Commercial Radio Australia urges advertisers to take a fresh look at regional radio in 2017
National advertisers are being urged to take a fresh look at regional radio in 2017 as the industry prepares to undertake more than 30 regional radio surveys across Australia this year and rolls out software to provide ad agencies with free access to the data.
Commercial Radio Australia chief executive officer Joan Warner said the initiatives would give media agencies easy access to up-to-date and compelling data on radio audiences across regional Australia.
Says Warner: “Radio is one of the most trusted and effective ways to reach consumers in regional Australia and now that new data is available, we’re asking advertisers to take a fresh look at what radio can deliver in terms of reach and return on investment.”
The Frequency online data analytics program is being rolled out from this week to media agencies and radio networks across Australia by Walk Creative, with the support of Southern Cross Austereo.
The program includes data on the 35 key regional markets already surveyed, covering a population of 4.3 million, and allows detailed analysis so that advertisers can better plan and target their campaigns. New data will be automatically added as more surveys are carried out.
Frequency data shows for example “that 77% of 18-24 year-olds in the regional NSW markets surveyed listen to commercial radio during breakfast, while 60% of females aged 10+ in the regional Queensland markets listen during the drive shift.”
Warner said more than 30 regional radio surveys would be conducted in 2017, with markets to be surveyed for the first time including Ballarat in Victoria, Mt Isa in Queensland and Mandurah in Western Australia. Larger centres such as Cairns, Darwin, Wollongong, Launceston and Sunshine Coast are also scheduled to be surveyed again.
Surveys in planning for first quarter of 2017 release are:
• Narrogin, Northam, Katanning and Merridin in the Wheatbelt region (WA)
• Mandurah (WA)
• Esperance (WA).
The research will be conducted by Xtra Insights, the industry’s official provider of regional radio surveys.
Regional radio attracted 2.4% of all advertising expenditure in the 12 months ended June 2016, according to CEASA (the Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia).
Click here to view a video of CRA board members Grant Cameron (director of Grant Broadcasters) and Grant Blackley (CEO of Southern Cross Austereo) commenting on the impact of the regional surveys and what’s coming up for regional radio in 2017.
The Frequency program currently contains survey data on the following markets:
• Albany
• Albury
• Bendigo
• Bunbury
• Bundaberg
• Cairns
• Coffs Harbour
• Colac
• Darwin
• Dubbo
• Geelong
• Gosford
• Griffith
• Hamilton
• Hobart
• Horsham
• Kalgoorlie
• Launceston
• Mackay
• Maryborough
• Mildura
• Mt Gambier
• Orange
• Port Macquarie
• Rockhampton Gladstone
• Sale
• Shepparton
• Sunshine Coast
• Swan Hill
• Toowoomba
• Townsville
• Wagga Wagga
• Warragul
• Warrnambool
• Wollongong