by Scott Howard | Jul 26, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
Another great article from Mediapost about the value of the Baby Boomer generation. The biggest demographic of listeners to my radio station, News/Talk 1190 WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana are the Baby Boomers.
Here’s some more information to help you understand WOWO Radio’s Baby Boomer Listeners:
…The fact is, adults aged 55 to 64 outspend the average consumer in nearly every category, every year, per the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey, despite the fact that marketers obsess over the younger, Millennial segment. According to a 2015 survey by the AARP’s Influent50 in conjunction with ORC International, 40% of boomers agreed that companies aren’t adequately addressing what’s important to people their age…
Here’s additional highlights that apply to WOWO Radio listeners:
Boomers Value Comfortable Living
Today’s aging population aren’t leaving their lifelong homes for retirement communities; they’re leaving them for nicer homes. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate found that 57% of homeowners aged 49 to 67 planned to move out of their current home. Seventy percent of that group want their new home to be the best in which they have ever lived. They’re looking for new construction, amenities and communities in which they can pursue active lifestyles.
Boomers Prioritize Retaining their Youth
(Boomers) came of age with consumerism, and perhaps more than other age groups, have come to measure self-worth according to external factors. Much of the demographic’s … spending is on products that will help them maintain their youth and energy.
Cosmetics, exercise equipment, vitamins and diet soda are all products in high demand by boomers. Still, when you think of how those products are marketed, the boomer target doesn’t immediately come to mind. For products that do consider boomers in their marketing plans, many do so based on inaccurate stereotypes — a mistake that can backfire, driving customers away from your product to one that doesn’t seem to condescend.
While Nielsen has referred to boomers as “The Most Valuable Generation for Marketers,” holding 70% of the disposable income in the U.S., only 10% of marketing dollars are devoted to reaching the segment.
What we have found at WOWO Radio that if we invite our Baby Boomer listeners to do business with local businesses that have what Boomers want, everyone wins. As a member of this generation, I know that my wife and I are spending money on 8 (soon to be 9) grandkids, doing home improvements on the house we bought 2 years ago, buying cars, electronics, dining out, vacationing regularly, taking up new hobbies and enjoying life.
Want to invite some Baby Boomers to spend their money with your business? Talk to me.
by Scott Howard | Jul 22, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
All of us are biased in our thoughts, opinions and actions. The word bias is not a polite way of saying prejudiced. I’m using it to share with you my professional biases relating to advertising.
As an advertising and marketing professional I have preferences of certain media and marketing platforms. Anyone and everyone who sells stuff is biased but some won’t admit it.
from http://bit.ly/29MOua4
I used to offer an unbiased opinion, but that’s word-play. Any opinion is based on someones bias, right?
Instead I offer an objective opinion based on my bias.
What is my bias?
It leans toward the marketing solutions I sell, advertising on and with WOWO Radio and some of the Digital Solutions I offer too.
This is important:
I had these biases before I worked for this company, because I had personal experience with them. I also decided to work for this company because of my biases.
I’ve been in radio since I was 16 and I saw the power of radio personalities when I was one myself for 10 years.
When I was 26 a couple of things happened:
- I was bored with music radio and started listening to news and talk shows when I was working in Detroit. I’ve been a news/talk radio listener ever since.
- I also started learning the dynamics of human relationship oriented advertising and how easy it was for businesses to be successful on the radio if these principles are followed.
Fast forward 20 years and I was discovering the dynamics of the web as a two-way communication tool with social media. I was advising my radio clients the benefits of content marketing and sharing my own personal success stories.
Now I have success stories to both traditional media with news/talk 1190 WOWO radio and using some of the Federated Media Digital Solutions my company offers. It’s due to both my personal habits and professional successes working with advertising partners that I am biased. I believe in what I offer because I know it works.
Here’s how I also offer an objective opinion. I study and learn about the other options you have to advertise and market your services and products. I spent several years on the Board of Directors for the American Advertising Federation and more recently I have cultivated relationships with others that sell other advertising media to be able to make recommendations beyond what I can offer.
Here’s a homework assignment for you the next time someone wants to sell you something…
Ask them why they are biased towards the product/service they want you to buy. Do they have a good reason for that bias or is it just a paycheck?
by Scott Howard | Jul 18, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
A friend mentioned to me the old saying that “1/2 my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.”
On one hand I agreed, but the reality is that there are varying degrees of good and bad spending, nearly nothing is clear cut black and white when it comes to the benefits and return on investment.
You need to prioritize your advertising to invest in what will get you the best return on investment.
Easier said then done said my friend.
Not so fast, I responded. There are ways to make smart choices and it all depends on you.
But you may need some help, and that’s why I’m here.
The friend I was having this conversation with last week is an expert in his field. He has the book knowledge, the hands-on experience and I would trust him for his services.
I would not trust him to make good, solid advertising decisions. That’s not his area of expertise.
Likewise, I shouldn’t be trusted to do his work, I have an observational knowledge and have done research on what he does, but I’m no expert in what he does.
Instead, my expertise is in the advertising and marketing world. I can and will help him generate new customers and clients who are looking for someone with his expertise.
The reason why that old saying about 1/2 your advertising being wasted is due to the inability of those trying to figure it out not having the expertise to know the differences.
You wouldn’t want your auto mechanic to remove your appendix just because he is handy with tools right?
Want some expert guidance on advertising and marketing? That’s why I’m here. Let’s talk.
by Scott Howard | Jul 7, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
At WOWO Radio, I sell advertising. Wait, I really help businesses solve their Key Marketing Challenges.
Sometimes that includes ads on WOWO, sometimes that includes using our Federated Digital Solutions and sometime it’s both.
I’m about to show you data from Google Analytics from 3 of my advertising partners.
This business started with embedded live news sponsorship ads, 10 seconds long on WOWO in 2015. In March 2016 we added Custom Audience Targeting and a SEM/PPC campaign from Federated Digital Solutions.
The first source is people directly typing in the business URL, which we have been saying on WOWO 15 times a week for nearly 60 weeks. Number two on the list are the C.A.T. Display ads from Federated Digital Solutions. #4 and #5 are the SEM/PPC digital ads we are doing. (7, 9 & 10 are spam.)
Let’s look at another local business.
This business started on WOWO Radio with Live Endorsement ads in 2015 that include both their phone number and web address. They are an established name with over 60 years in business. In February 2016 we added Custom Audience Targeting and on June 4th took over their SEM/PPC campaign.
Again the results from our Federated Digital Solution campaigns are amazing. #1 on the list is the C.A.T Digital Display ads. #5 is the results from 3 weeks of our managing their SEM/PPC compared to #6 which are the results from 5 months of SEM managed by their old vendor.
One more to share today…
This is a local manufacturing company that sells wholesale. Their very specialized market is worldwide. We are only using a Custom Audience Targeting Digital Display Ad campaign that covers the entire U.S.A. No WOWO radio ads.
This is the results after 6 weeks. Once again Custom Audience Targeting Display Ads, (#1 on the list) is driving traffic to their website which was our goal. We’ve looked at the details of who the people are that are seeing and clicking on their display ads and we are on track to help them make a lot of money.
Questions? Ask me.
by Scott Howard | Jul 6, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Media, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
Around the radio station we talk about offering a “CAT” advertising solution as one of the methods to help our advertising partners.
But most of you are clueless if I were to ask you, “Do You Know What C.A.T. Is?”
That’s alright because I’m going to take a couple days to explain.
First off C.A.T. is a made-up word. 
But that’s okay, because it’s an acronym for something pretty spectacular that is offered exclusively by Federated Media, the parent company of my radio station WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We have a digital division called Federated Digital Solutions, and C.A.T. is one of the solutions.
C.A.T. stands for Custom Audience Targeting. Here’s why those three words were selected.
Imagine if you could targeting your advertising so only specially qualified individuals saw or heard your ad?
If this was possible while watching T.V. that means the ads that you see while watching your favorite show would be different than the ads I see, while watching the same show at the exact same time!
Say you are into Country Music, and I’m more of a Classic Rock fan, you’d see ads for the upcoming country concert coming to town and I’d see some old rockers concert commercial.
So far, that’s not possible. It’s not possible with television, radio, print ads, billboards either.
But it is possible with the power of digital display ads. These are the ads that seem to follow you around after you’ve been to a website and ads for that website appear when you’re off looking up something else online.
What I just described is called Retargeting and it works by the website you visited placing a pixel or cookie on your web browser. Retargeting is the oldest form of this digital display ad technology.
When I combine it with three other methods of finding the right target for your ads, it can be pretty powerful.
Those three other methods include Search Retargeting, Contextual Retargeting and GeoFencing. Together, these 4 methods of finding the right audience for your digital display ads combined with other qualifying data helps us to create a Custom Audience Target.
Curious about how this works? Contact me and I’ll show you.
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
TuneIn
Deezer
CastBox