So people are freaking out about the new Edison data indicating that consumers – that’s you and me – switch stations 22 times in an average commute. …unless you’re my beautiful wife, in which case you switch stations 2200 times in an average commute. Is that number (the 22) shocking? I don’t know why. Anybody who has ever been in a car has seen this firsthand. I know we want to imagine that no advertiser will ever figure this out, but hey, advertisers know this already. They have fingers and buttons and the same impossibly short attention span the rest of us have. Yes, it’s easy, it’s … [Read more...]
Tag: edison
09/29
The New Auto Dashboard Isn’t as Scary as Radio Thinks
Every time there’s some new innovation out there which enhances the choice set available to consumers who want to hear audio entertainment or information, a chill runs up the spine of every broadcaster, because with such a large fraction of listening, radio seems to stand more to lose than to gain from the expansion of choice. Without question, new choices squeeze existing options. Indeed, given the growing number of distractions available to consumers across every platform – audio, video, and more, it’s exceedingly unlikely that the pie of audio listening is actually growing so long as … [Read more...]
03/13
FM Chip in Cell Phones means More Radio Listening? Don’t Count on It
Last week Edison Research released its always excellent “Infinite Dial” study of audio listening habits in the U.S. I’m a big fan of this study, so this post is intended more as observation than critique. I was troubled by only one chart and the headline drawn from that chart, which was widely trumpeted by the trades almost verbatim: “FM Tuner in Cell Phones Could Lead to Increased Listening among AM/FM Listeners.” But is that really what consumers are saying? Or is that just what we think they’re saying? The question: “If your cell phone had an FM radio tuner, would it lead … [Read more...]
09/27
TV’s Digital Lessons for Radio
Edison Research recently showcased some buyer interviews arguing, among other things, that radio’s digital-only doo-dads are less than compelling to many buyers and that what they really want is an integrated approach across platforms built around fresh ideas. So what’s best, digital-only or integrated? Don’t get lost in this “either/or” – it’s a myth. It’s all about value, folks. Good or bad, high or low. Period. I think radio buyers can only respond to what’s in front of them, and many of radio’s digital-only doo-dads are not exceptional enough to capture their attention or … [Read more...]
04/15
The Future of AM Radio
Radio Ink made a classic mistake last week when it celebrated the strength of AM radio by trumpeting the financial success of the top radio brands, many of which happen to be on AM. Why is this a mistake? Because it confuses the band with the brand. AM radio is not what makes stations like WFAN so successful. WFAN is what makes WFAN so successful. Indeed, the trajectory for AM radio in general is not pretty. We generally assume that AM, like FM, is universal simply because it exists everywhere. But existing everywhere and being used by all people are two completely different … [Read more...]
04/12
Is Radio Losing the “War for Attention”?
Put these pieces together: First, Arbitron/Edison's Infinite Dial study shows 30% year-over--year growth in the online radio audience (a large number, but not at all surprising to anyone paying close attention). Attention spreading. Second, a small study reported in Ad Age indicated that young consumers switch media 27 times in an hour. "What they are looking for is engaging content, and they dismiss so much stuff," said Dan Albert, senior VP-media director at Chicago's MARC USA agency. Innerscope Research CEO Carl Marci: "The target has become faster, and the window of opportunity … [Read more...]
12/19
Arbitron doesn’t like Audience Estimate Comparisons
Can you convert streaming metrics to shares and compare those shares to the numbers in an Arbitron ranker? Of course you can, but that doesn't mean Arbitron will like it. Today Arbitron released their "Thoughts on Comparing Audience Estimates," and while they make some good points, those points don't tell the whole story. Let's dive in. Don't compare the two, says Arbitron because... One to Many vs. Many to One Some Internet music services are using the traditional radio audience metrics of average quarter-hour (AQH) and Cume. To date, these metrics have only been applied to … [Read more...]
