular radio TV show or magazine simply means the brand loses a vital touch point with potential consumersA brand that publically abandons a specific show39s audience is criticizing that audience for selecting the program Putting a brand on a quotdo not buy the showquot list is instructing media buyers toamp8230quotRetreat from that customer basequotThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Five Lessons from Content Controversy - Walter Sabo

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