Radio’s Impact on Automotive Advertising

The efficiency of radio advertising is well-established. If you want to win the frequency game without breaking the bank, radio advertising should be in your media mix. If you are selling automobiles, it is the only medium reaching people while they are actually behind the wheel of the car you want them to replace.

The elements of an effective radio spot must grab the targeted listener’s attention. When you address the specific needs of your listener and repeat the message often enough, it will cause the desired action.

Radio production is simpler, cheaper and just as versatile as video.

Radio is great for creative. The theater of the mind is infinite. A deep authoritative or seductive voice, a baby’s gurgle … listeners immediately identify with the sound and have no trouble inserting themselves into the story.

Radio Advertising is Intrusive

• Superior retention and recall of sounds, jingles, and words when repeated often enough.

• Highly targeted and segmented, meaning greater, quicker impact with less waste.

• Listener pattern predictability exceeds all other media.

• It’s intrusive and virtually impossible to listen to radio without multiple exposures to advertising.

Radio Advertising Facts

• The first paid commercial was in August 1922 broadcast by WEAF in New York

• 600 Million radios in the US – that’s two for every person in the country

• 97% of all vehicles on the road have a radio

• There are 3,500 licensed radio broadcasters in the US

Radio Advertising Do’s and Don’ts

• Stick to the basics – do not attempt too much in one spot; focus on one or two of the reasons people buy cars

• Frequency, frequency, frequency – if you can’t dominate a station, dominate one part of the day (am & pm drive times are the most effective)

• Be consistent in your sound – it’s your audible logo, you may tire of it, but listeners won’t

• Pick radio stations based upon required demographics, not personal relationships with your media reps

Measured Impact of Radio Advertising Efforts

There is only one way to know, and that’s by requesting your FREE radio advertising review from JKR Advertising & Marketing. You’ll get to see where and how much your competitors are spending, and also find out if your Reach, Frequency and Gross Rating Points [GRPs] are meeting the mission. Contact us using the form to the right or call us, and that’ll get things started. The best way to gauge your radio advertising is to start with facts, figures, and an objective analysis.