Page 193 - Duct Tape Marketing

177Chapter 12: Broadcasting Ads on Radio and TV

Decoding the rating points

In scheduling ads, you’ll hear reference to two kinds of rating points.

Gross rating points (GRPs) are the total number of rating points delivered by
an ad schedule, usually over a one-week period. If you air 30 ads in a week,
each reaching an average of 5 percent of the total potential audience, your
schedule will achieve 150 GRPs.

Target rating points (TRPs) are measured exactly like GRPs, except they count
only the audience that matches your target audience. If your target market
consists only of men age 35+, then your TRPs are measured as a percent of
the men 35+ who hear or see your ad.

GRPs measure your total reach; TRPs measure your effective reach.

Most media planners agree on the following scheduling advice:

ߜ 150 GRPs/month is the rock-bottom minimum. If your budget can’t
cover a schedule with 150 GRPs over a month-long period, the effort
likely won’t be worth the investment.

ߜ To build awareness, schedule at least 150 GRPs for three months in a
row. You can divide your schedule into 50 GRPs every week or 75 GRPs
every other week, but commit to a multi-month schedule if you expect
broadcast advertising to result in awareness for your business.

ߜ Buy up to 500 GRPs/month if you’re trying to blitz the market. For
grand openings and major promotions, you need the kind of major
impact that only high-frequency broadcast buys can deliver. A month-
long heavy-up schedule involves as many as 500 GRPs.

You can make a broadcast buy without ever mentioning rating points, but
don’t. Stations will gladly present you with people-language proposals — for
example, “30 spots at an average of $25 each.” But what are you really getting
for your money? Follow up with a request: “Would you calculate how many
gross rating points that schedule delivers? Also, what percentage of the audi-
ence fits our target profile of men age 35+?”

Bartering for airtime

Barter is the exchange of merchandise or services rather than monetary pay-
ment for advertising time. A restaurant might trade for ad time by catering a
station’s holiday party, or a hotel might swap lodging packages for use in on-
air drawings. Here are a couple ways to barter for airtime:

ߜ You can trade a product or service that the station wants or needs —
either for its own use or for use in on-air promotions.