Radio Advertising vs. TV Advertising


Many new advertisers assume that they should start on radio and "move up" sometime later to TV. I find that the road is usually smoother when it is taken in the other direction. TV can usually produce more immediate calls and instant prospects than radio and that is what the new advertiser needs -- especially the new advertiser with a limited budget. Later, when TV has been producing new business for awhile, radio can be added to reach new prospects.

Hey, I love radio. I started in this business in radio, at the University of Texas campus station, in 1963. I listen to radio for hours every day. I would love for all my clients to be on the radio. Occasionally, I do place some radio for a client, along with their TV, especially when I can get a really good deal on it.

But there's a problem. My clients usually want their phones to start ringing the first time their commercial runs and keep ringing, ringing and ringing. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get that kind of immediate and continuing response from radio.

That's probably because most radio listening is car listening. People may hear the commercials and resolve to call later but then they forget. Also, radio is expensive. For example, in a typical market, for what I would pay for a spot on one of the top five radio stations, I can buy three or four decent daytime TV slots. My client's cost per prospect is much lower with TV.

And television has one very important advantage over radio: every person watching television has immediate access to a phone, paper and pencil. (Car radio listeners often have a mobile phone but they won't -- and probably shouldn't -- call my client from it when they hear his commercial.)

With TV, prospects can call while they still remember the message and the phone number. Or, they can write the number down and call later.

On the other hand radio can work very well for advertisers who are not completely dependent on phone calls coming in every time the ad runs. If they are running "image" commercials and can look at their advertising as more of a long-term investment then they can do fine with radio, over time. Obviously, some do -- or at least think they do -- or radio rates would not be so high. 

Sometimes advertisers who have been using television for awhile will run on radio as a way to reach some brand new prospects. Radio can be valuable for advertisers for whom the television reach is too general. They advertise on specific radio programs that target specific audiences.

But, in general, assuming you have an offer that is appropriate for "immediate response" television advertising, you would probably have to wait longer for calls to come in from radio than you would using television.

Bottom line, radio works well for advertisers who want to become part of the landscape and can afford to be less concerned with getting immediate calls. But -- it usually takes more time, money and patience while you wait for results.