More than just demographics, [advertisers] want to connect with their target audiences in measurable environments that can drive a consumer response; they want to be able to use the media that make the most sense for the target consumers and their brands, whether it's print, video, online, or an event. And a media company, if it wants to compete, needs to provide all these services in addition to great content and great brands.
So says Jack Griffin, the president of Meredith Publishing Group, which boasts a huge collection of famous magazines for women and a database of 85 million customers.
What Mr. Griffin is saying, in effect, is that the successful media brands of the future will be a mix of media brand and ad agency and will not be limited to only one vertical media channel.
What he's saying is that our challenge is not to sell spots and reach. Our challenge is to partner with our clients to drive engagement and produce measurable response, no matter what tools we use.
I keep shouting this but I don't think folks are really grasping it. Radio per se is no more. No longer is our problem solving limited to the rate at which we sell a bundle of airtime to reach an ocean of ears. The radio company of the future will be a cross-platform behemoth devoted completely to engaging local consumers, not "interrupting" them, and using their content and technology assets to do that.
Please let's stop the news releases regarding radio's reach. This is so off-base it's embarrassing.
Our clients want a new radio industry, not one with "more reach than ever."