COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TELEVISION ADVERT

Though the Internet is gaining as a dominant form of media, TV and radio advertising still

reign for reaching a wide base of paying customers. Primary differences between TV and

radio advertising include the scope and type of audience, how commercials are created, and

how advertising is displayed. Audiences behave differently when consuming TV and radio

advertising. Also, the cost and effort involved in creating a commercial for television is

usually much greater than creating a commercial for radio play.

TV and radio advertising differ in the size and type of audience they serve, and in how the

audience behaves when using each medium. Television reaches a lot of people, but one

audience can be vast, containing many demographics. Companies who wish to do television

advertising often have different options to reach larger or smaller audiences. Local television

advertising can offer access to a select audience for a relatively low price. Another important

point is that television audiences change seasonally, while radio audiences tend to remain

constant all year long.

One of the primary differences between TV and radio advertising is how advertising is

received by the consumer. Television media can be better for explaining concepts that are

complicated or unfamiliar to the consumer because it allows for the use of visual aids.

Usually, television programs are exciting in order to engage a general audience, so this can

affect how an advertiser should format commercials for TV. Less exciting commercials are

likely to lose out if they are buried in a slew of high-energy commercials during an exciting

show. One downside of TV as compared to radio advertising is that many TV watchers are

more likely to get up for a snack and miss the commercial.

In general, radio audiences are greatly affected by time of day; the later it gets in the day, the

fewer listeners are using the radio. Radio audiences tend to be more reliable customers, who

change their habits more slowly than television audiences. This can mean that although radio

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advertising takes longer to pay off, advertisers will have a chance at gaining a more loyal sort

of customer. Radio stations tend to offer access to a focused demographic and may lean

noticeably one way or another in political or cultural points of view expressed.

Creating commercials for radio advertising spots can be considerably less expensive than

making a television commercial. Recording a radio commercial is as easy as having access to

some recording equipment, while a reputable television commercial often requires access to a

camera crew and full range of audio-visual equipment. The more difficult part of radio

advertising is that many radio listeners are passively listening to the content. Peak listening

tends to happen during meal times and driving. Radio advertising also offers no visuals, so

the commercial must be focused on engaging the listener's imagination.

Basics of Radio Advertising

Advertisers generally need to purchase radio spots in bulk, rather than buying one ad, such as

when you buy a magazine ad. This is similar to TV and digital advertising, and results in

more repetition of your message.

You can pay extra to have your ads play during certain programs or hours, or you can buy a

lower-cost run-of-schedule program, which lets the radio station place your ads throughout

the day. Some local radio stations offer small businesses low-cost or free production services

to help the create the ads.

People who listen to radio are often multitasking, such as commuting in a car, working on a

construction site, doing housework or exercising. This means the radio is often on in the

background and your message will be delivered to someone who is not paying full attention.

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Basics of TV Advertising

TV advertising buys are similar to radio media buys. At local stations, you often buy multiple

ads spots and pay more for placed ads and less for run-of-schedule ads. If a show is very

popular, the cost of one ad spot might be so high that you can only afford that one ad each

week. Some local TV stations offer low-cost commercial production to help small businesses

that don’t have large budgets.

Audio vs. Visual

With radio advertising, you have to make your impression with sound only. This can include

words, music and sound effects. For this reason, your advertising copy needs to be more

descriptive, since people can’t see what you’re advertising.

One of the benefits of TV advertising is that it provides viewers with a chance to see your

product. You don’t have to use your time explaining simple concepts if customers can see

someone using your product. Now, you can promote its features, price, a sale you’re having,

your warranty or some other selling message.

Be careful when using TV — when audio competes with video, video wins. For example, if a

news anchor is reading a story while a line of text is crawling along the bottom of the screen,

viewers start reading the crawl and don’t listen to the anchor. Using babies and puppies in

your ad might catch someone's attention, but your viewers could be so interested in these

images that they don’t listen to what you’re advertising.

This is why TV advertising works better for products that play on people’s impulses or

emotions, such as food, fashion or luxury goods, while radio is better suited to advertising

products that require more explanation, advises Time N Space Media.

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Different Time Slots

Most people listen to radio and TV during different times of the day. Radio’s prime-time

hours are from 6-10:10 a.m. and 3-7 p.m., according to small-business website

BusinessTown. Traditional prime time for TV is 8-11 p.m., according to the Nielsen

Company.

Radio advertising is an oft-overlooked form of marketing, especially for small businesses.

There are many misconceptions about this type of marketing, and chief among them is the

belief that radio advertising is expensive. Like many advertising techniques, the costs are

subjective and can be controlled with the right strategy and the right management.

Production of the Ad

If you plan on hiring voice talent for your radio ad, there will be an additional cost for the

production of your ad. These fees cover the cost of any music royalties necessary, as well as

the work from the talent and the cost of writing the ad. Small business owners can minimize

these costs by writing the ads themselves, using royalty-free music and voicing the ads

personally. Some smaller radio stations offer assistance in creating an ad for no fee or a very

minimal fee.

Length of the Ad Spot

Radio ad spots are sold in blocks of seconds, typically 15, 30 and 60 seconds. Sixty-second

ads are the most expensive, but this format does give you more time to get your marketing

message across. Thirty seconds are typically sufficient for most advertising spots if the

message is not too complex. Since a 15-second format is very brief, it should be used only if

the message is simple, perhaps as a reminder to consumers about a sale.

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Placement of the Radio Ad

The costs for radio advertising will depend both on the time of day and the type of show

being sponsored. For example, an ad that runs in a prime-time slot on a very popular show

will be much more expensive than one that is run in the middle of the day during music play.

This cost is subjective, however. Popular radio shows will have more listeners, and you will

have a wider pool of consumers. This makes the cost per acquisition (CPA) lower. CPA is

figured by taking the sales that resulted from an ad and dividing that figure by the actual cost

of the ad.

Weighing the Actual Cost of Radio Advertising

While at first glance radio advertising may seem expensive, in reality the costs are relatively

low. if you target the right listening audience and have a solid marketing message. The true

cost of radio advertising is determined by how many sales you actually get as a result of the

ad. A higher initial investment for a prime-time ad slot will typically pay off long term,

simply because you were able to get more sales.