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Do heavy radio users spend as much time online as other folks?
April 15, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. In recent weeks, we have been showing you data on the use, and the importance in listeners' daily lives, of social media and online activity. And the effectiveness today of using social/online as a big part of your advertising media mix. Particularly for reaching PPM Prospects. So, a fair question arises: Wait ... the heavy Internet users, the folks who will be most likely to see my campaign ... are they actually the correct target for Radio in the first place? What if the heaviest Internet users turn out to be the lightest radio listeners? We wanted to address this question because some folks already assume that that is the case. They would argue that the heavy internet user is "digitally hipper." And thus down on traditional radio. And thus, they suggest these are the wrong consumers for us to try to hit with high frequency. A reasonable concern. Let's put it to the test: We will break music radio listeners out into short, medium and long TSL groups. Then we'll do the same for talk radio listeners. Do heavy radio users spend as much time online as other folks? Well, as it turns out, they actually spend more time online than other folks.
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In recent weeks, we have been showing you data on the use, and the importance in listeners’ daily lives, of social media and online activity. And the effectiveness today of using social/online as a big part of your advertising media mix. Particularly for reaching PPM Prospects.
So, a fair question arises: Wait … the heavy Internet users, the folks who will be most likely to see my campaign … are they actually the correct target for Radio in the first place? What if the heaviest Internet users turn out to be the lightest radio listeners? We wanted to address this question because some folks already assume that that is the case. They would argue that the heavy internet user is “digitally hipper.” And thus down on traditional radio. And thus, they suggest these are the wrong consumers for us to try to hit with high frequency.
A reasonable concern. Let’s put it to the test:  We will break music radio listeners out into short, medium and long TSL groups. Then we’ll do the same for talk radio listeners. Do heavy radio users spend as much time online as other folks?
Well, as it turns out, they actually spend more time online than other folks.1. The Longer the MUSIC Radio TSL, the Longer the Online Time
The upward slope is clear, and in the right direction. Nearly two-thirds of long-TSL listeners, for example, are online more than two hours a day. Meanwhile, not even half of short-TSL listeners are online more than two hours a day. That’s the kind of correlation that you want to see:  the right medium for your target. Conclusion: a strong green light to Internet advertising for music stations. So what about Talk stations?2. The Longer the TALK Radio TSL, the Longer the Online Time
The slope is not as dramatic for Talk TSL as it is for music TSL, but the direction is the same. And the conclusion is the same. The longer-TSL Talk Radio listeners are more likely to be heavy online consumers than short-TSL Talk Radio listeners. So online is a good media match for Talk Radio as well.What this means to you
When we advertise a radio station, the target of the campaign can be described by two simple characteristics, beyond demographics or music taste: (1) inclined to take a PPM. (2) inclined to spend more time listening to the radio. We have previously shown how effectively direct marketing and digital/social media marketing targets the PPM Prospect. Now add the data we have just shown, that it also effectively targets the longer-TSL user.
As players with threatened market share in a rapidly shifting competitive marketplace, radio stations ideally need to advertise simple messages to massive numbers of well-targeted people on a continuing basis. Using media that will reach people who might wear meters. And people who listen to the radio longer. Sounds like a job for online direct marketing, social media marketing, and well-targeted Internet advertising. -
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