iHeart Radio Goes on a Myth-Busting, Ad-Generating Quest

"This is the first event of its kind, born out of misperceptions that audio is not measurable, not trackable, not manageable," declared Conal Byrne, CEO of iHeartMedia's Radio's Digital Audio Group. "This stopped us in our tracks."

Several data points were featured, culled from iHeartMedia's own research and outside sources. Among them:

• Seventy-seven percent of radio listeners trust the information they get from radio personalities.
• Listeners consider radio personalities/influencers to be twice as trustworthy as social media influencers.
• Consumers spend 40% more time with broadcast radio than all social media.
• Nine out of 10 Americans are reached by audio programming every month.

There are a trio of myths many sponsors, ad agencies and media buyers tout to justify their audio expenditures, noted Hetal Patel, Executive Vice President of iHeartMedia's Smart Audio Insights and Analytics unit. "One myth is that all audio channels are created equally," she said. "Not true. The data shows that ad-supported linear radio performs better than other radio players."

Two other myths: broadcast radio cannot be targeted, and digital audio does such a great job targeting audiences that linear buys are unnecessary. In fact, the audio sectors complement each other. When they are no longer viewed as competitive, everyone benefits, noted David Shiffman, iHeartMedia's Executive Vice President of Research and Analytics.

"The data now allows us to activate target audiences for both broadcast and digital audio," Shiffman explained. "Audio is as measurable as anything else in the media mix -- and it's not that complicated."

Joe Pagano, Neustar Inc.'s Strategy and Consulting Vice President, estimated during one panel session that leading brands in a variety of product/service categories are 50% to 60% underinvested in audio formats. Applying a number of authentication and identity practices that involve greater use of consumer-generated data without running into privacy issues can result in more dollars allocated to audio services, he added.

In another panel, Publicis Media Chief Investment Officer Shelby Saville urged all audio producers and distributors to analyze first-party and third-party data in ways that effectively match audio listenership with consumer behavior. "At the end, you'll get data and measurement results that work at scale," she said.

Other suggestions were offered by Reset Digital Chief Executive Officer Charles Cantu, whose client roster includes Procter & Gamble. Among them: use audio's ability to quickly create messages to produce better results with individual campaigns, and be universally inclusive with messages aimed at diverse audiences. "Let's treat human beings like human beings first," Canto said. "A funny thing happens. They love you for it. Have a basic message for everyone, then run the culture layer for a specific demographic on top."

More advice came from Seth Goren, Discovery Inc.'s Group Vice President of Global Subscriber Acquisition. "Understand the optimal objectives," he said. "Understand the audience first. You must leverage data and technology platforms."

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