Page 192 - Duct Tape Marketing

176 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads

ߜ TAP or Total Audience Plan: A radio package that includes a specified
number of ads spread throughout each of the dayparts, allowing the sta-
tion to decide on the schedule as long as it plays the agreed-upon
number of your ads in each time period. Ads that run as part of TAPs are
called rotators. TAP programs are usually the most affordable packages
offered by stations. Still, negotiate the deal. Ask about weighting the
schedule toward the dayparts when your prospects are most apt to be
listening, or see whether the station will throw in additional spots to
enhance the schedule. It’s okay to beg — just don’t get greedy!

Achieving broadcast reach, frequency, and
rating points

Reach is the number of people who hear your ad or, in the case of television,
the number of households that are tuned in when your ad airs. Frequency is
the number of times that an average prospect is exposed to your ad. The
accepted rule is that a broadcast ad needs to reach a prospect 3 to 5 times
before it triggers action, which usually requires a schedule of 27 to 30 ad
broadcasts. Chapter 10 has more information about how reach and frequency
work together in advertising schedules to put your message in front of
enough prospects enough times to make a marketing difference.

Increase advertising impact by opting for frequency over reach. Instead of
airing ads on ten stations (wide reach), choose two of the stations and talk to
the same people repeatedly (high frequency).

It takes reach to achieve awareness, but it takes frequency to change minds.

How much is enough?

The age-old question among broadcast advertisers is how much and how
often ads need to air. This is where rating points come to the rescue. A rating
point measures the percentage of the potential audience that is reached by a
broadcast ad. If an ad airs during a time that is calculated to reach 10 percent
of the potential audience, then it earns ten rating points.

The ratings are based on actual market performance, measured through sur-
veys conducted by firms such as Arbitron and A. C. Neilsen. The findings
have an admitted margin of error, but they remain the best way to compare
broadcast audiences within a market area. Stations subscribe to the findings
and share the numbers with advertisers as part of their sales efforts.