“A national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit”.

Those were the words President Biden used in his first State of the Union address to describe social media’s use of advertising as it pertained to kids - specifically, targeting them. Some people have called it “surveillance advertising” or “tracking advertising”. Whatever you want to call it, and whatever you think of President Biden, one thing is clear; there is a real pushback developing against companies monitoring us, real enough the government may well step in.

And while personal targeting is most harmful to children, it doesn’t not apply to us adults. After all, most of us have had some form of this conversation in the past few years:

“And there I was, just browsing reddit, and what do I see, an ad for a Ford Truck. I was talking about one earlier, but I definitely never searched for anything even related to a Ford truck.”

Whether it’s listening or watching, they’re definitely monitoring. And odds are it’s not gonna last.

Enter radio and more broadly, audio.

Demographics: The Best Way to Advertise in Boise

One of the key advantages of radio advertising is its ability to get the same exact valuable information social media companies can (or could), without the shady tracking or monitoring of specific users (listeners).

So how do stations get this valuable information?

Imagine there are three people, John, Jane and Janet. The two parties involved in getting the demographic information (age, gender, perhaps income and hobbies) are the radio stations themselves, along with Nielsen.

But if companies want to know what people are talking about - a la the truck ad - and radio doesn’t need to, how can it still be successful?

Demographic info is generally all a company needs. If your business specializes in construction rentals, would it be wise to market toward women? Of course you’d welcome them as customers, but odds are they won’t be the dominant customer presence.  Just like if you ran a skincare brand - men will doubtfully be your cash cow (with perhaps early February being the exception!)

The real demographic powerhouse is age. Age has a more defined correlation with income, purchasing habits and listening preferences. Radio stations know the ages tuning in, and it’s a goldmine for local advertising. 

Audio Marketing is the Future

The rebellion against nefarious targeted advertising means radio’s method will not only continue, but thrive. Additionally, it speaks to a larger trend  - people (think consumers) are listening in general, more than ever.

60% of Americans ages 18-34 are monthly podcast listeners. Headphone sales are exploding. And in an era where people are relocating en masse, radio does an excellent job at deepening their connection with their new community.

All the data and metrics aside, there’s just something special and sensory about a voice entering our ears, even if it’s digital (in fact, modern technology can make a voice not in person be even more compelling.). It grips us more, and savvy advertisers are able to capitalize. A voice in our ears is much more personal than any print or  television ad can be, and is likelier to yield a successful call to action.

It’s About Connecting With Your Audience

At its onset, the notion and underlying intent of targeted advertising was understandable. It’s not like tech companies and businesses had roundtable discussions that ended with “let’s get as many social security numbers as we can!” They wanted to forge a connection with a prospective customer, that’s it. Things just got carried away.

But such downturns won’t come for the savvy radio advertisers. The medium is king at creating top of mind awareness, within the people who most need to hear from you - your target customers. At Iliad Media Group, we have the top-rated stations in Boise, which means the most ears, which means the most potential sales coming right your way…

…if you choose to act. Do you want to make the most of ethical, effective targeted advertising in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country? Or let your competitors? Let’s talk.