Pandora Archives - Media Partners Worldwide

Pandora Marketing Tips

Media Partners Worldwide — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 15:00:05 +0000

As the online and mobile market grows, so do avenues for advertising. Pandora, a music streaming service, offers a number of features to keep listeners happy and connected to their service.

However, as advertisers and marketers, you can use these features to effectively target your audience.

Pandora Features

Pandora plays music for users based on his or her preferences in musical artists. For example, if the user likes Led Zeppelin, they create a “Led Zeppelin” playlist and then Pandora will conclude that the listener wants to listen to classic rock. It will then take this information and play similar artists from that genre. The idea is that the listener will get a variety of music at their fingertips based on their favorite genres and artists.

The playlist is further enhanced by a feature that allows the user to provide positive or negative feedback about each song that the service selects. The system’s algorithm will take that feedback into account when selecting future songs.

These features allow Pandora to fine tune each user’s playlist in an attempt to become the “perfect” radio station.

With 81 million active listeners and almost 5 million subscribers, Pandora is an excellent option in delivering ads to a very specific, highly targeted market.

Types of Ads

Pandora is not limited to audio ads as you can run banner and video ads as well. The software can actually determine when the user is interacting with the screen. “This isn’t a difficult feat of engineering in and of itself, but the fact that the company leaders thought it important to determine when users are looking at the screen is a testament to Pandora’s efforts to monetize every aspect of its service.”

Audio

Audio ads expose listeners to your brand. If the user is listening to Pandora’s free service, then he or she can not skip these ads, giving you the opportunity to expose your brand to millions of listeners. And because ads are not allowed to run more than four minutes per hour, listeners will find them less invasive than regular radio.

Banners

Banner ads can help you engage your target market. Since listener are required to input their age, gender and zip code upon signing up for the service, marketers can have access to this information, making it easier to engage the types of listeners that will be interested in their brand. With banners, you have the advantage of creative interesting promotions, offer coupons and other relevant incentives to get potential customers to interact with your website or call center.

Video

There is still an opportunity for video ads as people look at their phones from time to time when Pandora is playing. However, it is advised to keep these ads brief, around 15 seconds. If you choose this options, make these ads entertaining and fresh to keep listeners engaged.

Other Facts

Ignite Visibility suggests creating a landing page so that you can track your traffic and click-throughs from the ads. “That way, you’ll know how many people are responding to your Pandora ads and how many of them are becoming paying customers. Use standard Google Analytics URL tagging on that page make sure you associate it with a Pandora campaign.”

Also, ” you need to make sure that you have a solution that tracks and attributes installs to the right partner. Tracking and attribution are complicated, but a deep understanding of how to get it right is crucial for your success,” according to Pandora for Brands.

Advertising on Pandora is affordable for both large and small companies. It costs less than buying a spot with a local radio station. There are approximately seven display ads per hour and two and a half audio ads per hour.

As you can seem between millions of subscribers and its targeting and ad capabilities, Pandora is a great option for your brand.

For more information, or how to get your brand set up with Pandora marketing, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us here at Media Partners Worldwide! Send us an email or give us a call! (562) 439-3900

We would love to help your business grow.

The post Pandora Marketing Tips appeared first on Media Partners Worldwide.

5 Tips for Advertising on Local Radio

Media Partners Worldwide — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 20:19:11 +0000

However, there are still millions of people out there who find this free resource invaluable. Don’t overlook these consumers, as radio is affordable and working for many agencies. Here is a little cheat sheet on how to successfully advertise your business or product via radio.

Find High Frequency Ads

Running your commercial only once or twice a week isn’t enough. In order for listeners to really absorb your information, you need to run your ad multiple times a day on a local station. A commercial will have a better change at resonating with potential customers this way. Just be aware of the “nag” factor, as playing your commercial too much can possibly create a distance with customers. 2. Production is Crucial Radio gives you the chance to be extra creative on a small budget as you are depending on the listeners imagination. Since production is simpler, all you need is good voice talent, music, an original, innovative script and sound effects. However, since your commercial isn’t relying on visuals, it is imperative to capture your audience with these tools, right away. Keep your copy clear and concise. And find good voice talent, with a strong radio presence. An experienced ad agency has access to good talent for less and can write and produce your spot so that it has the best chance of succeeding. 3. Know Your Target Audience You need to know that your target audience is listening to your commercial. The best way to do this is to find radio stations in your market. Some simple investigation can help you figure out what kind of listeners are tuning in to these stations and if they could be potential customers for your service or product. 4. Timing is Everything Radio ad rates are divided into four quarters, for the year. Generally speaking, ad rates are less expensive in the first and third quarters. Running your commercials during these time frames can be cheaper to advertise and potentially easier to negotiate rates with the station. By keeping in mind quarters or the time of year you are advertising in, you have the potential to be more creative with your approach. For example, by connecting your product with the time of year, or say, a holiday, you can establish a closer connection to your audience. 5. Find the Best Rates Obviously, you want to get the most bang for your buck. Even though ad rates are always rising, there are bundle deals and remnant ad agencies that can help you stretch your dollar. Sometimes, the more ads you buy, the better. Keep an open mind as well. In the new age of media, it is important not to forget about ad-supported free versions of apps like Pandora and Spotify, as they do run local advertisements. Since these apps have access to your registration information, like zip code, gender and birth year, they are able to provide relevant advertisements to each listener. I hope you found these tips helpful! For more information, you can contact Media Partners directly at (800) 579-3031.]]>

The post 5 Tips for Advertising on Local Radio appeared first on Media Partners Worldwide.

Writing Radio Ads that Work

Media Partners Worldwide — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 18:32:31 +0000

Because the power of radio relies so heavily on the quality of the copy, it is in your best interest to find a writer who recognizes this medium and understands how to target your specific audience. Here are some tips for writing ads that will work and generate sales. 1. When Hiring a Writer The best writers are those with broadcast experience. Radio relies on skill and salesmanship so you need someone who has an understanding of direct response marketing. You also need to be willing to spend some money, as good writers aren’t cheap. When hiring a writer, remember to let them write. Good writers will listen to you, but they will also do what is necessary to create the best ad to sell your product. Don’t get in their way and take over the project. Let them do what you hired them for. 2. Timing Most radio spots are broken up into 30 second or 60 second segments. 60 seconds gives you twice the amount of time to get listeners attention. 30 seconds are usually good for well known products or a simply offer. We typically advocate for a 60 second commercial, as you need to mention the phone number or call to action, such as go to your website, at least three times. A 30 second advertisement is usually too short to include everything you need. 3. Call Now! Since the main focus of direct response advertisement is to make the phone ring with inquiries, everything in the spot should prompt the listener to pick up the phone and call. Offer free consultations, free information or limited time offers to instill a sense of urgency in the customer. You want them to ACT NOW. 4. Selling Comes First When you only have 60 seconds to work with, every single second counts. Get the listeners attention, make an offer and generate a response. That is your objective. A good way to test if your ad is concise enough, remove the product from the copy. If you still have a complete concept, then your ad isn’t selling. The product, website, offer, phone number or selling idea should make up the entire spot. 5. Know Your Audience This is key in any form of advertising. With radio, you have two options: Talk Radio and Music Radio. With Talk Radio, your audience is ready to listen. Catching the listeners attention or blending into the surrounding talk are two ways to infiltrate talk radio. You want to encourage further listening. With music radio, your ad will be an interruption. Your spot must peak the listeners interest before they can change the station. 6. Choose a Creative Format There isn’t a set way to write a radio ad, however, here are a few creative formats that have been proven to work and get your listeners calling. Straight Announcer- With a clear, straightforward copy and a strong, direct voice, nothing could be simpler for your ad. The announcer should speak as if addressing one single person. Asking questions such as “Have you ever…?” or “Wouldn’t you like…?” helps create a personal connection with the listener and makes the ad feel less like a lecture. With the right voice, this effortless approach can pull listeners in quickly. Dialog – A typical example of this type of format, involves two people conversing with one another. One person is excited about a product or service and wants to share this information with the other person, who knows nothing about it. That person asks questions, while the other relays the information, thus divulging your product or services main information. If you have voices that match your demographic, speaking in a believable way, then this ad will come across as a testimony or referral, which is great for business. Person on the Street– Asking real people what they think of your product is a great attention grabber. Get the person you are talking to on the street to describe how the product worked in their own words, or how it benefited them. Ask if they would recommended this product to others. Listeners will hear real people giving their true opinions and this will act as a testimony to your product. You can take this one step further by having the person on the street address the audience directly. Add in a celebrity endorsement or an experts opinion works great as well. Vignette– This creative format, starts off with a short life scene exhibiting a problem. Then it cuts to the announcer who will describe your product as the solution. Time permitting, the life scene will continue, this time to show how your product has made their life easier. Make sure to return to the announcer to end the spot with a call to action and your 800 number. 7. Establish name identification early and often Give the name of your company, service or product early in the spot. Since you only have 60 seconds, you want to establish everything your listener needs to know about your business as quickly and efficiently as possible. Repeat this information at least three times throughout the ad. 8. Use a memorable or relevant 800 number Most radio isn’t interactive, like podcasts and apps like Pandora where you can click to call or purchase right from your phone. Most listeners are in the car or at work when they hear your ad. Therefore, they need to be able to remember your phone number if a phone isn’t within their reach. A special 800 number relevant to your product, is very helpful. 9. Call to Action Answer the question that listeners might have: “What do you want me to do right now?” Of course, you want them to call! Don’t be subtle about it either. For example, the announcer could say, “For a free brochure on how to get rid of extra weight fast, call 1-800-LOSE-FAT.” 10. Limited Time Offers People respond well to limited time offers. It provokes a sense of urgency and urges a call to action. People don’t like to miss out on good deals. Establishing a deadline forces an immediate response. I hope you found these tips for writing radio advertisements helpful! For more information, call us at 800-579-3031.]]>

The post Writing Radio Ads that Work appeared first on Media Partners Worldwide.

Infinite Dial Learnings

Media Partners Worldwide — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 19:00:14 +0000

By David Alpern Earlier this year we posted about the Infinite Dial study about audio consumption, with the conclusion that streaming is going wide, YouTube is mainstream, and podcasting is growing. Below is an article by Brad Hill, published earlier this year, that details the study. The 2015 edition of The Infinite Dial was unveiled in March 2015 by survey producers Edison Research and Triton Digital. In its 23rd edition, The Infinite Dial is one of the most significant and respected research projects in the streaming audio industry. A major headline came when John Rosso of Triton said that 53% of American adults listen to online radio at least monthly — an estimated 143-million individuals. (“One of the most significant findings of this year’s study,” said Rosso.) Holding to demographic tendencies of previous Infinite Dial editions, uptake of streaming radio is weighted to youth. The 12-24 demographic shows 77% listening to online radio each month. Weekly online radio listening continues its upward march in the 2015 results — 44% of Americans listen at least weekly. That is an estimated 119-million people. In the 2000 survey, two percent of Americans made the same claim. (There has not been a year-over-year decrease during that span.) Weekly listening also skews young, with 69% of the 12-24 group listening weekly. How about time spent? Edison found that the average weekly time spent listening to online radio was 12 hours and 53 minutes — a slight drop from last year (13:19). but with a large year-over-year jump in audience size (from 36% of Americans to 44%), the overall time spent with online radio is much higher. Where does the listening happen? Mobile dominates, and is growing — 73% use smartphones, increased from 66% last year. Computers are still in frequent use, but declining from 64% in 2014 to 61% this year. The presentation provided deep dives into several research topics:

Brands:Pandora is the best-known brand in the Internet audio business, followed by YouTube. Pandora, iTunes Radio, and Spotify all enjoyed substantial listening growth from last year’s survey. YouTube is used for music by 63% of the total population, and 90% of the 12-24 cohort.
Discovery:The Infinite Dial tracks music-discovery methods. The top resource in this year’s data is the Friends/Family response (70%), followed closely by AM/FM Radio (69%). YouTube is next at 61%.
Podcasting:The podcasting segment of today’s presentation showed overall listening at 33% of the population, or approximately 89-million people. Podcast listeners are characterized by the data as voracious, listening to an average six shows per week, and 15% listening to 11 or more shows each week. Interestingly, the podcast audience skews affluent (52% of listeners are in $100k+ households), a data point that all ad-repping networks will probably include in their sales decks.
Smartphone ownership:Jason Calacanis told last year’s RAIN Summit West audience: “Mobile is the only thing that matters.” Edison tells us that 71% of 12+ Americans own a smartphone.
Cars listening:In the car, as other studies have shown, AM/FM is the most-used audio source (81%). CD players and MP3 players fare well in this survey, and online radio comes in at 21% — higher than the 17% listenership to satellite radio. In-car online radio listening is the fastest-growing audio source by far, leaping 50% between last year’s survey and this one (from 14% to 21%).

Key takeaways provided by Edison and Triton:

Online audio is now a fully mainstream activity for people under 55.
AM/FM Radio continues to dominate in-car, but is losing its music discovery leadership.
Pandora remains the dominant online audio brand, though Spotify has grown, especially on the young end.
YouTube as a music channel is as mainstream as all of online audio put together.
Online radio in the car is growing—more than doubled in two years.
The Smartphone continues to drive online audio, and most users don’t care about data consumption.
Podcasting is increasingly mainstream, and carving out a segment of highly attractive advertising targets.

The Infinite Dial survey was in the field in January and February, questioning a sample of 2,002 people on landline and cell phones.]]>

The post Infinite Dial Learnings appeared first on Media Partners Worldwide.

The Compelling Case for Radio vs. Streaming

Media Partners Worldwide — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 23:32:56 +0000

Peter W. Burton, VP/GM, Bonneville International, Los Angeles, in December 2014 wrote about radio’s competitive position vis-à-vis online streaming services, stating that the choice of radio over streaming could not be clearer with an insightful depiction of broadcast radio’s enduring strength as the primary audio medium:

I am sending this to those that I know in the buying community to be thoughtful, intelligent and considerate about where your money is placed. As we approach 2015, I realize you might be encouraged to replace a radio station or two for a pure play radio product. For various reasons, I would simply ask you to consider the following information. As an industry, broadcast radio is losing millions of dollars to pure play radio and I would be remiss if I didn’t defend our position. We have studied, watched and tested the pure play model as an ad vehicle extensively. It is our well thought out fact based opinion that pure play radio is not an appropriate replacement for a broadcast radio station, as the two are very different products.

The pure play (mainly Pandora) registration process is a non-social login which doesn’t allow for verification of the actual user. Accuracy is not checked or audited in this area. So, verification of age, gender and location is inaccurate. Any claims of accuracy in this area should be questioned. From an overall audience standpoint, Pandora has gone as far as admitting in their annual report that there is duplication in their monthly user numbers. So, they have no idea how many total different listeners they have. Because of this, a cume number is impossible to come by with any accuracy. This would result in an impossible comparison between radio and the pure play streaming products from a total user standpoint.

Pure plays (specifically Pandora) do not prompt on cell phones which is 80% of their listener base. So, unlike the PPM, they have no idea whether their users are hearing the ads or not. It also makes it impossible to come up with an accurate TSL figure. So, the two figures of cume and TSL used casino online in calculating AQH are derived in a completely different way. This makes the Triton numbers impossible to compare to that of Nielsen radio ratings as the two methodologies are completely different. Any accurate comparison between different mediums must utilize the same methodology to ensure accuracy. Additionally, audience metrics derived by streaming to an IP address is NOT the same as audience metrics that are generated by the Nielsen PPM device. In order for a broadcast radio station to be credited for listening, the device/person must be within actual hearing distance of the radio station signal. This is not the case with current streaming measurement. Pure plays are credited with audience even though the IP address continues to receive the stream while the listener is no longer present in the room.

These two products are not only different but they should be considered different industries and never replaceable by the other. Evaluating and allowing pure play radio to aggregate all of its individual streams in a specific demographic is analogous to evaluating broadcaster’s aggregation of all its stations within a given market. At a minimum, they (specifically Pandora who has paid Triton Media to rate them) should break down its audience into the 25 major formats to get a truly accurate view of its relative strength in relation to broadcast stations. Radio delivers a message simultaneously to hundreds of thousands/millions of people verses the audio pure plays delivering them one-to-one with no capability of generating simultaneous exposure and reach.

In Southern California, 94% of the population is reached by radio. This is a larger figure than Cable, Broadcast TV, and print and certainly pure play radio (by a wide margin). Unlike pure plays, broadcast stations provide format purity enabling advertisers to match their messaging with the mindset of the listeners at the time of exposure. What’s going on inside the listeners mind is the most important environment of all. Please understand that we believe that pure play radio products like Pandora and Spotify are good consumer products, but not suitable advertising vehicles. They are especially not suitable when considering the replacement of a radio station as they simply deliver something at a totally different level in a different way. They (specifically Pandora) have had to morph themselves into an ad vehicle in order to survive financially, so accurate measurement of listenership was a necessary afterthought.

Peter concluded by saying he appreciates your consideration on all these points and welcomes a conversation on 323-692-5401 if you have thoughts, concerns or questions.

]]>

The post The Compelling Case for Radio vs. Streaming appeared first on Media Partners Worldwide.