“TV is what is playing in God’s waiting room.” — Pierre Bouvard, Westwood One (HERE)
We’re not sure Boomers would love the characterization in Westwood One’s recent analytical rundown of ratings and advertising insights, but the point is clear. To be precise, half of the linear TV audience is 65 years or older.
That’s a key metric in a study which highlights underrecognized audience segments (65+) and underrecognized dayparts. On that second point, Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard tries to sway advertisers away from thinking that drive time is the only time. “The ‘only buy drive times’ myth is dangerous and harmful to advertiser campaign reach and sales growth,” he observes. “Restricting AM/FM radio buys to drive times misses 59% of the AM/FM radio audience. It reduces reach and harms advertiser sales effect.” (See the graph below.)
Bouvard reaches outside his own metrics to support the idea of advertising acros daypart boundaries, quoting from How Not To Plan: 66 Ways to Screw It Up, a book by Les Binet and Sarah Carter. “Don’t target too narrowly. It may be efficient, but it’s rarely effective. Tight targeting means low sales and profits.”
With its 24-hour daypart, radio reaches 40% more 18-49 consumers than TV, and the two media categories are tied in daily time spent across the whole population. And when the focus is 18-49, AM/FM’s reach is 81%, vs. television’s 58%.
Much of this is sourced from Nielsen’s Comparable Metrics for Q3 2023.
As always in the Westwood One blog, there is a great deal more detail to peruse. Go HERE.
