Mahrukh Farooq

The Spoken Word Radio advertising was the first point of contact between customers and businesses and is a medium that holds great influence even today By Mahrukh Farooq When radio made its debut back in the late 19th century, few expected that ‘wireless’ communication, in which intangible signals could be transferred through the air over long distances, would ever be competitive in a world dominated by telegraph and the telephone. From establishing connections between ships at war to broadcasting all kinds of programming across the nation, radio had successfully been able to make the transition from just being an object of curiosity to becoming a tool for a new kind of communication. Once radio stations began to operate on a regular basis, concerns emerged related to the manner in which these stations will be able to support themselves financially. In the U.S, AT&T announced in February, 1922, that it would begin selling ‘toll broadcasting’ to advertisers, in which businesses would underwrite or finance a broadcast in exchange for being mentioned on the radio. Thus, the first paid radio commercial was born on August 28, 1922, courtesy WEAF of New York for the Queensboro Corporation advertising an apartment complex in the newly expanding neighborhood of Jackson Heights. As the industry developed, many stations began to experiment with different formats. Radio broadcasters were encouraged to deal with relevant advertisers directly to sell tie-in commercial spots for established radio programs. In Pakistan, the first era of advertising -) can be characterized by a small number of players in the newly formed advertising industry; very few businesses were taking advantage of new and innovative advertising techniques and reach was limited to mainly urban geographic regions, that too, through only print ads. Radio emerged as a new promising advertising media by around the late 50s along with several television stations that began to make a drastic change in existing advertising practices. The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) enjoyed a reach that spanned major cities, thus making the practice all the more lucrative. Earlier advertising done through radio were merely announcements which later evolved in to jingles, musicals and poetry to increase recall. The immense amount of influence that radio holds is no secret to anyone. The mere nature of the medium ensures connection and impact across widespread regions. According to Marc G. Weinberger, Leland Campbell and Beth Brody in their book, Effective Radio Advertising: A Guide to Winning Customers with Targeted Campaigns and Creative Commercials, some of the most unique strengths of radio include reach, targetability, cost-efficiency, frequency and creativity. When used correctly, i.e. with the proper station formats, radio copy and correct dayparts, radio advertising “has the unique ability to reach any number of highly selective demographic groups who, subsequently, may take actions (i.e., buy a product advertised on radio) to help increase an advertiser’s buying line.” The authors of the book have gone on to say that radio is an “omnipresent medium” or as some experts refer to it, “a ubiquitous medium – the medium that is with consumers from the time they awaken in the morning until they go to bed at night.” Studies conducted by the authors have shown that those who listen to the radio, “view it as the most useful advertising medium for information when they shop, and there is strong evidence that consumer shopping and radio advertising exposure are much more proximate than for any other advertising medium. In other words, timing is everything.” These combined with the medium’s ability to target and reach very specific audiences, its cost-efficiency as compared to other mediums, its ability to reach very high frequencies in short periods of time and its ability to let listeners use their imagination to create mental images of the messages makes radio an extremely impactful medium. With the advent of numerous FM channels in Pakistan after the very first FM radio channel, FM 100, was established in 1994, researchers became involved in conducting various studies in order to correctly the determine the effect of these channels on Pakistani society. According to the Gallup Survey Pakistan, the percentage of FM 100’s listenership has been erratic at best, however the figure continued to remain at the higher end of the spectrum until 2002 when the total listenership stood at 85%. Many factors played a role in the maintenance of such popularity. These included easy tuning systems, listener oriented programs, access to all classes of society, the encouragement of listeners’ participation during programs and 24-hour transmissions among others. A recent study conducted by the International Review of Basic and Applied Sciences for the city of Peshawar in July 2013, however, painted a rather different picture of the popularity of the medium. As a result of analysis of participants’ responses and the overall assessment of consumer behavior in the region, radio occupied the spot of mediums with the weakest impact along with other contenders such as Point-of-Sale display, flyers, television, banners and print media. The mediums with the strongest impact included billboards, internet and word-of-mouth. Still, one cannot ignore the prevalence of the medium in rural areas, particularly in areas where television has yet to reach and connect with its audience. Many individuals rely on this particular medium as a great source of information related to daily events and current affairs taking place across the country. Conversely, in urban areas, daily commuters while traveling in their cars or on public transport turn to one of the many radio channels currently in existence for their entertainment needs. Therefore, the problem lies not in the frequency of listenership as outlined by the study conducted in the urban area of Peshawar above, but rather the nature of it; for many residents in urban areas, the objective of listening to radio is purely for entertainment purposes. The arrival of digital media and the overall shift in consumer tendency to place more significance on visual rather than auditory impact has had a direct effect on the importance of radio in Pakistan. Now, people turn to their phones to get the latest information on a topic of interest. In addition, visually appealing banners and billboards placed at strategic locations in the city and country make up for the ‘timing is everything’ factor previously withheld by radio. This has probably been one of the reasons why many advertisers are now steering clear of radio and moving towards mediums which they deem to carry the most impact, such as digital media and OOH (Out-of-Home) tools. More impact means more revenue, hence resulting in radio to fall out of favour with a large number of advertisers. According to a report made by the Pakistan Advertisers Society, total advertising on radio decreased by 3.93% in May 2015 as compared to April 2015. Still, an average number of 4,440 ads per day were being aired on FM stations in Karachi. Radio may be down but it is definitely not out. There is still a lot of potential to be taken advantage of in terms of reach and overall cost efficiency. Rural areas still place a lot of significance on the medium as their main source for all kinds of new information. If utilised efficiently, companies and advertisers both may be able to exact the right amount of impact on their target market.