From the monthly archives: May 2011
Radio is dead. Long live radio.
When I heard the news report that radio listenership had grown two percent in the past year, I chuckled and thought of all the obituaries I’ve read lately for “traditional” media.
+ Radio is dead.
+ Newspapers are dead.
+ Television is dead.
+ Magazines are dead.
The killer identified in these death notices is usually “the Internet” or “digital media”—cold-blooded murderers with ice water running through their bandwidth.
But wait just a tweetin’ minute—I like the Internet and digital media, and I think they should be considered innocent until proven guilty. Don’t convict them of killing traditional media until somebody produces a body.
As an advertising agency, we use all these supposedly “dead” media every day to deliver selling messages for our clients. We know that radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, billboards and other “older” media are very much alive, and people are listening/reading/viewing. And if you place a compelling advertising message in these media, you get results.
Now a word about the accused. The Internet didn’t kill these other media, but it’s taking a big share of their influence. And their audience. And their marketing dollars. No one can deny that it’s providing us with new and powerful ways to market goods and services, from online advertising to social media.
And so?
- Don’t underestimate the viability of traditional media as advertising vehicles. They still deliver audiences.
- On the other hand, don’t wait too long to embrace online marketing. It’s a tsunami, and many other folks (your competitors?) have learned to ride it successfully.
- Make sure your marketing message is clear enough to make an impact in whatever medium delivers it.
Yes, radio listenership actually went up two percent in the past year. Radio—along with its traditional media brethren—can echo what Mark Twain said to set the record straight: “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
Like Us
About Us
Drawings by Greg Pavlovich
