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

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

By the RadioActive Media Team

At RadioActive Media, our simple goal to constantly improve tracked results for our clients’ radio ad campaigns replaces planning formulas once a campaign starts.

Mathematical formulas can be helpful in starting the campaign planning process and as one of the measurement tools. We were recently having a discussion about the number of times a spot needs to be heard in order to produce the desired action (i.e. a sale, an inquiry, store traffic.)

Frequency is part of the GRP equation: Reach X Frequency = Gross Rating Points which is a mathematical formula.  Pure, easy to calculate and is used in most media plans and calculated on most media buys.  The concept is good, however the execution may be somewhat flawed and here is why.

1. Computer formulas have generalized the process of media buying:

- In order to have actual reach and frequency calculations, true duplication needs to be accounted for in the buy.

- The formularized version may use duplication tables, which makes all talk radio equal.  Some Tier 1 radio personalities would disagree because audience composition may be different.

2.  Mathematical formulas do not take into account the advertised product or service:

- Once or twice in a lifetime purchase (such as a home) versus multiple purchases of DVDs.

- Big ticket items such as solar panels versus small ticket items such as movie tickets.

- The influence endorsements by a radio personality have on the potential consumer.

3.  Product/category life cycle:

- New category?  Before the iPhone we didn’t have apps. More exposures are needed to explain new inventions first, prior to actually buying.

- New product/service in an existing category?  Consumers understand the category, however as a new market entry, a brand name building campaign is more appropriate and should still be tied to performance-driven elements.

- Existing category and existing product?  Maintenance schedules are often recommended in this scenario but may be affected by changes in the competitive landscape.

4.  Cross media campaigns and the new technologies:

- Most formulas are media specific such as radio exclusively or TV.

- Social media has certainly had an influence on purchasing behavior.

- Mobile media is game changing.

Finally, we come to the consumers themselves.  There is always a certain amount of folks who have already made the decision to purchase an iPhone, as an example.  They are just waiting for the new version, their next paycheck or their maybe even their tax return.  In any event, the decision is not will they buy; It is when they will buy and from whom.  Solar panels are a bigger ticket item and still relatively new to market. The decision cycle may take more time and more research on the part of the consumer.

In our opinion, results do not come from formulas.   Results come from experience, testing and most of all tracking and fine-tuning the campaign every step of the way.

Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) and we can discuss the many ways we can design a results-orientated campaign.

@radioactivemed

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Text STOP to cancel alerts
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By the RadioActive Media Team

We believe mobile technology will continue to grow and offer many applications to make our personal lives more productive, streamline business and promote faster b2b communication and data accessibility.

The average iPhone user has 65 apps and spends $80 on average on their apps. The market is eager and hungry and willing to pay. But how will yours stand out?

At RadioActive Media we have had tremendous success in mobile technology early on with our Radio Text Messaging (RTM) campaigns. We drove a campaign for a remote access business app that took it to the Top 10 Paid Apps and Top Grossing Apps List (it remains on the latter today). Our campaigns use radio to reach a large targeted audience enhanced with text messaging to deliver specific offers, videos, and coupons. The text messaging feature also instantly syncs consumers up with locations near them, providing savings from more costly phone routing systems.

Imagine listening to a talk show personality who endorses your app on air and directs their audience to search for your app by texting a simple word like RADIO to a simple short code like 511-511? You can send a link to your site and iTunes. You now have permission to call and text that person again. How cool is that?

Our experience lets us assess the capabilities to build campaigns that achieve a direct response across a wide variety of calls to action from website, to phone or text. All of these methods can be tracked, allowing us to see what works best and to modify creative, placement, or other elements quickly to improve results.

How do users currently go about finding business apps now? There are currently over 134,000 apps available at the iTunes App store in the following major categories:

Business    Books     Entertainment     Education

Finance     Games    Finance     Healthcare & Fitness

Lifestyle       Medical       Music        Navigation

News    Photography   Productivity   Reference

Social Networking   Sports   Travel   Utilities   Weather

Productivity is a broad category with some interesting apps such as Chemical Engineering Formulator with over a 100 important formulas and Goal Master is an app for managing and improving your daily habits. Another interesting app is iTranslate billed as a Universal translator for your iPhone.

Business has many useful tools and overlaps with Productivity.  Did you know that you can print from and print information stored on your iPhone?  Print states you can quickly and easily print without connecting to your computer.

Finance is an ever-growing category.  USAA (membership eligibility required) thoroughly embraces mobile technology.  For those not familiar with USAA they do not have branches. Branchless banking with their relatively new app USAA Deposit@Mobile allows their members to take a picture of both sides of the check and transmit the images for immediate deposit.  How productive is that?

These are just a few of the apps that are making our lives easier and businesses more efficient.  Business apps are lagging behind personal apps.  It’s time to change that. We can help promote your business app to other businesses and consumers.  Text RADIO to 511511 or call Jeff at 800-599-RADIO (7234).

@radioactivemed

The purpose of the program: to find information about DR programs (and the frequency of any alerts)
Message and data rates may apply
Text STOP to cancel alerts
Text HELP for information
A statement of privacy disclosure

By The RadioActive Media Team

The term “Internet Radio” has most likely been shortened from “streaming radio content over the Internet”.  Certainly, there are some Internet-only radio “stations”, in fact at one site they list 242.  That may sound like a lot, however there are almost 14,000 true radio stations in the U.S.  (more…)