Everybody in Tampa Bay used to watch TV. Commercials and all. But, as media options proliferate, viewers are fleeing. This is not good news for television advertisers.
Last week, for instance, according to Nielsen, only 79% of Tampa Bay consumers watched broadcast television. To put this in perspective, 90% tuned-in to their favorite Tampa radio stations.
Compared to two years ago, according to Nielsen, the C3 rating for CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox have plummeted by 27%, especially among 18-49 viewers.
For the uninitiated, according to AdAge magazine, the C3 ratings blends a very rough estimate of average commercial ratings with three days of time-shifted viewing; as such, it offers networks, media buyers, and advertisers the best approximation of actual ad deliveries.
Again, just for perspective, in 2001, prior to the advent of satellite radio, Pandora, Spotify, Facebook, YouTube, Roku, Netflix, iPods, iPads, and smartphones, Tampa radio reached 90% of adult consumers. In 2019, that number remains unchanged.
A few years ago, when broadcast TV still commanded a 90%-plus reach among Tampa Bay consumers, a business owner could target almost any demographic needed to attract new customers.
As viewership plummets, however, certain types of consumers are disappearing. As you will see from the chart below, the demographics most coveted by advertisers are, now, more likely to be non-viewers.
Advertising on Tampa radio stations can help local business owners reach the very lucrative non-TV viewers.
According to Nielsen, 90% of consumers who do not watch Tampa TV stations are reached by local radio stations every week.
The disparity between the value of TV viewers and non-TV viewers is even more pronounced when major household purchases are considered. For instance, Tampa Bay consumers planning to buy a car or truck over the next 12 months are much more likely not to watch local TV. This holds true for a wide range of key retail categories.
Based on these findings, current TV advertisers can effectively eliminate or reapportion their advertising budgets in favor or Tampa radio stations.
Susan Moreno, co-owner of Moreno's Bakery in Brandon, had been using TV commercials to drive store traffic since the business opened its door in 2008. In 2017, though, she cut back on that medium and began to advertise on Tampa Bay Radio.
"It was actually Jose's idea," says Ms. Moreno. Jose Moreno is Ms. Moreno's husband and business partner.
"He listened to his favorite Tampa radio station all the time and wanted to experiment with some commercials. I was skeptical at first, but I knew that a lot of TV viewers were skipping through commercials or cutting the cord completely and switching to Netflix. This was leaving a big hole in our reach."
In almost no time, Ms. Moreno was converted from skeptic to true-believer. "Pretty quickly, new customers were coming in and telling us they learned about us on the radio. It seemed to be working so well that we began to add additional Tampa radio stations."
Moreno's Bakery now advertises 52 weeks a year on local radio stations.
What is her advice for other business owners for achieving success with radio advertising? "Invest in enough frequency to be heard. Use personality endorsements if you can. And, stick with it. It could take several months before you see results."
