amfmsw said:
[Exactly my point, surf, exactly. My contention is they're off the mark. Look at the HUGE pot Pharmceutacals spend on TV. They use that medium for Viagra, Cialis, Lipitor and more because radio doesn't reach them anymore.
No, they use TV and print because of the legal disclaimers that can be done in small print, or in TV with scrolls and on screen elements or "masked" with pleasant visual while they tell you you could die from a 3 day long erection.
And radio does serve older persons. Half the news talk audience is over 55, and big pieces of classic rock, urban AC, country, soft AC, etc. are 55+, although unsalable. And 55+ usage is as high as 35-54, in fact.
The issue is that there are plenty of options for an advertiser seeking 55+ on the radio, all strong, but there are no buyers. Plus, stations could not live just on impotence ads, anyway.
Look at the huge catagory of financial houses, most all spent on TV because radio doesn't reach them anymore. If there was poor ROI, why spend any on TV? Any $?
That category is pretty much dead, if you are referring to banking and mortgages. Again, most of these need on screen or small print disclaimers, particularly brokerages and mutual funds and insurance.
Because the people they're targeting have HUGE ROI! Cadillac bought the rights to Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'N Roll". They're market share moved up, while the average age of Cadillac buyer went down to 55 from 65, while market share went up and sales increased handsomely.
That means half the buyers are under 55, which is what they are after. GM, in case you did not notice, is a candidate for bankruptcy in the next few years, and high gas usage caddys will not help them.
New car spots are almost, by the way, pure appetite appeal meaning they need visuals.
Cadillac agency dumped that successful campaign to appeal to 30-40 year olds. They have now all but surrendered to the Japanese and German Luxury manufacturers.
The campaign was not as successful as you think. Widely reported in Ad Age as being sexy without sales. And the other brands have much more fuel efficiency, and they don't fall apart.
You would be hard pressed to find an Oldies or Classic Hits station playing 700 songs.
KRTH in LA is 600 songs, KCBS is about the same excluding the specialty shows. Same for WOGL.
That would be a relief of some sort. My point exactly. The prisoners of war of the American Revolution in Massachusettes were fed a daily diet of Lobster. They rioted, saying it was crel to force them to eat the same lobster every day. Playing 300 songs may help cume, but it kills TSL. Without a strong AQH, you defeated your purpose by giving the station a smaller share.
In PPM, cume is everything. TSL flattens, no matter what the format, so it is less important.
Ipana toothpaste went out of business because it was killing people! It's active ingredient was hexachorophene! It gave kids oral cancer!
It could have been reformulated. OK, move to next contender... Colgate. P&G outmarketed the whole category and won.
And as far as half the boomers living in shacks, please re-read the very first post, and the link. You have missed the point alltogether.
I said half the retirees, not half the boomers. You try re-reading. In any case, the fact is that radio is not used for 55+ despite the audience being big and consistent. No station can survive without a revenue base.
