Two recent posts on LinkedIn highlighted the opposing views on where radio is headed.
The first, from Chris Botha (group MD at Park Advertising), unpacked the latest media inflation figures. With almost all traditional media becoming more expensive than last year, he noted: “Google, Facebook and TikTok are licking their lips.”
The second was from Dave Sturgeon, a radio market manager and agency owner in the US, who reminded us of radio’s staying power. His post included this gem: “Forward-thinking marketers are pouring budget into ads that get skipped, scrolled past, or worse – accidentally liked.”
These posts reflect two sides of the same coin: the continued growth of digital ad spend. Conventional wisdom says digital does two things better than radio: it’s easier to buy and you can (sort of) measure it.
But radio can do both, and exceptionally well.
Default to digital
Radio is easy to buy if you opt for an optimised, cost-per-thousand audience approach, instead of the traditional labour intensive, station-by-station discount model. Media agencies, under pressure with limited resources, often default to digital simply because it feels less time-consuming.
Measurement is the other perceived gap – but it’s not reality. Radio is highly effective at driving conversion, not just awareness and engagement.
Its massive reach (significantly higher than digital) and unfragmented audiences, along with the influencer power of trusted presenters, can push engaged listeners to conversion platforms in volumes digital can’t match. We call it ‘frictionless conversion’.
Seamless integration
There won’t be one standard radio conversion platform – rather, a range of them. Radio integrates seamlessly with WhatsApp, station apps, geo-tools, augmented reality, TikTok, Instagram, influencer aggregators, and many more.
What ties them together is the commonality of language we use – that radio delivers across the entire funnel.
The outlook for commercial radio over the next 12 months depends on how the industry tackles the challenge of taking on digital.
I say we do it head-on: A collective industry effort that drives the message that radio is easy to buy, measurably effective – and a powerful sales driver that digital can only envy.
John Walls is the co-founder and managing director at Ultimate Media, the independent radio & audio specialist agency.
