• by June 14, 2006

A recent report from the Online Publishers Association noted that, of all media, the Internet had the highest reach in the office, followed by radio. (It also noted that there is a significant disparity between the percentage of time spent online and the percentage of ad dollars that online receives, but that's another column.) The study only covered broadcast radio, failing to note that an estimated 80 million people are active listeners to online streaming radio, with most of this access--you guessed it--at work. So what you have is an enormous audience of people online while they listen to either broadcast or online radio at work, a place that advertisers have longed to reach, but have failed in every other medium.

Think of it this way: you have passive (broadcast radio), quasi-interactive (streaming radio) and highly interactive (Web site) media, all of which can be simultaneously leveraged by an advertiser demanding varying levels of interactivity through a single source--the local radio station. Virtually every radio station in the nation, no matter what the format or audience composition, now has an active Web site that is a companion to its broadcasts. Many stations now even offer the opportunity to buy the music you hear on their playlists (which was unheard of in the radio community less than a year ago).

The combination of radio and the Internet can be powerful. For example, a fast-food chain can use broadcast radio to push listeners to their station Web site (which is constantly being updated with new promotions) each day for a rotating discount coupon. Or, perhaps something a little more sophisticated: the streaming audio version of the same ad can actually trigger the coupon in the audio player at the same time. How is that for real-time consumer response?

Advertisers should also be aware of the precision targeting afforded to them by advances in centralized ad serving and geo-targeting for streaming audio. Audio streaming ad trafficking tools currently have the ability to deliver a unique ad in a live radio stream to each individual desktop based on that listener's profile. So, take that fast-food advertiser and imagine the streamed spot being for "our new deluxe salads" to the 35-year-old female user in cubicle 1 and for the "big burger meal" for the 21-year-old Web designer in cubicle 2. Both ads push to the station Web site (or trigger in the station's audio player) for a coupon good for that day only. That's truly leveraging the megaphone of the radio, with the pinpoint targeting of the Web.

And, according to a recent Magid/MediaSpan research study, radio Web site visitors are some of the most loyal on the Web, with two-thirds of station Web site visitors visiting the sites weekly, and nearly a quarter visiting daily. This "committed relationship" provides a perfect opportunity for local radio to develop Web/streaming/on-air promotions that leverage a dedicated audience who already have PCs, broadband and radios tuned to their favorite station. In the office, radio is a huge complement to the Web--and with add-ons like streaming and integrated station Web sites, the combo can help advertisers make the 1+1=3 leap,.

The reach and potential interactivity of streaming radio and Web sites make the radio/Web combo a match made in heaven for advertisers looking for the perfect man (or woman) for their ads.