There are many advertising choices to choose from the marketing mix, however, radio still ranks as one of the best ways to reach ag producers.
And while it is easy to dismiss AM/FM radio when Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora exist, it’s easy to underestimate the powerful reach and ad effectiveness that AM/FM radio advertising has to offer.
Recently, Aimpoint Research came out with findings for a study they did for the National Farm Broadcasters Association (NFBA) when doing research on the Farmer of the Future 2.0. Their aim was to enable deeper understanding of the U.S. farmers and ranchers. This research builds upon the 2018 Farmer of the Future analysis, and unlocking powerful insights that will help advertisers better understand, engage and service their existing ag customers.
Key findings include:
- The average listener’s farm contains nearly 11 radios
- Younger listeners are more likely to visit a website after hearing about it on the radio.
- On-air ag radio is a major part of listeners’ weekday routine.
“Studies like this prove how much farmers pay attention to what is on their radio dial,” reports the Executive Director for the National Farm Broadcasters Association (NAFB).
NAFB has been a key player in the fight to keep AM radio in cars and trucks. “We’ve asked our members to be engaged in that process – to talk about it on the radio, post on social media, and encourage lawmakers to vote in favor of moving that bill forward – sharing the message that AM radio is reaching a rural audience that is largely underserved,” NAFB says. “We know when it comes to emergency information, it doesn’t matter what your zip code is. Listeners in rural areas don’t necessarily have consistent access to cellular or broadband, or it may not be reliable enough. We know that AM has continued to deliver.” The survey also found, perhaps surprisingly, that younger listeners edged out older listeners for time spent tuned to agricultural broadcasts. “The perception is older Americans would listen the most, but what we found was that the grandson is listening four minutes per day more than grandpa, and two minutes more than dad, ” reports NFBA. “It helps us tell the story that agricultural radio is as pertinent, if maybe not a bit more important, to younger generations than what advertisers may perceive. The relationship that they’ve got by listening to a farm broadcaster and to that radio station means a whole lot more to them than just reading what the market price is on a computer screen.”
Other advantages of using radio advertising in your marketing mix include:
1. Affordability
- The average cost of a :60 second radio advertisement ranges from $5-$750 when measured by cost per point (CPP).
- Usually, the more listeners the radio station has, the more customers it can reach, therefore making the cost higher.
- The cost of entry for radio advertising is less than other broadcast mediums.
2. Ability to reach a broad audience
- The audience share of AM/FM radio is 18X larger than ad-supported Spotify and 15X larger than ad-supported Pandora.
- 84% of those age 55+ are reached each weak by radio; 83% of those aged 25-54 are also tuning in weekly.
3. High Return on Investment (ROI) with stats to back it up
- Four waves of surveys in 2021 and 2022, conducted by Aimpoint Research for the National Association of Farm Broadcasting among 800 respondents in all U.S. regions, in the farming or ranching business – defined as primary or shared-decision makers on a farm with income of $100,000 or more – show that 74% listen to ag radio five or more days a week. Average time spent listening is just over an hour, with listenership highest in early morning hours.
Check out INEDA’s Facebook page for more great information on choosing radio advertising as part of YOUR marketing media mix.