According to the YouGov Brand Index, the brands whose commercials generate the highest awareness are Geico, McDonald's, Verizon, AT&T, Walmart, Subway, Direct TV, T-Mobile, Progressive, and Walgreens.
If you were one of the 3,543,709 people who tuned-in to a Boston radio station last week, then chances are you heard the ads for these brands. All ten are among the biggest users of radio advertising.
Here's what New England business owners need to know about creating a memorable brand for their own companies using Boston radio stations.
So, what is branding, and why is it necessary for every business owner in New England to be concerned about it?
Seth Godin, was inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame for making Yahoo! a household name. He defines banding in these terms: "A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.”
For branding to translate into a sale, consumers must be able to recall a brand’s promised benefits at the point of purchase. It makes sense: you don’t buy what you don’t remember.
For decades small business owners have used radio advertising on Boston radio as a potent, yet affordable way, to keep their brands top of mind.
Local Ad Recall, a research company that measures the effectiveness of advertising, found that brand recall was five times higher for companies that advertised on radio versus the companies that did not. Consequently, New England small business owners who advertise on Boston radio have a much better chance of being recalled and, therefore, frequented by prospective customers than companies that do not advertise on radio.
There is no single formula for creating effective ads for Boston radio stations. What follows, though, are 11 proven guidelines to assist in the creation of an effective radio commercial.
Mr. Kaitz is the Co-CEO of National Lumber, along with his sister Margie Kaitz Seligman. The company, founded with a single lumber yard in 1934, now has 36 locations throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
"I knew if we invested in our advertising, we could increase our credibility among local home builders," he says. "Our goal was to be perceived as big enough to supply the biggest construction projects while offering competitive pricing."
As a result of the advertising, Mr. Kaitz discovered that the National Lumber sales reps began to have an easier time making appointments with new customers.
"We are now the largest independent lumber business in New England," he says.
Mr. Kaitz believes other small business owners can benefit greatly from advertising, as well.
"If you are going to build a business, you must advertise," he says. "I've seen this with Jordan's Furniture, and I've seen it with GEICO."
National Lumber devotes the bulk of its dollars to advertising on Boston radio.
"Builders listen to the radio, and homeowners listen to the radio. We can create commercials that make our local business sound as big as Home Depot."