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Top National Advertisers Hold Steady On Radio Despite Pandemic

With “shelter in place” and “work from home” the new normal for millions of Americans, some big national marketers have reduced their radio presence while others have stepped on the gas. The nation’s two largest home improvement retailers pulled back their spend but remain solidly on the air: Lowe’s downshifts to No. 22 on the latest Media Monitors list with 17,389 spots for the week of March 16-22, compared to No. 12 the week before with 24,297. Home Depot drops to No. 30 (13,871 incidences) from No. 4 (34,749).

In the Department Stores sector, Macy’s is No. 13, consistent with where it has been for the past several weeks, while JC Penney drops to No. 75 and Kohl’s is No. 84. Flash back one month ago, (Feb. 17-23), before the Coronavirus had been declared a global pandemic, and JC Penney was at No. 33 but Kohl’s wasn’t even in the top 100.

L’Oréal Hair Products has pulled back somewhat but remains a top radio advertiser, clocking in at No. 20, compared to No. 6 one month earlier. Procter & Gamble’s cold relief medication Vick’s is also still on the air but with a much lower weight with 14,424 spots this week (ranked No. 29), compared to 36,845 (No. 6) one month ago.

Despite dire predictions for the restaurant industry, the latest tally includes five accounts in the Fast Casual-Quick Service Restaurants category, led by McDonald’s at No. 5 with 33,273 spots, steady with where it was one month ago. Next is Wendy’s at No. 14, Taco Bell at No. 18, Denny’s at No. 49, and Dunkin at No. 88. That’s an increase of two advertisers in this category compared to one month ago. In the related Restaurants, Night Clubs vertical, Chili’s is holding strong at No. 36 with 13,309 spots, down from 19,773 one month earlier.

In the stalwart insurance category, two of radio’s biggest users haven’t flinched. Progressive aired 54,953 spots to continue as radio’s top volume advertiser, according to Media Monitors, which tracks national advertising in 85 markets. That’s nearly 3,000 more spot occurrences than one month ago. Likewise GEICO remains in the top 5 with 32,965.

Meanwhile there is a pair of relative newcomers in the latest top 10. The US Census Bureau, ramps up its media campaign, rising to No. 3 from No. 8 last week now that hundreds of millions of Americans have received their official forms in the mail. And the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention barrels into the top 10, rising from No. 72 last week to No. 8 this week.

For March 16-22, 2020 the top 10 on the Media Monitors list are Progressive at 1, Indeed at 2, US Census Bureau at 3, iHeartRadio at 4, McDonald’s at 5, GEICO at 6, Sprint at 7, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention at 8, Allstate at 9 and Skechers at 10.

With the coronavirus pandemic upending American lifestyles, broadcast sales consultant Paul Weyland offered ways to keep current clients on the air and how to approach new businesses and ad categories that aren’t regular radio users. “This could be our finest hour if we make it so. We should be the heartbeat of our communities,” Weyland said Monday on a conference call for managers and sales professionals sponsored by the Alabama Broadcasters Association. “We can change the way people see and hear what’s going on around them in the next six months.”

To remain relevant in a world of social distancing, widespread school and business closures and virtually no live sports or entertainment, advertisers need to pivot their on-air messaging to how their product or service can make the lives of consumers safer, less complicated, more convenient and more luxurious, Weyland stressed. Spots need to sound more like PSAs than blatant product pitches. Banks, for example, could flip their script to relaying stories about how they solve problems for everyday people. “These banks have stories of the way they help people every day but we never hear those stories because we’re stuck in the old way of doing commercials,” he said.

Although many advertisers are cancelling or delaying their campaigns, emergencies almost always introduce a new wave of categories to the airwaves. Janitorial services are in demand for people looking to clean and sanitize their home or business. Investment advisors are needed for millions of Americans worried about their 401Ks. And white collars workers suddenly working from home may need a new laptop or PC or office equipment.

Most restaurants no longer have dine-in service but many have ramped up their takeout and home delivery options. Yet many customers are in the dark about which of their local eateries are still open and how to place an order.

Weyland urged Alabama radio and TV sellers to think beyond merely selling a spot schedule and work with local business owners to help communicate valuable info to their consumers. That could mean putting local grocery store managers on the air to talk about when toilet paper and paper towels will be back in stock. “How can we make their lives better in an unprecedented crisis like we’re going through now,” Weyland asked. “Can we give them more reasons to tune in, so they talk about us when they’re home with their families?”

For local businesses trying to adapt to a radically altered consumer landscape, the human touch is crucial, now more than ever. “Make phone calls like you’ve never made in your life,” Weyland suggested. To get callbacks, leave concise headline-style voicemails with such enticements as, “I have the kind of commercial that will keep your business afloat.” Or “I have found a hole in your competitor’s strategy.”

While many news and news/talk stations have moved into wall-to-wall coverage of the health crisis, music stations should also be breaking in with critical local info and messages from health officials about how they can help flatten the growth curve of the COVID-19 virus. “Be a mirror of what’s happening in the community at large,” Weyland said.

Articles first published by Media Monitors, and Paul Weyland, respectfully.