Radio advertising that delivers
measurable results and profitable new customers

« Previous | Main | Next »

February 06, 2007

Direct Response Radio Advertising: Is Sports Illustrated Missing Out?

As we've mentioned many times in this blog, one of the most common questions we get is "what kinds of products or services 'work' best in radio?". Answering that question is challenging for us because it's a long list that in our experience is continuously getting longer. It appears that many people just don't understand how radio advertising works enough to know whether their product or service is a good match. I recently found what looks like another example of this.

The January 2007 issue of Response Magazine features an article by Thomas Haire which highlights the direct response marketing efforts used by Sports Illustrated. It appears from the article that SI is or has leveraged nearly every form of direct response advertising. There's one notable exception: direct response radio.

Why is this notable? Because the combination of the sophistication of SI's approach to direct response with radio advertising's ability to target specific demographics (and to slightly lesser degree psychographics) in a manner that is trackable and accountable is a matchup that could yield a significant source of incremental new customers for SI.

We recently wrote an article about the "Key Questions" that every successful direct response radio advertising campaign has asked and answered. It is clear from Tom's article that the SI team has these answers, and with that information they have a great chance at achieving great success with direct response radio. A premium product, an understanding of who buys and why, and experience with offers that drive trial by high-lifetime value prospects - these are the seeds of success in direct response radio.

This is a great example of a situation where a relatively inexpensive test can show whether direct response radio advertising can deliver profitable new subscribers for SI.

An additional benefit for the SI marketing team is that radio would be an excellent testing ground for new offers, appeals and other variables that could be new opportunities for growing the SI business. Radio can provide feebdack very rapidly and with minimal expense compared to TV, print and direct mail.

What works in direct response radio? We'd be shocked if SI didn't find success. The list of what works in direct response radio advertising continues to grow.

Posted by Brett Astor at 08:15 AM | Permalink