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By Esther Rege
In commercial radio, advertising spots have
traditionally been available in mostly 30-second or
60-second increments. But changes are afoot. Clear
Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio
stations in the United States, has made a move to sell
only 30-second spots. The idea is that ‘less is more’ -
hoping to bring in more listeners by cutting the clutter
and shortening the amount of time listeners spend
listening to advertisements. Ironically, in a January
11th report, Reuters reported that the change didn’t do
much in the way of changing advertiser behavior. Instead
of changing their creative, many advertisers simply
‘shopped around’ the Clear Channel thirty-second policy.
So what difference does it make to you, the advertiser?
Well, depending on your budget, the 30-second spot could
be good news. Ideally, you can get the same message
across in half the time, and enjoy as much as a
25-percent price break. That’s great news if you have
name-brand recognition, and can get your message across
in that short amount of time.
On the other hand, if you need every second allocated to
a complete one-minute spot to flesh out an idea,
concept, or to establish your name, all is not lost.
Many stations are running, and will continue to run, the
traditional 60-second ads. As with strategizing a radio
media tour, it’s important to think strategically when
targeting when and where the spots will run. The
advertiser can often get a lot more bang for their buck
by just being strategic and buying stations, shows, and
spot times specifically tailored to the target audience.
If the advertiser is able and willing to shorten their
message to accommodate the changes at Clear Channel,
another often-overlooked radio option is “underwriting”
a show on public radio. So, doesn’t public radio mean
commercial-free? Yes it does, but in addition to funding
and membership, public shows are often underwritten and
sponsored by corporations and other organizations, which
provide excellent exposure for the client to at the very
least, get their name and website on the air.
Underwriting public radio shows can be expensive,
though, with “spots” sometimes costing as much as the
30-second or 60-second rates at the commercial outlets.
In the end, it’s most important to remember to be
strategic, and most of all, now more than ever, concise.
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