As radio proceeds through tough financial times, marketing budgets (among other expenditures) have been slashed. What type of impact do these cuts have, and how might they be hurting the medium’s long-term growth, as CEOs continue to tighten the belts?
There’s no better Petri dish than right here in the State of Michigan where the economy is clearly the worst in the nation, led by the highest unemployment numbers in the 50 states. Trust me – it sucked here even before the economy tubed.
And yet, Michigan has announced it will increase its tourism marketing budget by 33% to $17.5 million. How can they justify this, while jobs continue to deteriorate, along with home prices?
It’s because the campaign – "Pure Michigan" – worked. In an independent study conducted by Longwood International, they found that for each advertising dollar spent out-of-state (Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Ontario), $2.82 came back to Michigan in new tax revenue. As a result, they’re budgeting more for advertising, and expanding it to other markets in the Midwest.
It’s a great campaign on both TV and radio – voiced by Michigander Tim Allen – and of course, that is a big part of its success. But the other side is simply the same basic axiom that radio reps have been saying to clients since the beginning of time: marketing works.
Here are two examples of what the spots sound like:
Download MP3 File of "Gone Fishin’"
Download MP3 File of "Beachtowns – Lake Effect
We should follow our own advice.
And by the way, so does great writing, outstanding delivery, and a well put-together audio campaign (something that’s been missing from so much local production over the past decade). It’s amazing how a well-crafted commercial campaign stands out in this environment.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Wow! Those are just beautiful, beautiful messages. Evocative, superbly-crafted copy, perfectly delivered without affectation, and with heart.
Simple voice-over-music 60’s without a chorus, flanger, or laser hit to be heard. An advertising message so full of feeling, I’ll bet it really does cut thru the clutter of an 8-minute stopset.
The power of great copy. Why leave it to the agencies? Given managerial will, surely individual stations have the wherewithal to produce equally powerful campaigns for their own local advertisers.