• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, December 2, 2013

As more online publishers embrace native advertising, big broadcast radio groups are also moving to increase their branded content offerings for advertisers. In the latest development, CBS Radio has appointed Alan Blum to the newly created position of vice president for branded content solutions, effective immediately.
 
Blum will work with major brand advertisers to develop multiplatform campaigns that raise brand awareness and increase favorable brand perceptions by integrating the brand into CBS content. Blum will report to Rich Lobel, the executive vice president and CMO of the Altitude Group, a CBS division that helps Fortune 500 brands use CBS Radio, CBS TV, and CBS Outdoor assets to engage with consumers at the local level.
 
Blum previously served as president and executive creative director of Re:Vision, the advertising agency he founded in 1993. In 2010, he helped start Five Point Snacks, a line of snack products whose sales proceeds benefit veterans’ organizations. He also served in creative capacities at TBWA and Leo Burnett.
 
In a related move, CBS also named Jennifer Morelli to the position of vice president for integrated marketing, where she will direct “nontraditional sponsorship” efforts for local and national clients. Morelli will direct advertiser programs and campaigns that provide targeted brand interaction with consumers in conjunction with CBS Radio’s growing event and live experience business, including concerts, business conferences and seminars, food festivals, sports fan experiences and special holiday programs.

In October, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment (formerly Clear Channel Radio) named Tim Spengler to the newly created role of president of content marketing and revenue strategy. In this position, Spengler, who previously served as CEO of Magna Global, oversees content marketing campaigns for brands drawing on CCME’s media and entertainment assets, including its digital iHeartRadio platform and associated events like the iHeartRadio music festival.
 
In September, Katz Media Group, the radio sales rep firm owned by Clear Channel, introduced a streaming audio ad product called the Secondary Action Unit, which allows advertisers to employ native advertising with custom content in their digital radio campaigns. The SAUs will follow up regular audio advertising with additional content that is both relevant to the advertiser’s product and entertaining for the listener .