CLEAR CHANNEL OFFERS MORE PROOF THAT 'LESS IS MORE:' TIME SPENT LISTENING TO RADIO Joe Mandese – MediaDailyNews In an effort to prove that less ad clutter really does equal more engaged media consumers, radio giant Clear Channel this morning released findings of an Arbitron study indication "dramatic" increases in time spent listening to its radio stations in the top 50 markets following its so-called "less is more" programming strategy.
Earlier this year, Clear Channel initiated the plan, which converted its stations' standard advertising units to 30-seconds from 60-seconds, and reduced the number of spots and total ad time they aired each hour in an effort to win back listeners who've been migrating to other media, especially the Internet.
According to Clear Channel's analysis of Arbitron's Spring 2005 radio ratings report, listening to Clear Channel's stations in the top 25 U.S. markets has increased an average of 14.5 percent over the Spring 2004 report. Clear Channel said the rise occurred across all formats, suggesting that the boost came not from a programming strategy, but from cutbacks in advertising clutter.
John Hogan, CEO of Clear Channel Radio, said that "by running fewer commercials per hour and improving ad copy," the strategy is benefiting both listeners and advertisers. While Clear Channel did not release any research showing that its listeners are actually paying greater attention to the shorter-form commercials, he implied that the switch has made Clear Channel stations more entertaining, and therefore a more engaging place for advertisers.
"We've also made vast improvements to benefit our advertisers," he said, "including adding shorter, more effective radio spots, fewer spots per commercial break, and improved creative."
While ad industry execs agree that lower ad clutter levels generally lead to higher ad recall and effectiveness, some critics have argued that Clear Channel's initiative, which officially began Dec. 15, 2004, is a ploy to get advertisers to pay more for less: higher ad rates for shorter-format commercials.
Clear Channel said it is working with advertisers and agencies to prove those results. And while it is citing new Arbitron data as some proof, the company has also issued a request for a proposal to a variety of audience research suppliers to come up with a new, state-of-the-art electronic measurement system that would increase Madison Avenue's confidence further. The RFP comes as Arbitron is fielding its final test of the portable people meter system, which some believe could be the answer to that question.
Meanwhile, Clear Channel claims that specific elements of Arbitron's diary-based Spring 2005 report provide an indication, including ratings increases among both younger and older adults. |