Radio marketing balances at the intersection of art, science, psychology and commerce. It connects listeners to audio and content, and advertisers to audiences.Shifting radio consumption habits to digital audio via apps, websites, and music platforms, as well as multi-platform options, have changed the way broadcasters engage existing audiences and reach new ones.
For radio, locality and geography still play a key role in connecting with listeners. The success of community and regional broadcasters illustrates this clearly. Content, events, activations, and a physical presence in the broadcast footprint are shaped by the people and places of a specific area.
For national broadcasters this is more challenging. A sold-out event in one province can leave audiences elsewhere feeling isolated. The absence of on-air staff in certain areas is often reflected in the on-air content that primarily speaks to the region where the broadcaster is based.
To better understand how national radio brands approach these challenges, I spoke to three marketing managers based at the SABC Radio headquarters in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.
Meet the marketers
Melba Thompson (Metro FM) began her career in the finance department at the SABC. With a specific career path in mind, she studied towards a degree in communication science and applied for a job in the office of the general manager in the commercial radio portfolio. With her knowledge of group finance and organisational systems her new role gave her valuable exposure to the operational and business elements of broadcasting. A move to being an events co-ordinator at 5FM was her first exposure to working at station level, ultimately preparing her for the marketing manager role at Metro FM.
Busi Phakathi (5FM) has had a diverse media marketing career. She joined the SABC as an Intern at SAFM after graduating from the University of Johannesburg and later accepted a role as a Marketing Assistant with the station. After time in public radio, she moved to the SABC commercial radio cluster and took up the role of events co-ordinator at 5FM. Thereafter she spent time as the Portfolio Brand Manager for SABC Radio and was also the acting marketing manager at Radio 2000. Her career journey includes agency, television, and edtech exposure, all of which expanded her skills and gave her a broader perspective on media and marketing. She returned to 5FM in 2025 as the marketing manager.
Amoré Swanepoel (RSG) brings agency and radio experience to her role at the SABC. She has worked in radio management and programming in campus radio, where she was recognised as a Bright Star of the industry at the SA Radio Awards. Her time as General Manager at a specialist radio integration agency gave her a deep understanding of campaigns and sales, as well as the need for collaborative problem-solving between programming, marketing, and sales.
Brands in motion
It is interesting to note that the product being marketed across the stations is no longer just radio. All three marketers refer to multiple audience touch points, content, social platforms, and audio engagement. It is an omni-channel environment with different rules. Activations, on-air, events, on-line and content generation and repurposing, this is the operational reality of radio marketing
For Thompson, the product she markets is inseparable from content and personalities. Her role is about packaging what Metro FM offers in ways that are appealing to audiences and commercially viable to clients. On-air personalities are not just presenters but extensions of the brand and ensuring they are marketable is as important as maintaining the station’s credibility.
Phakathi approaches the product from a completely different angle. At 5FM, she defines it as youth culture itself. For her, the station is not just a broadcaster but part of the daily lives of young people. It features in their conversations, their social media interactions, their school festivals, and their cultural identities. Marketing is not about telling young people what the brand is, but about ensuring the brand is part of their world and vocab in an authentic way.
Swanepoel faces the challenge of positioning a heritage Afrikaans brand to a new generation. For her, the product is the station’s credibility and cultural depth, but it must be reframed for younger audiences. Her task is to maintain trust with long-standing listeners while creating opportunities for new audiences. This includes introducing new voices, more relaxed language usage and podcasts.
Programming and marketing
The challenge in traditional radio operations has always been the balance between programming and marketing. Are stations marketing their concepts and presenters to audiences, or are they using content and presenters to market other products and events? All three managers agree that programming and marketing cannot operate in isolation from each other.
Phakathi insists that the relationship must be symbiotic, with programming and marketing strategies developed together so that on-air messaging translates seamlessly into off-air activations.
Thompson acknowledges that at Metro FM, programming often takes the lead, given the brand’s history of talent-driven content. She views marketing as the support function that packages and amplifies programming choices for audiences and clients.
Swanepoel works in an environment where programming traditions are deeply entrenched. Her approach is to blend marketing with programming rather than override it. She carefully selects which elements to amplify, gradually repositioning the station while respecting loyal audiences.
The key is creating content that is packaged to maximise impact and reach.
The question of audience
The most consistent challenge for marketing managers is balancing the task of finding new audiences while retaining loyal ones.
Swanepoel’s approach is careful experimentation. Her loyal older audience remains vital, but she also recognises the need to attract younger listeners. She has leaned into digital-first initiatives such as podcasts and online activations while ensuring the station’s credibility remains intact and that their solid audience base is still catered for on FM.
Phakathi takes a more aggressive approach, identifying high school students as the growth engine for 5FM’s future. Her strategy embeds the brand in schools through sports days, cultural festivals and social challenges. By reaching listeners at 14 or 15, she aims to secure their loyalty for a decade or more.
Thompson, mindful of Metro FM’s legacy and reach, warns against complacency. Legacy can create comfort, but her strategy is to maintain loyal listeners through strong content and experiential events while also introducing the brand into new spaces and to give potential listeners a sample of the Metro FM magic!
The national footprint challenge
Running marketing for a national station is more complex than for a local or regional brands. While local stations can saturate one market, national brands must remain relevant across multiple provinces, languages, and cultures.
Thompson sees this as an opportunity for creativity. She views Metro FM’s national footprint as a chance to integrate regional nuances whilst maintaining a golden thread of shared experiences and consistent brand identity. It allows Metro to have strong holds in different areas because of relationships and events-built overtime.
Phakathi relies on her school network to address this challenge. Schools provide consistent national touchpoints, even when the station cannot be present in every province.
Swanepoel describes the difficulty of marketing a heritage brand with limited resources. Her approach has been selective, building partnerships with festivals and regional organisations rather than attempting blanket coverage.
Audiences or advertisers: Who is the client?
The question of whether the client is the listener or the advertiser reveals differences among the managers.
Phakathi prioritises the audience, arguing that if the station is embedded in youth culture, advertisers will follow. For her, loyalty to the listener is the foundation of commercial success.
Swanepoel and Thompson adopt a dual approach. They see both audiences and advertisers as equally important. Without engaged audiences, rate cards have no value, but without advertisers, the station cannot survive. Both stress the need to break down business barrriers between sales and marketing.
Budgets vs creativity
In radio marketing, large budgets are rare. All three managers mention the financial constraints faced by the SABC but also point to innovation and resourcefulness of the organisation and its brands.
Swanepoel stretches resources through partnerships and repurposing on-air content for digital platforms. She has piloted podcasts and smaller online activations for younger audiences without heavy marketing spend or investment.
Phakathi is a strong believer in online amplification as the most effective way to extend reach, measure impact, and connect with youth audiences.
Thompson leans on events as cost-efficient substitutes for expensive campaigns. By building brand experiences around talent and packaged activations, she delivers visibility and engagement even under financial pressure.
AI and authenticity
Technology has always been central to boosting marketing activities. Today the conversation inevitably turns to AI. Each manager sees potential, though with different levels of enthusiasm.
Thompson has already implemented AI-generated campaigns, citing efficiency and cost-effectiveness. She has experimented with an AI-driven TV campaign and was impressed by the savings and speed that the process offered.
Phakathi views AI as a way to hyper-target youth demographics. She is particularly interested in refining messaging for specific audiences by geography, lifestyle, and cultural patterns.
Swanepoel remains curious but cautious. While she sees value in AI for sparking ideas, she worries about the loss of authenticity if it replaces human-driven work. As a language-driven station, she also notes that AI’s language usage is not yet fully usable, especially when your brand is a language custodian.
What unites them is the recognition that AI is no longer optional when creating strategy or executing operationally.
Influencers and PR
Influencer marketing divides opinion sharply.
Phakathi is sceptical, arguing that young audiences see through paid endorsements. Swanepoel has also found influencer collaborations misaligned with her audience’s expectations. Thompson, however, sees value in using personalities already embedded in the station, believing they can act as authentic influencers.
PR, on the other hand, remains a common thread. All three agree it still has a role, but that it must evolve. Traditional press releases and newspaper spreads feel outdated. PR today must be digital, visual, and tied directly to activations or events that audiences can experience.
When done right marketing makes you remember, it makes you want to be part of a tribe and moves you to action.
For Phakathi the 5FM Live Loud campaign did exactly that. It came at the right time, and it captured the voice of the youth. Swanepoel loved the way the Bakgat campaign on RSG ignited their audience. It spoke to language and culture through a heritage product, namely rusks. But it also created community, played with language and put the audience first.
Thompson, Swanepoel and Phakathi all remember being influenced by clothing brands when younger and it continues to this day with Phakathi being a self-confessed sneaker head while Thompson is obsessed with sunglasses.
What is great marketing?
Making the audience the hero is Phakathi’s marketing mantra. For Thompson great marketing is relevant, creative and consistent while Swanepoel adds simplicity, clarity and cultural relevance to the description.
Tim Zunckel: Media creative, ambassador, strategist, leader.
