RadioActive Media : Marketing, Promotions and Advertising: Radio, Television, Magazine, Internet.

  800-599-RADIO | Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International

By Jan Carroza, RadioActive Media Team Member 

The timing of media placement can be critical because it can be directly proportional to savings achieved in the final negotiations. Trying to buy too close to flight dates when inventory is tight will almost always make the media cost more than if it were bought months or as far out as a year before. 

I threw the question out to members of LinkedIn’s Media Planning and Buying Group and got a variety of great answers. Basically, everyone sets their planning to their particular industry, media rate availability and company factors which are inevitable, and of course, make sense. 

Share the timing of your media planning at our poll and see when others are doing it.

Media planning starts in August at MindTaffy Design to be able to plan for CES in 2011, says Wallace Jackson. The process starts at the beginning of Q4 for Mark Plumb, Sr. A.E. at Weise Communications, and continues as budgets and sales targets arrive. The idea of budget “liquidity” continues as explored by Mel Collins of Persuade, Inc., reminding us all of the need for flexibility to respond to continually changing needs and opportunities. Mel’s description of the budget as road map is perfectly apt. 

I know from my own experience on the buying side that the capability to lock in rates a year in advance created significant savings for clients. Even putting two quarters worth of budget together beat the average rate of the two bought individually. By offering more commitment, I could get more clout. 

Providing “slush” money for opportunities, preemption, emergencies, and contingencies is especially important for the long-range planner. Many media like radio offer terrific opportunities at remnant prices for those with the flexibility both in timing and budget. 

However, all that flexibility keys off advertiser forces not in the planner’s control. The savings potential is worthy of serious internal discussion as part of overall planning strategy. Understandably, many planners must wait for all necessary components. Sometimes a discussion with management about what savings could mean with the greatest possible advance notice might make a difference. 

At RadioActive Media, we are keenly aware of the goals and needs of media planners and join you in sharing the success of the process. If you are an advertiser interested in what direct response radio can do for you, give Jeff Pollak a call at 800-559-RADIO (7234) to talk about what media planning might mean for you in 2011.

@radioactivemed

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800-599-RADIO | Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International

By the RadioActive Media Team

RadioActive Media is proud to be a sponsor of the SES (Search Engine Strategies) Expo in San Francisco, August 16th – August 18.  Come by our booth #212 to learn how your online efforts will be intensified by our radio campaigns. For more information go to www.radioactivemedia.net or call (800) 559-RADIO (7234).

Text “SEARCH” to 511-511 to get more information on how radio may enhance your online campaign!

@radioactivemed

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800-599-RADIO | Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International

By Steve Pollak

When working on creative for radio, it needs to be memorable. Copy that works for print or TV has to be tweaked for radio: The perception by the audience through audio, without the benefit of visual, for 30 or 60-seconds of time, needs to be heard to have maximum results.

You also need a great hook: something that will capture the listeners attention. Humor has to be carefully examined to make sure it doesn’t fall flat.

Build in an unbeatable, unique offer configuration with a high perceived value. Are you offering 50% off or buy 2, get 1 free? Have you tied it to a special promotion, a coupon, or contest?

Make sure that you mention contact points at least 3 times in a 60-second spot. Usually that means a web address and/or phone number. Positioning in the spot will vary, but certainly at the end and after you’ve described the offer are best places. Repetition is important, especially since this is not a newspaper they can refer to later. Simplicity is important too. Having a simple, easy-to-remember phone number, such as a vanity number (800-559-RADIO) and easy URL are critical for best response levels.

When using a text messaging campaign where the mass audience of targeted listeners is asked to text a message to get coupons/discounts, locations, audio/video messages, usually only a memorable short code is used in the message, such as text RADIO to 511-511.

At RadioActive Media, we like to take a list of 10-12 prioritized bullet points that our clients want to make sure are conveyed to the audience. The focus needs to be to make the message clear. The job is done right when the audience understands the offer, the value and takes action.

We hear poor calls to action regularly. For example: A discount eyeglass company uses 45 seconds of their 60 seconds with lackluster humor. Unfortunately, the listener is unable to remember the name of the company or their product, this tells you the spot didn’t have the desired response.

As a direct response agency, we build copy and functionality to have a great call-to-action with measurable results. How many calls were made at what times? How many web site hits were there? How many text messages came in?

We tie the times of the actions to the times that spots ran to evaluate performance. This analysis determines the next media selections, part of a constant flux of keeping what works with new additions to test.

Remember the special needs of the radio format. Unlike newspaper, you can’t refer back to the printed page later for a phone number or URL. Unlike television, you don’t have visual reinforcement of these contact points.

Note: One of the great reasons of using Sirius for a media buy is the pad display can include written information that can be saved.

These are some of the important points we take into consideration at RadioActive Media when we craft a successful radio creative. Call us to ask about how you can get a free, pre-produced commercial worth $2500. Ask for Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234).

@radioactivemed

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Text HELP for information
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