Some businesses and organizations question the effectiveness of radio as a marketing medium before they even think about public radio. Some of this stems from the ephemeral nature of radio versus the print medium where you can visually see your ad whenever you choose to do so.

This concern is understandable, but it does not deny the effectiveness and efficiency of radio. Please read the study below.

Why Radio?

Study: Media Planners Should Take a Long Look at Radio

A decisive majority of consumers who say Radio advertising influences what they buy also say they give and take buying advice, according to a recent study published by BIGresearch. Those looking to build word-of-mouth about a product or service should take a good, long look at what's happening on the Radio, the study says.

"The power of Radio is its ability to reach the intermittent listener," said Dr. Joe Pilotta, BIGresearch's VP/Research and co-author of the study. "They identify certain times in the day with listening to music or a talk show, and then carry it with them throughout their lives." Radio advertisers, Pilotta continued, can take advantage of that tendency.  In the study, 4,121 respondents said Radio advertising was either "very important" or "important" in determining their purchasing decisions. Of that sample, more than 96 percent also said they "regularly" or "occasionally" give advice on products or services they've purchased. (Regularly means routinely, as a set pattern; occasionally means no set pattern, or as the mood suits.) More than 93 percent said they also take advice.
Further, of those who said Radio advertising was either "very important" or "important" in determining purchasing decisions, more than half said that on an average weekday, they listen to the Radio in the morning from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Said Pilotta: "This is compelling because it shows that the way people process information -- by hearing other people speak -- is directly translatable to what they do with their hard-earned dollars."

Source: BIGresearch, 7/16/03