Local TV Plus Radio Equals Advertising Reach

A new analysis done by Nielsen with CBS found that advertising campaigns combining local television and local radio doubled the campaign’s reach in certain markets.

In five markets, Nielsen found that advertisers could reach 84% to 93% of all adults by putting TV and radio together. One effective tactic involved mixing dayparts. For example buying primetime on TV and morning drive on radio reached 75% of adults 18 to 49 in Boston within four weeks.

“Industry-standard measurement is a first step toward showing large advertisers what local advertisers already know—there is a lot of value to combining local television and radio in a media buy,” said David F. Poltrack, chief research officer, CBS Corporation, which owns TV and radio stations in a number of major markets. “We will continue working with Nielsen to bring to the industry the rich analytics, reporting tools and planning software needed to prove these benefits to advertisers. The long-term plan is to include online as well. This proof of concept demonstrates the power of broadcasting to quickly and frequently reach mass audiences.”

The cross-media study was done using data from October 2013 in five CBS market. Nielsen fused the data from its audio portable people meters with its local people meter TV data.

“The consumer is in the driver’s seat and engages with media and marketing messages in an increasingly dynamic way,” said Lynda Clarizio, president of U.S. media at Nielsen. “Developing representative and industry-standard models of cross-media measurement allows the industry to have confidence in their planning decisions and empowers a healthy marketplace.”

The companies plan to present results of the study at the National Association of Broadcasters show Tuesday.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.