As the time of launching the radio commercial for the new spring line of rock climbing, mountain biking, white water river rafting, and kayaking equipment comes, there is a need to assess the popularity of the segment during which the advertisements will air. Careful investigation of the latest ratings of the segment for the commercial time slot in different categories of population will help to identify the strengths and drawbacks of the segment, determine how they can affect the efficaciousness of the advertisements, and suggest possible solutions that can eliminate the risks related to the identified drawbacks and make use of the identified strengths.
You have requested me to check the ratings and analyze them as you are concerned with the reputation of the controversial radio host. I agree that the ratings are of vital importance for the success of the commercial, as they directly influence the number of the listeners able to hear it. Therefore, my primary duty is to suggest solutions that can neutralize the influence of possible negative tendencies in the segment’s popularity.
The ratings for the chosen segment appear to be rather successful for over-65 demographic while other categories of the population do not demonstrate that much interest in it. As the ratings of elderly people are significantly higher than we have expected, it is important to make use of this positive factor.
Choosing local spot radio advertising was a perfect choice as it reaches well-defined geographic audiences (O’Guinn, Allen, and Semenik 514). Radio advertisements contribute to creating the brand of the advertised product, and, therefore, it should be carefully planned (Ingram and Barber 59). The first aspect that should be considered is the length of the commercial. I propose to step outside the 15 to 30 seconds format and launch a 40-second advertisement, with 5-second echo later in the same break.
Such echo serves as a short version and a reminder of the longer advertisement (Sell 11). Such strategy will help to captivate the attention of the listeners and make them remember the product. The next aspect that should be considered is the target audience of the advertisement. The analysis of the ratings shows that we should focus on the elderly group of the listeners. Though rock climbing, mountain biking, white water river rafting, and kayaking equipment seems to be not interesting for the older population at the first sight, we can make an unexpected success by advertising this equipment as a perfect present for the younger generation – the grandchildren and children of the elderly people who comprise our potential audience.
Older people are always willing to please their dearest ones with sweet presents, but often have problems with identifying what is trendy and interesting for young people nowadays. In our advertisement, we will give the elderly listeners “specific action steps” for a happy shopping experience (Saracino par. 14). In such way, we will balance the needs and desires of our target audience with what we want to say about the products (Hertz 79).
By naming the products that are interesting to the youth and then addressing the older people, we will provide an “unexpected” opening line that can grab the attention of the listeners (Pikington par. 7). We can also make use of every coming holiday to give the listeners the reason to buy the advertised products as they make perfect presents for any festival. All of the above-mentioned factors will contribute to the success of the commercials and attract the potential buyers.
The strategy I described above will help to address those categories of potential buyers that are often left behind due to the fact that the elderly people are not interested in climbing, biking, or rafting equipment. We can attract older generations and establish long-term relations with them by promoting the reputation of “Total Outdoors” as one of the best providers of presents for younger members of their families.
I will be glad to discuss these recommendations with you and follow through on any decisions you make. I am sure that proper analysis of the suggested strategy and combined effort put in designing the details of the commercial will help to find out the best solutions and ensure the success of the spring radio advertising campaign.
Works Cited
Hertz, Tony. The Seven Secrets of Creative Radio Advertising, Los Angeles, California: Panorama Press, Ltd., 2013. Print.
Ingram, Andrew, and Mark Barber. An Advertiser’s Guide to Better Radio Advertising, Chichester, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2005. Print.
O’Guinn, Thomas, Chris Allen, and Richard Semenik. Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion. 5th ed. 2008. South Melbourne, Victoria: South-Western Cengage Learning. Print.
Pikington, Earl. 5 Radio Advertising Secrets – #1 Opening Lines. 2013. Web.
Saracino, Linda. The Eight Secrets of Great Radio Ads. 2005. Web.
Sell, David. How to Make Your Radio Advertising Work for You. 2011. Web.