Targeting audiences efficiently
Reaching people in relevant times and places
Increasing brand presence
Getting closer to the consumer
Bringing a brand to life
Reaching beyond your immediate consumers

Targeting audiences efficiently

Radio can provide opportunities for targeting specific audiences not only by geographical area, but also by type of audience or demographic group. 65% of adults in the UK tune in to radio each week and over 80% in a month1. Reach of specific age groups within this can be even higher. Each station has its own clearly defined core target audience in any given area there are differences between the stations available, thus attracting different types of listener. So advertising can potentially be targeted to the relevant audience with minimum wastage. Furthermore, increasing numbers of distinctive station brands are providing an opportunity for advertisers to consider radio for targeting specific audiences in relevant environments in the same way as they would consumer magazines within multi-media campaigns. 

Reaching people at relevant times and places
 
Recency theory holds that the closer an advertising impact is to the point of purchase decision or consideration, the more likely it is to have an effect. Real-time media such as TV and radio provide opportunities to talk to the consumer at specific times. Nine out of 10 people listen to the radio when they are doing something else. This allows advertisers to reach them with a message related to a task they are engaged in whilst listening. Research demonstrates that this has an improved effect on message/brand recall. Furthermore, radio listening is greater than TV viewing until mid-afternoon, thus providing an opportunity to reach people first thing in the morning; on their way to work; before going out shopping; when thinking about taking a break etc. This puts radio in a strong position to influence the shopping decision-making process at relevant times.

Radio is a highly portable medium that invades lots of different environments. It is possible to reach people in-home, in-car, on public transport (via radio receivers in mobile phones), at work, or elsewhere all using the same medium. No other medium offers this breadth of different consumer locations.

Increasing brand presence 

Consumers spend a third of their media day with radio. Additionally radio naturally builds higher levels of frequency than other media . This provides advertisers with opportunities to be on a lot across a large part of the day, hence building high levels of presence in the mind of the consumer. We also know that for some sectors it is possible to gain a much higher share of voice on radio than in other media, again contributing to brand presence.

Getting closer to the consumer

Radio is an intimate medium, listened to generally by people on their own, often in personal spaces. As such it operates on a much more human level than media such as TV or posters, and listeners develop a strong trusting relationship with their preferred stations. They feel that the station is listened to and aimed at people like them, hence they are more likely to consider that brands advertised on their station are for people like them.

Bringing a brand to life 

Tone of voice is a major feature of radio, although radios ability to build brand character and tone is often overlooked by many advertisers who use radio for short-term, tactical messages. This is why its important to include tone of voice in a radio brief.  Appropriate use of tone of voice on radio can extend the brand personality from a TV campaign. Also, a brand which has traditionally been advertised in print media can be brought to life on radio by giving it a voice and tone, thus communicating with consumers in a much more multi-dimensional and richer way.

Reaching beyond your immediate consumers 

Real-time media such as TV and radio are generally more intrusive than static media. If a reader isnt interested in a particular product or service, he or she can simply turn over the page in a newspaper or magazine. This active ad avoidance is less prevalent in TV and even less so in radio. 

Unless the listener turns off or changes station (both of which rarely happen as a result of hearing radio ads), he or she will still be exposed to your advertising message. Hence even people who arent currently in the market for your product or service today are still getting some exposure to your brand message for when they move into the market at some stage in the future.

Source: RAJAR