Radio Show 2019 Thursday: More Podcast Talk, HD Radio, Branding, And Waiting For Marconis

Thursday

THURSDAY is the final day of sessions at the NAB and RAB's RADIO SHOW 2019, with panels and presentations on podcast sales, HD Radio, and branding, wrapping up with the MARCONI RADIO AWARDS in an evening ceremony.

Connecting Podcasts With Advertisers

NIELSEN's Podcast Listener Buying Habits study provided the basis for a session THURSDAY morning with NIELSEN's TONY HEREAU presenting data from the SCARBOROUGH-based research.

The study divided podcast listeners into light and heavy listeners, with different podcast preferences and different times using podcasts (heavy listeners at himem light listeners in transit and at work), and noted that the podcast and AM/FM audiences overlap. Podcast content from radio stations, HEREAU said, bring in younger demographics than AM/FM.

As for how advertisers can use the data in the study, HEREAU showed how particular podcast genres attract different kinds of listeners who fit different ad targeting profiles.

NIELSEN's BRUCE SUPOVITZ followed HEREAU with a panel including ADLARGE MEDIA's CATHY CSUKAS, ENTERCOM's KEN LAGANA, and iHEARTMEDIA's HETAL PATEL to discuss the use of the data in podcast ad sales and the challenges of selling podcast ads in a market with clients operating differently ("all over the place," LAGANA said). The panelists offered information on how they use data from NIELSEN's dataset, including behavioral analysis and effectiveness studies.

How 'Bout Them (Insert Brand Name Here)?

DALLAS COWBOYS EVP/Chief Brand Officer CHARLOTTE JONES ANDERSON, discussed the team's marketing and development with ABC NEWS' KYRA PHILLIPS in a one-on-one conversation THURSDAY morning. The talk was billed as about "brand innovation," but was primarily focused on the success of the COWBOYS.

ANDERSON, daughter of the team's owner JERRY JONES, traced the growth of the team's brand from her father's purchase of the then-financially-challenged franchise to today, with ANDERSON told to operate under the principle "Don't Tarnish the Star," protecting tradition while moving forward. Building the $1.3 billion AT&T STADIUM (a/k/a "JERRY World") in ARLINGTON, she said, was "our one shot at doing something that's bigger than the game itself," and she explained the thought process behind building THE STAR, the office, training, and residential development in FRISCO, TX, a desire to be a community leader for the rest of the year beyond the COWBOYS' NFL schedule. And she told a story about getting exposure for the SALVATION ARMY by convincing the TV network to air the COWBOYS' THANKSGIVING halftime show.

Using Data for Fun and Profit

Another session running concurrently down the hall examined the use of data and attribution research in two parts, the first a panel with KATZ RADIO GROUP President CHRISTINE TRAVAGLINI moderating and CUMULUS/WESTWOOD ONE's PIERRE BOUVARD and COX MEDIA GROUP's TIM CLARKE representing the radio station side and THE RICHARDS GROUP's KRISTIN PANKRATZ and RELIANT's ELEANA JOHNSON on the agency side and the second part a "fireside chat" with NIELSEN's BRAD KELLY talking to PROCTER & GAMBLE's JOHN FIX.

The talk on the panel wasn't only about sales, as CLARKE explained how COX uses the research to help them "adjust and pivot" programming and BOUVARD pinting towards creative as the "number one lever" driving the sales effect from the use of data, adding that better data can help determine the effectiveness of creative.

BOUVARD also said that data has shown in one study that contrary to previous belief, disclaimers in auto dealer ads are not anathema to listeners but rather were actually liked by listeners the closer they were to making a purchase, because the details of the deal offers are contained therein. And he added another set of data that ran contrary to industry practice, pointing out that while radio has always used male voices for ads on the majority of spots, women actually prefer female voices in ads.

On the challenges of using data to inform buys, PANKRATZ said that the task is more difficult because tracking and attrubution are not as easy with traditional media as for digital platforms. JOHNSON advised that radio stations need to be talking to brand managers to better understand the brand's goals and match audio campaigns to those directives; she also stressed the need for radio to provide information about their DMAs that will help the agency and clients develop strategic plans.

And BOUVARD raised the issue of whether targeting campaigns can be counterproductive, he noted that in some cases, including one with a PROCTER & GAMBLE campaign, a client's use of narrow targeting reduced sales, and dropping the targeting sent sales skyward, leading to the conclusion that in a choice between reach and targeting, "reach trumps targeting every time."

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