• Advertising Age, Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:52 PM

Radio executives at the Advertising Research Foundation's Audio Council in New York got an insightful look as to what radio advertisers are looking for. A big issue is breakthrough research. "Radio promises us effectiveness and tells us that X million people listen, but what are they doing with it? How are they engaging with it?" asks Diane Whitehead, ad director for Verizon Wireless.

Whitehead and others are also conscientious of commercial-pod length. "If you have data that says listeners love listening to these pods, bring it on, because [then] we'd love to be in those pods," she says.

Flexiblity is another key interest. For instance, Miracle-Gro's media agency Mediaedge:cia, says the brand has been taking a meteorological approach to its media plan with Clear Channel. It is booking local radio buys based on the market's 10-day forecast, and sometimes rescheduling air dates in windows as short as 48 hours if inclement weather is on the horizon. The strategy seems to be effective; Miracle-Gro reallocated $1.5 million of its marketing dollars into radio this year.

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