The release of the latest RAMS_Amplify 2023C (RA23C) data has once again been greeted by the reassuring sound of crunching numbers. Media graphs mapping the listenership trajectory of over 300 radio stations are beginning to pop up faster than scrumhalf’s at a Springbok test match.
Some graphs point up. And some graphs point down. Unless of course you do an Elon and launch your own fantasy listenership, in which case your graph basically disappears vertically off the chart into audio cyber-space.
But if we just adjust the scale on all those graphs, we’ll see that for almost all functional media purposes, the graphs are basically flat. RA23C reports that 74.7% of adults continue to listen to the radio each week. Compared to 74.6% in RA23B. Whoop! Whoop! Listenership is up. On the other hand, in-home listenership has “declined” from 31.0% to 30.3% and the number of people listening to radio on a mobile device remains stable at 11.3% across both studies.
Nothing to report.
Not that this is a bad thing of course, because it means the RAMS_Amplify data is stable and we can measure delivery against campaign objectives.
Ultimately successful advertising is all about achieving objectives, but the recently released WFA[i] white paper Creating a Global Culture of Marketing Effectiveness reaches a startling conclusion …
Most marketers globally are better at delivering on set objectives than they are at understanding why those objectives were set in the first place.
Effective media procurement is not just about big numbers. It’s also about minimizing wastage. It’s about focus and relevance. It’s about the right numbers.
So, what would happen if we stopped focusing exclusively on listenership currency numbers and, like good media sleuths, we started to follow the money? Insights that would directly impact campaign outcomes, not just procurement efficiencies.
Let’s take Mix 93.8 for instance.
We know that RA23C listenership to Mix 93.8 has stabilized at around 58,000 (up 23% YoY). Now that may not be a big number relative to some stations in Gauteng, but effective media procurement isn’t always about the biggest numbers.
Mix 93.8 might not be the biggest radio station in Gauteng but RA23C also reports that Mix 93.8 has the highest average household income for any radio station in Gauteng. Given that Mix 93.8 broadcasts from and to the affluent north of Jozi, that should come as no surprise. In many respects, Mix 93.8 represents the True North of Johannesburg.
That’s something you can focus on as an advertiser.
When we cross-analyse Mix 93.8 listeners on Brandmapp we find something else of real significance to advertisers.
Mix 93.8 may be a relatively small station in Gauteng but it has a very clearly defined geo-zone of purchasing influence. What we might call the Retail Zone of Influence (REZOI).
They have a clearly defined retail behaviour repertoire. Almost 9 out of every 10 listeners shop regularly at 20 identifiable shopping malls – all of which lie within the Mix 93.8 signal footprint. These malls include Sandton City, Mall of Africa and Fourways and they range from Clearwater Mall in the west to Eastgate and East Rand Mall. Although a very high percentage (94%) of listeners do shop online, this regular pattern of retail shopping also translates into transactional loyalty. 88% of Mix 93.8 listeners have a retail loyalty card.
If we superimpose the Mix 93.8 REZOI onto live Google maps in The True North we discover that inside this actual geo-zone, there are …
- 4 116 fast food (QSR) outlets
- 382 petrol stations
- 414 car dealerships
- 52 gyms
- 47 property development businesses and
- 122 telecommunications companies
What Mix 93.8 offers advertisers is 100% focus on The True North and that translates into zero wastage. When it comes to procurement, you don’t get better than zero wastage. So just remember that audience size is a procurement pricing benchmark not a strategic outcomes tool.
If you are a retailer or a business that sells its products, brands or services anywhere in The True North
- You know that listeners to Mix 93.8 have the money
- You know they regularly spend their money inside the Mix 93.8 REZOI
- You know the Mix 93.8 has zero wastage outside The True North
When it comes to advertising on Mix 93.8 you can price on the listenership figures but you can actually bank on the listeners.
[i] WFA: World Federation of Advertisers
