Listen to this articleBelow is our recent interview with Eric Leo Blais, Director at StatsRadio™:
Q: Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to StatsRadio™?
A: In 2014, StatsRadio™ co-founders Louis-Philippe Sutton and Benoit Pelletier, respectively a former Astral Radio sales guy/boutique agency owner and a marketing agency owner, recognized that without intervention, radio placements would continue to diminish in an advertiser’s media mix. Radio advertising dollars would increasingly be transferred to digital marketing budgets, despite what they understood to be radio’s strong impact on listeners.
In large markets, new hires in media agencies were promoting digital channels. These newcomers were more comfortable measuring advertising campaigns in impressions, had access to on-demand continuous measurement, and preferred to trade in cost-per-thousands (CPM). They came with an inherent bias against TV and radio, and with disdain—or no understanding—of audience measurement and rating calculations in traditional media.
With digital platforms rapidly becoming the media darlings, Sutton and Pelletier realized that radio needed tracking and reporting tools as effective as those provided on digital platforms in order to prove radio’s always-and-everywhere popularity (reach) and loyalty (time listened).
In partnership with Écho Sondage, a Québec Survey Company, whose client roster includes Air Canada, IBM, Heritage Canada, the National Bank of Canada and the University of Montreal, the founders designed StatsRadio™’s proprietary hybrid-measurement methodology and built a web-based analytics tool that provides continuous data in near real-time.
Today, StatsRadio™ has 80 client radio stations, a roster that grows monthly.
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Q: Why do you believe in the power of radio?
A: Radio is a powerful, local, mass medium. Recent surveys indicate that radio is still the preferred in-car entertainment medium. In many small markets, local radio is still the best way to get regional and home-town news. In the majority of markets, it has a wider reach than digital media and a more attentive audience.
When I ask young adults if they listen to the radio, they will often say “No,” at first. When I follow up with, “What do you listen to in the car,” they’ll say something like, “Spotify. But then I turn it to WXXX for traffic and news.” One twenty-something told me, “I never listened to the radio until I bought a car. Now I listen to it every day.”
Radio remains highly popular and makes a strong impact on its listeners. People listen to radio, even if they don’t brag about it; the medium needed an image makeover, which StatsRadio™ is providing through its innovative analytics.
Q: Tell us about your solution? How does it work?
A: Our research methodology sates programmers’ and advertisers’ need for accurate, on-time data. A baseline of digital-streaming data provides continuous input, all day and every day. We enrich that with the results of local market surveys conducted to determine the ratio between online listening and on-air air listening patterns. Applying that ratio to the streaming data daily results in timely, clear and nuanced analytics.
Some radio programmers have been attempting a similar approach. StatsRadio™ raises the bar with academic rigour to assure that programmers and advertisers base their planning on valid, reliable and near-real-time data.
Q: How can radio stations benefit from using StatsRadio™?
A: Our clients have seen great results using our proprietary data analysis. Radio programmers in small, medium and unmeasured markets now have access to continuous measurement, like their cousins in larger markets. For the first time ever, they can see the impact of their programming decisions the very next day!
Our clients’ sales teams now attract digital marketers by providing familiar measures: estimated impressions and reach. They also offer advertisers direct access to daily stats using our campaign reporting platform, Follo, on which the advertisers digitally track real-time performance (ad delivery, cumulative reach, listening hours, demographic breakdown and impression), just as they do with digital-advertising campaigns.
For radio stations who prefer to stream their content themselves, we include a proprietary plug-and-play Streaming Box with every StatsRadio™ subscription.
Recommended: Q: What is StatsRadio™’s plan for the future?
A: Our goal is to continue building tools to help radio succeed in a highly competitive media space. We are working to enrich demographic data beyond gender and age groups. We are continuing to hone our analytics and refine our reporting platforms to anticipate clients’ changing needs. And we keep working with third parties to improve and validate our research methodology.
Most importantly, we are continuing to share our proprietary methodology and tools in Canada and the United States. We plan to dispel the false idea that the value of radio is in decline and to advance our services for the benefit of all.
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