A Vote for Radio on the Winning Ticket

ADDING RADIO TO POLITICAL MEDIA PLANS IS A WIN FOR CAMPAIGNS

The first political window has already opened in Texas ahead of its March 1st primary. Four more states will have political windows opening next month, and nearly 20 in April. As the 2022 cycle gets warmed up, Nielsen's new analysis shows why radio is an important addition to any and all of these political campaigns.

RADIO REACHES VOTERS THAT TV CANNOT

The lion's share of political ad spending traditionally goes to linear television, even though such media plans end up leaving plenty of voters on the table. A recent analysis from Nielsen finds that 45% of voters watch little to no TV - meaning they are effectively missed by linear TV campaigns. Radio fills the reach gap, delivering 82% of light TV viewers, offering new opportunities for voter engagement. Radio's reach numbers are even higher among Black and Hispanic voters who watch little or no TV, as well as those Generation X and Baby Boomer voters.

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ADDING RADIO TO THE MIX MAKES CAMPAIGNS WORK BETTER

Thanks to radio's ability to extend voter reach and deliver new opportunities for engagement, Nielsen states that political campaigns can optimize their media plans by moving money into radio. Using the Georgia Senate runoff election as an example, Nielson demonstrates that shifting 10% of ad spend from television to radio would have added +8% incremental reach - translating to 235,000 additional voters in Atlanta with no extra cost. Radio is an efficient way to boost TV and maximize campaign impact.

RADIO IS AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN ADS

Radio provides a politically uncluttered environment where candidates are able to earn an outsized share of voice. Looking again at the 2020 Georgia Senate runoff election, Nielsen shows that in the weeks leading up to the election, Atlanta radio stations were running half as many political ads as TV stations were. In fact, TV had close to 3x as much political weight as radio during certain weeks. Those candidates that focused more meaningful ad dollars on radio (in this case, the Democrats) were able to capitalize on radio's reach and the more exclusive ad environment to get their messages out, and ultimately won the election.

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Radio is a powerful asset for political campaigns, working with television to efficiently boost reach and offer new opportunities for voter engagement. Radio connects candidates and PACs with previously overlooked voters, and provides ample opportunity for their voices to be heard above the din in this busy election cycle. 

Radio Scores Super Bowl Touchdown

The Super Bowl is arguably the biggest day for advertising. This year brands are spending an estimated $6.5 million per :30 ad spot during the big game. For those brands looking to get in on the action at a lower price point, and those brands looking to extend their Super Bowl campaigns beyond the screen - radio delivers!

Katz's recent deep dive into the strength of radio tune-in on game day shows that fans flock to their team's flagship station for Super Bowl play-by-play, with shares increasing up to +700% when compared to the same daypart in a standard year. And radio consumers are the real MVPs for marketers, as Super Bowl radio listeners across the country will be spending money in 2022, indexing high in such big ticket spending categories as automotive, travel, real estate, home improvement, and electronics.  

Read more in Katz's Radio Insight.

Brick-and-Mortar Openings Outpace Closures

STORE OPENINGS UP IN 2021

After a tough 2020 for retailers, Coresight Research reports good news for brick-and-mortars, as total store openings outpaced closures in 2021. Retailer resiliency was likely buoyed by increased consumer spending and activity due to government stimulus programs and widespread vaccine adoption, as well as fewer bankruptcies than past years. Discount stores account for a large share of openings, with Dollar General contributing 1,039 announced stores. 

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POSITIVE MOMENTUM CONTINUES INTO 2022

Coresight Research finds that retailers are continuing to put their faith in foot traffic in 2022. As of the fourth week in January, retailers have announced 1,910 store openings, up +3% from last January. At the same time, store closure numbers are down -65%. CVS is contributing 300 of the store closures, while on the other end of the spectrum, Dollar General is, once again, driving retail openings. The discount retailer alone has announced more store openings (1,102) than all other retailers combined, including those with strong opening plans - Aerie, Big Lots, Burlington Stores, Citi Trends, Signet Jewelers, and Windsor Fashions.

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RADIO IS AN ASSET TO BRICK-AND-MORTAR RETAILERS

Retailers opening new store locations have a powerful media partner in local radio to help promote grand openings, sales messaging, and employment opportunities. Radio is the #1 reach medium, and masters time and place opportunities for engaging consumers across demographics during prime shopping hours. Marketers can activate with different messaging tailored to the markets where they need it the most to recruit employees or attract customers. Radio places advertisers inside communities, on stations listeners trust, and it has been shown that consumers take action when they hear radio ads. 

For more information from Retail Dive.