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Here’s What An Advertiser Could Get On Radio For The Price Of A Super Bowl Ad.

Writer's picture: Inside Audio MarketingInside Audio Marketing

Marketers are paying a reported $6.47 million for a network TV spot in Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII telecast, allowing them to reach north of 100 million viewers for 30 seconds.


For that same investment, a marketer could reach 214 million radio listeners for weeks or months with the same national coverage and more local relevance.


“With a $6 million+ investment in radio, the marketer will earn more: more audience, more frequency, more creativity, more nimbleness, more localization, more attention, more awareness, more influencers, more efficiency, and more sustainable brand conversations or word of mouth,” says Christine Travaglini, President of Katz Radio Group.


A recent study from media agency network Dentsu showed audio delivered the highest attention of all other measured media, including TV, online video, social, and display advertising. “Radio ad dollars deliver these attentive consumers most efficiently of all,” Travaglini says. “Couple that with the fact that radio drives nearly 5 billion brand conversations each week as confirmed by Engagement Labs, and the marketer gets much more.” 


The price for a fleeting 30-second Super Bowl spot could buy a three-month campaign on network radio that would reach 155.6 million Americans each month, representing 56% of the country. Crunching Nielsen Media Impact data, Cumulus Media/Westwood One Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard says a $2 million network radio buy delivers 400 Gross Ratings Points a month, reaching 56% of the U.S. 


A marketer could reach half of the advertiser friendly-25-54 demo in a monthly network radio campaign for one fifth of the cost of a single Super Bowl ad.


Beyond simply reaching tens or hundreds of millions of listeners, radio has been shown to deliver a significant return on advertising spend and strong lifts against the marketer’s KPIs. “Radio is proven to drive results from the top through the bottom of the marketing purchase funnel – increasing awareness, consideration, intent, online search, web activity, store traffic, and positive ROAS across categories,” Travaglini says.


According to a recent Audacy State of Audio report, radio drives 48% of consumers to purchase, which surpasses TV (44%), social media (38%), and video (26%), and advertisers see 1.5 times the return on ad spend when digital audio is combined with AM/FM radio. In addition, audio's ability to convert in conjunction with other media boosts the performance of other media by 17% or more.


About 115.1 million people watched the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s game. “It’s a throwback in terms of reaching everyone all at once,” Charles Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova School of Business, told The New York Times. And while the Big Game draws TV’s largest audience of the year, media fragmentation from a growing number of streaming services has put network television’s reach in a freefall. “Outside of the Superbowl, TV audiences are in a stunning collapse,” says Bouvard. Since 2018, TV's 18-49 reach has dropped 29% while time spent viewing is down 62%, according to Nielsen’s recently released third quarter 2023 Total Audience Report.


The just released Nielsen Q3 Total Audience Report reveals since 2018, TV's 18-49 reach has dropped 29% while time spent viewing is down 62%. In comparison, AM/FM radio outreaches TV by 40% each week (81% for radio, 58% for TV), according to Nielsen’s Total Audience Report. Daily time spent with each medium is nearly identical: one hour, three minutes for television; one hour, five minutes for AM/FM radio.


Back in 2018, TV decisively beat radio in average rating. But the tables have turned. In 2018, AM/FM radio’s 18-49 average audience was 63% of TV’s. In third quarter 2023, AM/FM’s audience was 23% larger than TV’s.


Of course, a great Super Bowl ad can create a massive buzz and even launch a new brand or product. And it’s no longer a one-day event. Marketers reveal teasers in advance of the game to drive contesting. Radio can further extend that buzz and drive brand conversations.


“Radio stations across all formats can help build organic buzz both before and after the game through DJ chatter,” Travaglini points out. “Beyond TV’s one night, radio reaches consumers where and when TV cannot, dominating messaging opportunities while consumers are out of home and in the car. Millions of listeners tune in to hear their favorite radio personalities discuss thoughts on the game, the halftime show performance, Taylor Swift, the ads and so much more.”


The most recent Katz post-Super Bowl study found that nearly 7 in 10 people heard Super Bowl banter in the days after the game with 30% hearing discussions on music stations. Says Travaglini, “Combine this conversation with radio ads that carry recognizable audio assets such as the brand’s audio logo, narrator, music, slogans or effects, and brands can extend overall campaign recall and consumer response to move the needle for a longer term.”

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