Since the beginning of radio time, the debate over commercials and where to place them in an hour has raged on. These days, most stations simply cram their inventory into two long stopsets, usually occupying the “bowtime” positions on the clock.
From the listener point of view, this is not the ideal way of handling the commercial load. Not only are breaks often excessively long, but in many markets, most stations burn off their spots at the exact same time. In short, it makes for a bad UX – or User Experience.
Very few stations have actively attempted to reverse this course. With a few exceptions – KNDD’s (Entercom/Seattle) “Two Minute Promise” comes to mind – most broadcasters hold their nose and keep pouring the commercials on, one on top of the other, despite their negative impact on listener satisfaction.
In our most recent Techsurvey, it turns out that about one in ten consumers says they’ve been listening to less radio in the past year. The chief culprit? “Too many commercials” is in the lead. In fact, complaints about spot loads outstrip streaming, SiriusXM, and mobile apps – all a significant distance behind.
And this problem isn’t exclusive to legacy media like radio or TV. The interactive advertising world finds itself in much the same boat, trying to come up with more palatable ways to expose consumers to commercials as painlessly – yet as effectively – as possible.
Now AdWeek’s Christopher Heine reports the trend for 2018 will be 6-second ads. (Remember “blinks?”)
Like the 140 character limit on Twitter, TWBA Worldwide’s Theodor Arhio says these quickie spots “force you to be more focused.”
Below is an example of what this looks like. It’s a 6-second video from Maud Deitch called “High Diver.” It’s quick, so pay attention or you’ll miss it.
These ads, often referred to as “snackable content,” are predicted to become the big thing next year, largely because they will be more palatable than :15s or :30s to perhaps their most important viewers – Millennials.
Not to be outdone, Spotify is going a different route. Realizing there’s only so much revenue in subscriptions, the Swedish based streaming giant is looking for new ways to monetize its service. In a recent interview in the Wall Street Journal by Alexandra Bruell, Spotify’s head of marketing, Seth Farbman, talked about new revenue streams, especially given the travails of traditional media – like radio.
Spotify’s answer? Sponsored segments.
They’re in the process of testing different ad schemes, focusing on original content with sponsorships attached.
Here’s Farbman’s “take” on Spotify’s most popular advertising unit:
“I think it’s still sponsored sessions – this half hour brought to you by (an advertiser). We don’t want to hit you with like 90 ads like radio does. Increasingly, we’re doing things like sponsored playlists, and some of the original content we create we have sponsored by brands.”
Like the podcasting world – fewer ads often read by the podcaster herself – is the trend as the media world moves away from clusters of spots. While the new media players are gravitating to “snackable content,” radio continues to rely on “stackable content” – one commercial after another after another.
Innovation isn’t just about programming and content. Creativity around the sales model would be a welcome topic inside most radio companies. Here at The Radio Show in Austin, there are sessions and panels about connected cars, smart speakers, podcasts, drones, and apps. But no one’s talking about the commercial conundrum. At some point, radio sales organizations will have to come to grips with learning how to sell different advertising models.
While operators like Pandora co-opted radio sellers and sales techniques in the early years, maybe it’s radio that steals a page from companies like Spotify by testing shorter, sponsored models that are ultimately better for advertisers – and listeners.
Less is more. Now we have to figure out how to sell it.
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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Yes, Yes and Yes! Radio business execs might not like to hear this. But, finding a REAL answer to the issue of “too many commercials” IS a way for radio to “regain its mojo”, perhaps even with the younger audience. (Which is only now beginning to become frustrated with ads on You Tube and the rest).
Sponsored segments? Why not? An hour sponsored by 5 advertisers who get 1 six second audio ad at the top of the hour? Worth looking at. Though…hey sales department…a lesson you haven’t learned yet: Because you can’t cram 30 seconds worth of information into a :15, you can’t cram it into a :06, either. You’re going to have to allow producers to be creative. (Remember that word? We used to actually be that way.)
The station group I work for is having success with a flanker doing 52 minute music hours with one stop set…and commercial free weekends Saturday and Sunday. (Yeah, the “sponsor” gets a name mention…that’s it).
What I have not understood: radio has researched this issue and the research has been in the file cabinets for sometime now. Listeners refer to a commercial set by unit count…not minute count. And yet, we as a business thought nothing about making stop sets 8 minutes worth of 20 ads…and you wonder why the audience is complaining? (Not to mention seeking out our other competitors.)
This isn’t a DJ’s “fantasy”. It’s reality. Just as an alcoholic or drug abuser has to face up to their addictions…so too, does radio.
Kevin, as you note, change is hard. Radio’s reach remains steady and the vital signs are good – so it’s business as usual. But over the long haul in a world where radio competes with everybody, more innovative solutions will be necessary. Thanks for the strong comment and continuing the conversation.
Radio Woodstock lowered it’s hourly ad minutes to 10 minutes with stop sets no longer than 2.5 minutes each two years ago. DJs promote the breaks by mentioning how long the stop set will be and promoting what’s on the other side….”we’ll be back in 2 with the new Robert Plant track”.
It’s not only about the user experience which is very important to us but it’s also about creating an effective advertising environment as well. Being the 5th, 6th or even 4th ad in a stop set can render it much less effective. Local businesses totally get the concept and it helps us to consistently get some of the highest unit rates in the market.
We also have exclusive daypart sponsorships with the sponsor getting 4 mentions per hour for the entire daypart and we run bi-annual listener Fund drives. We are local business AND listener-supported. So we create a better user experience, a more productive advertising environment and with our listener supporter program build a deeper bond with the listener.
Richard, thanks for both comments. It sounds like you guys have taken a proactive approach to this major radio deficit. And you’re right – it’s all about the UX.
Radio Woodstock also addresses the #2 reason…repetitive music. We have the largest playlist in the market with a mix of classic rock and great new music.
I think if radio researched and quantified it, selling it wouldn’t be that hard – assuming that you paid the freight for sellers that understood and could explain the data. Reading into the numbers, your point that the “too many commercials” complaint outweighs SiriusXM/Streaming/Mobile Apps is interesting in that all of those are available with no ads and even the ad supported versions run way fewer units than radio.
Business as usual because cume is steady is a really short sighted and dangerous approach. Even if the cume holds, take that annual 10% less radio listening, multiply over say, 5 years and radio has lost close to 50% of its listening hours. Assume that perception is inflated by half and radio is still down roughly 25% from its current position which is down 30% from its peak. Radio seems to be resting on its cume numbers while its frog gets boiled by that list from your tech survey.
When was the last time that a large radio group tested different spot loads, stop set configurations and as you suggested, options besides 30/60 second ads? Eventually, the water will get mighty hot around radio’s cume frog, won’t it? And the point of the analogy is that by the time the frog realizes it, it’s too late.
Bob, agree. Research is the foundation, but then it’s a matter of proactively and strategically figuring out ways to monetize new models. Thanks for the comment.
I was a bit surprised that local content ranked so low? This is an excellent piece that I will use even yet today. Thank you!
Many thanks, Chuck.
At KOOL 105.5 in Oklahoma, we limit our spotset length to 2.5 minutes. We’re still running :30s and :60s, so we have a max of 5 ads per break. Our nearest format competitor has run up to 10 ads per break at times.
I think Kevin Fodor is on the right track, and I like his ideas. The big thing, though, is getting radio execs to adapt before it’s too late.
Good to hear your station is taking action, Don. Hopefully, from both a sales and programming standpoint, it’s working for you. Thanks for the comment.
Hey, here’s a nutty idea: Why not make commercials that people might want to actually listen to? If the ads are intrinsically rewarding, meaning they’re funny, entertaining. genuinely informative, leave you with a pleasant feeling or humming a snappy melody — SOMETHING that says to the listener, “Hey, that was 60-seconds of my life that wasn’t a complete waste” then the length or number of spots should be a whole lot less of an issue.
Here’s a second nutty idea: lower the spot-load and push people to your website or app, and let them do the heavy lifting of getting results for advertisers so they stay willing to foot the bill, and make your listeners happy so they can find what they’re looking for while pleasantly listening to the radio.
I know it’s crazy, but it’s so crazy, it just might work.
Crazy, Peter. Thanks for submitting this insanity.
So, I kept this article handy.
At the beginning of 2Q, I initiated a “one and done” ad policy in the Cloud.
No time limit. Just one ad per break.
Advertisers love it and value it as a premium.
I have locally produced spots that run from :10 seconds to :90 seconds. But within the stop: station promo, only one client ad, station image, then three-to-four songs in a row until the next stop.
My clock is a kin to the AOR clocks in the 70’s (big part of my early training): three-to-four titles in a row and stop.
What’s more, I limit my client base to “one-and-done” too. Only one client category at anytime in the Cloud.
Lastly, as a trigger idea from one of your other pieces about Alexa skills. Our’s is a legal ID on-air:
Alexa, play KKCL Golden!
These adjustments have made the Cloud sound cleaner and frankly, a little elegant.
Result: TSL and cume growth Q-to-Q and revenue growth? 200 percent.
Fred, don’t think for a minute your posts are not appreciated and a high value read to us all.
You can stream the cloud anytime too:
https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KKCL
Thank you!
Chuck, I checked out the station and it is refreshingly different. Great to see some “clock innovation.” TY also for the very kind words – much appreciated.
It’s not only quantity but quality. So many commercials are plain BAD. When I worked in Montreal we actually got requests for a series of commercials that were hilarious and effective.
In Buffalo we sold 15 minute segments in certain hours. Supposed to be open and close w two sixties. Then sales added spots between the segments. Defying math and the 15 minute segment, it got silly.
The quality issue is something we’ve discusssed before, especially with Jerry Lee at the head of the class. Well-produced, well-written commercials can be positives, even for listeners. Thanks for the comment, Bob.
Once again, thank you for always writing great pieces! So my take, one I’ve thought of for years but always “poo poo’d” by programmers is this: make the ads part of the content. Listeners aren’t stupid. They know ads are played. So why can’t content include ads. For example, create a contest whereas the listener can name the “supporter” (advertiser) in the 3rd spot, jock comes back after stop set (again, something PD’s hate) and take the winner? And ,in addition, create more “super bowl” exciting ads themselves. Look, let’s face it. Radio is free because of these sponsors. Imagine what a client would pay to BE that spot #3? Sure it’s something that’s completely “Think Like A Freak” mode, but other than having shorter but more stopsets between the music, there’s not a lot of ideas that I’ve seen out there work. Content is king, as we in radio know, so why is such a large percentage of possible listening engaging content wasted on boring ads and stopsets that are ignored? I’m just a “dumb on air talent”, But I also pride myself on knowing my listeners very well. Give them something to play or engage in within those stopsets and they’ll stick around , IMO. Just a thought
Judi, great ideas come from anywhere. And I always regard talent as being closer to people than those in management – or people like me who are even further removed. So, let’s lose the “dumb” label, and be open to new ways of rethinking commercial loads, stopsets, and the ways in which commercials are presented. Those live testimonials in podcasts aren’t an original idea – but they work. Thanks for the comments, and for taking the time to read our blog.