Radio is the original social networking device. Once the key communications technology uniting the country, it has remained a foremost vehicle for marketing. And today's tech advances are opening its horizons even further for advertisers.

"Radio has to its credit millions of people who habitually come to it every single day," says radio analyst Mark Ramsey, President of hear2.0. "Its simplicity, and the fact that it's ubiquitous, easy, and part of everyone's daily habit are incredible advantages. It means you have permission to connect with these people on a daily basis." And like all media, radio today is being reinvented.

One early-stage company, FlyTunes, is a revealing market case study. Flytunes' free service delivers radio to devices like the iPhone, offering 650 channels of music, news, and sports. The company's revenue comes from targeted advertising, subscriptions, and pay-per-event sales. The service works with existing mobile devices over today's Wi-Fi or AT&T Edge cellular networks.

With this new technology, advertisers, marketers, and radio content providers can reach and connect with their audience in whole new ways. For instance, online radio services like Flytunes offer viral opportunities for listeners to email friends about a station or new campaign they want to share. And, because it plays inside buildings and can time-shift for on-demand playback, customers are definitely in control to stay.

The Po!nt: Radio is flying high, and it's time to hop onboard! Keep radio in your marketing media mix, because it will continue to evolve and flourish, following your audience wherever they go.

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