Clear Channel, the world's largest radio company is pioneering a brand new take on radio advertising. The industry giant, which owns over 1200 American radio stations is introducing advertisements which last only a few seconds. "Blink" ads will last only two seconds- long enough to play the company's jingle, slogan, or brand name. For example, as one song bleeds into another on your favorite radio station, you may hear McDonald's "I'm Lovin It" slogan. Another similar spot you can buy is an "adlet," which will last 5 seconds.
Even though it will not be able to communicate new offers, products, or really any information for that matter, these ads will build brand awareness and knowledge- part of the marketer's goal is to keep that brand on the top of your mind set. Marketers have always been looking for ways to galvanize radio advertising, which can be a formidable challenge because they are limited to audio.
"It really is to find new uses of radio for advertisers who are continually asking us to demonstrate that our medium can successfully extend brands, can successfully reach the consumer with touchpoints that are new and surprising," says Jim Cook of Clear Channel. The question is, will it work. Will simply registering the brand name to the consumer make a difference in their buying trends? If so, perhaps we have now found the most meaningful part of an advertisement. Perhaps now we can cut out additional information on ads which run up the costs for companies wanting to advertise. If taking the most valuable part out of an ad, and putting it on the radio for a fraction of the price of what a whole spot would be, then really we are maximizing efficiency.
As far as costs, and "adlet" is priced at 20% of the standard 60-second spot, and the "blink" is priced at only 10%. Prices will obviously vary depending on the radio station and market, but to put it in perspective- a top ten station in a major market would usually cost about $800 for a 60 second spot. This means with a blink ad, a company could get their brand name on the air for just 80$. Clear Channel's theory is that more companies will be willing to advertise using the "Less is More" strategy.
Sources: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06275/726832-28.stm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/a-brand-new-age-of-radio-advertising--blink-and-its-gone/2006/06/14/1149964608136.html
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