Marketing Management, 16th Edition

Radio Advertising

Radio is a pervasive medium: About 93 percent of all U.S. citizens age 12 and older listen daily and for about 20 hours a week on average—numbers that have held steady in recent years. Much radio listening occurs in the car and out of the home. To be successful, radio networks are going multiplatform with a strong digital presence to allow listeners to tune in anytime, anywhere.

Perhaps radio’s main advantage is flexibility: Stations are very targeted, ads are relatively inexpensive to produce and place, and short closings for scheduling them allow for quick response. Radio can engage listeners through a combination of popular brands, local presence, and strong personalities. It is a particularly effective medium in the morning; ...