According to the results of an RAB study on radio liquor ads, 62% of respondents are accepting hard liquor advertising, and of those that are accepting, about half are actively pursuing the category. More than 80% want to increase their revenue from the category, yet a small percentage (14%) currently have more than four hard liquor bands on the air.
Of those respondents who plan to boost their efforts in this area, 93% stated that they would increase their on-air advertising; 90% selected event sponsorship; Internet sponsorships gathered 47%; and 17% would offer other marketing opportunities.
What's more, 60% of the respondents have been accepting revenue from this category for over a year. The survey also shows a recent rise in the percentage of stations accepting these ads. 26% stated that they have been exploring this category for 1 to 6 months while 14% indicated that they have been working this area for 7 to 12 months.
Finally, the survey turned back to those stations that do not accept hard liquor advertising to find out why. The number one answer, at 51%, was that the ban was due to a company policy. In a far second place at 26%, was that these types of ads would upset their loyal listeners. The tie for third place, at 24% each, was that the station did know how to get started in this category, or, surprisingly, that they thought that advertising of hard alcohol was illegal. The lowest response at 23% was that this was not a good match for their format.
"Liquor advertising is a growing potential category for the Radio industry, possibly representing as much as $100 million a year," according to Gary Fries, President and Chief Executive Officer of RAB.
The survey disseminates any misinformation, reveals what the radio industry thinks about this topic and indicates what stations are actually doing. The RAB does not support any specific position on the issue.
To view the survey, go to: "http://www.rab.com/liquor_survey.html"