Radio in today’s landscape

As digital advertising reaches new heights… a couple of questions come to mind.

Is there still a market for the traditional advertising medium of radio and can digital alone serve all our needs?

Before you start churning out your answer, here’s a mind-blowing statistic: In a Nielsen “Global Trust in Advertising” Report, word-of-mouth proved to be the most powerful influencer of all.

And what is the number one word-of-mouth medium? Radio, of course!

The Radio Advertising Bureau of America commissioned a study on radio’s ability to deliver robust return on investment for advertisers. The results? Astounding. Radio drove a total of 228% more search than TV, as well as an average 29% lift in Google search among the eight advertising platforms included within the study.

Coming back to Malaysia, according to the Radio Audience Measurement 2018 study, as many as 14.1 million Malaysians tune into radio’s breakfast shows while 13.6 million tune into the drive time slots.

Radio also has the highest social media engagement compared to TV, Newspapers and Magazines as reported in the most recent Gfk Radio Insights release.

A key reason for radio’s ability to stay relevant and ingrained in people’s lives is because it can now be consumed on the go via mobile devices.

The radio landscape in Malaysia has evolved from a platform interaction into powerful brand journeys.

Take Astro Radio for instance, its gone beyond the airwaves and can now be found virtually everywhere – mobile, digital, social media, on-ground, talent, even e-commerce – to cater to its 15.3 million socially connected fans.

Astro Radio is a prime example of how a radio-centric organisation can evolve into creating dynamic multi-platform content and unique branded content opportunities for its host of client partners.

It’s no surprise that many of the very successful Malaysian marketing campaigns leverage on radio.

One that comes to mind is the award-winning ERA & HITZ Wonda Sales Superstar campaign. By building on the strengths of HITZ and ERA, the campaign reached over 3.9 million Malaysians and its sales target was hit 2 days early.

In another instance, Spritzer was looking to build product and brand awareness for their health beverage Bon Rica. To help them do that, Astro Radio created a web series called “Lost Without You” using its MY radio brand’s talents, and seamlessly incorporating Bon Rica bottles in the storyline.

The web series garnered over 2.4 million views across YouTube and Facebook.

So why do we even categorise Radio as a traditional medium or platform when it has so clearly demonstrated its shift to multi-dimensional? In fact you could argue that an integrated radio brand buy is truly the most effective and efficient way to reach and engage with your target audience.

No doubt about it, radio will continue to rule!

After 20 years of evolving technology, shifting market trends, and adapting to changing consumer behaviour, the media landscape has nearly reached saturation.

We’ve optimised to the fullest, providing advertisers with abundant choices across technology, platforms, data-driven marketing, CTV, OTT, DOOH, influencer marketing, retail, etc.

Media specialists have diversified, but with more options comes the challenge of maintaining income growth. The industry is expanding, but revenue isn’t keeping pace.

Now, we’re at a TURNING POINT: time to explore and harness new sustainable revenue streams. While GroupM forecasts a 7.8% global ad revenue growth in 2024, challenges like antitrust regulation, AI and copyright issues, and platform bans persist.  

Collaboration is key: partnerships that thrive on synergy, shared values, and aligned goals are becoming increasingly essential.

Hence, the Malaysian Media Conference, in its 20th year, has assembled the partners and players under one roof on October 25 for a day of learning, sharing, and exploring.

 

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