Network radio has been the silent workhorse on media plans from the beginning of modern advertising.  It doesn’t receive the same press coverage as social media, but the radio industry has been continuously evolving to meet the needs of modern marketers. 

We interviewed Herb Hofmann, a Senior Marketing Executive/Great Lakes Region at Westwood One Radio Networks, to help us understand the latest trends in network radio.

What makes network radio a great solution for marketers in 2011?

Network radio provides one of the most cost effective means of reaching a mass audience at very efficient CPM’s compared to all broadcast media. Couple that with our ability to copy split and national radio achieves immense reach, high frequency and the copy/trafficking flexibility of spot radio.

Toyota announced they will have Pandora radio on their Entune (multimedia system) platform.  What can marketers expect from the traditional network radio industry to counter this? 

Emerging media has indeed changed the competitive environment. Pandora/Slacker (personalized radio), iPod’s, iPad’s, smart phones, Facebook, Twitter, podcasting and satellite radio are all taking people away from time spent with traditional media.  But the audience on any of these platforms is still diminutive compared to the 200 million (A18+) weekly listeners on network radio.  As an example, the total national audience on satellite radio is comparable to just two New York based  radio stations.

Mary Beth Garber wrote an interesting article for RadioInk regarding Pandora.  It’s a must read for media planners.

To the delight of our team, you introduced the ability to copy-split by DMA a few years ago.  Are many other marketers catching on to that capability?

Every year more and more advertisers are utilizing our copy splitting technology. Dealer groups, who in the past, primarily used spot radio with local market tags are realizing they can either reduce their radio budget or achieve more GRP’s by becoming a member of the network radio family.

What are some innovative ways marketers are using network radio?

In 2011 network radio is not just terrestrial audio. We have many digital extensions including websites for our radio hosts, digital streaming of sporting events, video pre-rolls and podcasting. We also have a local connection in our Radio Row (March Madness, Super Bowl, Grammy’s and Academy of Country Music Awards) broadcasts that allow advertisers to touch consumers in a more personal way than a traditional national spot.

Smart marketers are also using the plethora of music, talk and sports talent on network radio to be the voice of their product or service. Imagine advertising for a pizza company and having 20 radio hosts/announcers across the country eating your pizza each week (live on air) and speaking to their audience about how great it tastes. It’s efficient, it’s fun and it drives sales.  You can’t do that on TV, print, Pandora, billboards or Twitter.

Tell us about your favorite radio personality and what listeners can expect from them this year.

The Dennis Miller Show is both unique and thought provoking and his guest list is as varied as his sardonic rants. Dennis Miller’s burlesque delivery on radio is as funny, intelligent and satirical as his HBO specials. He will continue to see growth in both affiliates and audience in 2011.

What is the best advice you’ve ever heard about working in advertising/marketing?

Passion, hard work and honesty are the keys to success.  It’s very easy to tell if someone is just going through the motions or they’re truly passionate about what they do.

Listen, listen, and then listen some more! Learn as much as you can about your client’s needs, goals and objectives before you start selling anything.  Do your due diligence and your idea’s will be better received and more effective.

Say what you’ll do and do what you say.  It takes years to build a reputation of honesty and integrity, yet it takes mere seconds to forever damage your character if you lie or do something unethical.  Edward R. Murrow once wrote: “To be persuasive we must be believable, to be believable we must be credible, to be credible we must be truthful.”