MEDIA advertising planners observe that at its worst, the advertising spend for radio stays constant. “Radio adspend is strong today and has not declined but remained steady at its worst. We live in a tight economic era today and nobody is willing to waste even RM1. Radio provides clients with an affordable medium and it is good value for money,” says Andreas Vogiatzakis, CEO of Havas Media Group Malaysia.
“We do witness radio stations coming in and out but that, to me, doesn’t demonstrate the inability of the medium to connect and be successful … but rather demonstrates the inability of operators to provide value to the audience and connect with them,” he adds.
Citing Business FM (BFM) as an example, Vogiatzakis says everyone was very sceptical when the station first started but over time, it has managed to bring about a paradigm shift to create a new perception and affinity for radio.
“If you look at the trajectory of BFM, when it started eight years ago, advertisers were all sceptical, but today, it is a popular choice with clients. Of course, a campaign also depends on the target audience and the message the client wants to put out,” he says.
Meanwhile, IPG Mediabrands CEO for Malaysia Bala Pomaleh observes that media consumption trends over the last 10 years have changed for some media and remained constant for others.
