With election spending now virtually over, save for some forthcoming runoff elections, the ad market is returning to some sense of normalcy – or at least as “normal” as things can get during a raging pandemic. For radio, two national accounts made get-out-of-the-way moves on the latest Media Monitors spot tally, which covers the period from Nov. 2-8, 2020.
Bank Of America vaulted to No. 1 from No. 36 a week ago with 66,414 spots, more than quadrupling the 15,657 aired the week prior. Its radio investment is emblematic of how banks and financial services are using the AM/FM airwaves in a bigger way this year. BofA is one of three accounts in the Banks-Credit Union-Mortgage-Finance Services category among the week’s top 20 radio advertisers based on spot volume in the 110 markets tracked by Media Monitors. The other two are Quicken Loans at No. 17 and Capital One at No. 18.
The week’s other major mover is UnitedHealth Care, which plows 39-5 (“with a bullet” as they used to say in music chart lingo). The health insurance provider aired 43,933 spots, tripling the 15,406 of the week before, putting it ahead of other stalwarts in the insurance category. Among them are GEICO, which dips to No. 6 from No. 2, and Progressive which tumbles 7-4. Insurance claims three spots in the top 10, and nine in the top 100.
Also of note in the top 10 is Bristol Myers Squibb-Pfizer, the big pharma giant, which comes in at No. 9, down from No. 6, and is a relative newcomer to the top 10. It is one of three pharmaceutical manufacturers in the top 100 and part of a trend of pharmaceutical companies making radio a more significant part of their ad budgets.
For the week of Nov. 2-8, 2020, the top 10 on the Media Monitors tally are Bank Of America at 1, iHeartRadio at 2, Josh Clark “Stuff You Should Know” at 3, the Home Depot at 4, UnitedHealth Care at 5, GEICO at 6, Progressive at 7, Vicks at 8, Bristol Myers Squibb-Pfizer at 9 and Indeed at 10.
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