Page 38 - Adnews Magazine Sep-Oct 2020
P. 38

                  Investigation
“Despite various states now being at different stages in their response to the pandemic, we’re seeing continued increases in viewing,” she says.
“Australia’s commercial broad- casters are already seeing increased demand from advertisers as the new financial year gets under way.”
Radio
Doomsayers predicted radio lis- tening would fall off a cliff when lockdown began in March because people were at home and not on a daily commute.
“But what we saw was that overall radio and audio consump- tion didn’t drop, it just shifted loca- tion, time of listening, and the device used,” says Pete Whitehead, ARN’s chief commercial officer.
ARN data shows overall in-car listening dropped by 5%, which was more than compensated by people listening at home which was up 48%.
Streaming data shows the audi- ence listening in three key ways: mobile/tablet (37%), desktop/lap- top (33%) and smart speakers/ digital appliances (29%).
“All key listening periods are also up, and not surprisingly, we’ve seen overall daytime listening get a significant boost as people stay
“Deeper, more honest, even at times vulnerable discussions have emerged in the current climate with clients.”
Paul Rees-Jones Clemenger BBDO
home and want the familiar and comforting sounds of the radio personalities they love and trust, and the music that makes them feel great,” says Whitehead.
“We’re seeing that listening for mornings is up 22% and after- noons is up 17%. And, even though less people were com- muting to work, they still wanted to start and end their day with their favourite shows and radio personalities, we saw breakfast listening up 1% and Drive increase by 5%.
“In terms of advertising, after the market downturn of the initial lockdown period, we’re now seeing the market start to kick back into life at a fairly healthy rate based on the increased
number of briefs coming through our agency and direct sales teams.
“We are now seeing clients being more optimistic and laying out plans in the lead up to Christmas to put their brands in the best position for a
strong finish to a tumultuous year.”
Joan Warner, CEO, Commercial Radio Australia, says the pandemic has
changed media consumption just as people have changed the way they shop. “Many have listened to their first podcast, or discovered listening to
radio on an app or connected device,” she says.
“The focus now is on preparing the industry for the recovery, by mak-
ing radio and audio advertising easier to buy through RadioMATRIX, developing new revenue opportunities such as our work in developing the podcasting sector and in voice tech, and continuing to work on meas- urement innovation with GfK.”
Where will we be spending?
Jeremy Bolt at Hearts & Science says rethinking the customer journey with a COVID overlay and exploiting any opportunities will be key for any brand.
For example, pre-COVID most people would have loved a long cruise. How about now?
And staff expectations have changed significantly, including flexibility.
“We need to adapt and ensure we’re meeting those expectations to ensure we’re still attracting an unfair share of talent to our businesses,” says Bolt. “The need for businesses to substantiate and justify expenditure will
continue to grow, forcing us to continue evolving and improving the way we sell, measure and prove ROI for our services.
“We’ve seen a decade’s worth of innovation in the ecommerce space in a matter of months, and we’ll see the importance of services and ana- lytics to better serve that space increase.”
Be kind
Stu Turner, ECD, The Royals: “As we all know, the pandemic has caused so much pain, human loss and economic devastation across the world, and so while I’m commenting on its effects on our industry, I do so with enormous amounts of perspective on what truly matters, deeply grateful to still have an industry to actually comment on.
“There’s something wonderfully disarming about discussing ideas when we’re all in our homes, surrounded by our everyday lives including kids (don’t get me started on homeschooling), barking dogs, pyjamas and track pants.
“Gone are the boardroom pressures to perform, on both sides, and it seems to a large extent that ego and pretence have been stripped away. “It’s been incredible to see the response from people everywhere in our industry so willing to help where they can – sharing job opportunities, tips for dealing with staff motivation, mental health initiatives and the list goes on. I hope this spirit remains long after this pandemic is over,
and if that means always wearing track pants, I’m in.”
   LEFT: Jeremy Bolt ABOVE: Paul Rees-Jones
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