In a time when advertisers are looking to engage with
consumers more deeply via social channels, radio is leveraging its legions of
fans to remain a vital part of the media mix. National networks and local
stations are using this bond to provide brands with ways to reach their
listeners that go beyond the 30- or 60-second spot. Instead, they are using the
kinship listeners feel for their stations and radio personalities to create
content-rich programs that can be shared online and via social and mobile.
Taking advantage of the strong followings stations have with
their local audiences is nothing new. It’s long been the central point of
differentiation for radio. What’s different today is how they are broadening
that value into a multiplatform environment that puts AM/FM broadcast at the
center of programs that can also include a station’s website, its Facebook and
Twitter feeds, live events and even naming rights.
“Our research shows how insanely pervasive radio is,” says
media analyst Alice K. Sylvester, COO of Media Behavior Institute. “People
identify with the station and its local identity and they stick with it. It
becomes a bit of a badge for them. They become part of a community that shares
the enjoyment.”
To expand its presence in its hometown Chicago market,
Allstate has gone far beyond simply running its “Mayhem” spots. Instead, it has
set itself up to own different parts of local broadcasts, aligning its brand
with relevant content. Traffic reports are branded with the “Good Hands” name
on local CBS outlets. And the renovated street-level studio for WGN, the
flagship Tribune Company station, in September was renamed the Allstate
Showcase Studio, a deal that includes on-air naming recognition as well as an
interior studio wrap featuring Allstate graphics.
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