Let's Get Engaged

It's time...

The more fragmented media -- old and new -- becomes, the more important engagement with your listener/viewer becomes.

It makes sense.

One of the worries about PPM measurement is that it captures audio signals that don't necessarily prove active listening -- engagement.

Competitors have always pointed out that the huge numbers Soft AC stations command between 8a and 5p reflect "passive listening" that advertisers' messages aren't really heard because the station is so "background."

Check it out...

"In 2006, NBC struck a deal with Toyota Motor under which the network had to prove viewers paid attention to, and could remember details about, a TV show. If the shows didn't meet a previously agreed upon level of 'engagement,' Toyota would receive extra ad time, also known as a 'make good' or have ads placed against shows that spurred higher levels of attention." (Advertising Age, May 10, 2010)

Okay, so there's accountability online, where you can easily measure click-throughs, and now in television, with engagement measurement.

How far behind can radio be and what are you planning -- proactively -- to prove your clients' ads are heard and remembered?

Doesn't it seem that well-known personalities and content that listeners actually want to hear would be a part of your plans, despite what you think PPM is proving to you about your high-priced morning show?

Make sure you're moving where the audience ... and the dollars ... are really going.

That is clearly towards more engagement, not less.