Are Spots In Right-Wing Talk Shows Not Effective?

[davideduardo]

Gee, I got it out of the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch (you know, Mr. Fair and Balanced himself). If you'd read the article, you'd know that. But reading is a strain for wing-nuts, which is why Rush has a career and the money to support his drug habit and his appetite for steaks.

You provided a link to a story, not a link to the actual data. Of course, there was no description of methodology and I am left with the concern that the reporter made their own conclusions from the data.

Again, the example of California Pizza Kitchen comes up: while people are not registered as "liberal" and "conservative" the percentage of registered Democrats and Republicans in the areas of California where the chain operates quite precisely mirrors the percentage of "liberal" and "conservative" consumers listed in the table.

The more logical conclusion is that restaurant user mirror to the greater extent the population residing in the immediate area. A chain with more stores in conservative areas will have, thus, more conservative consumers.

Remember that Experian mines the same "highly accurate" (deep sarcasm intented) data they use to produce credit reports to extract this "survey data".

 

[davideduardo]

What's questionable about all this is the idea of true progressives dining in and hanging out at red meat, expense account joint like Ruth's Chris.

If you go to the Ruth's Chris on Beverly Drive in the LA area, the chances of seeing a "country club Republican" are pretty low. The demographics of Beverly Hills, Bel Air and the surrounding areas indicates a large concentration of Democrats, centering on The Business folks who tend to ostracize anyone with a conservative viewpoint. So guess who patronizes Ruth's Chris in Beverly Hills?

Again, the patrons of a restaurant will likely mirror the population in its vicinity.

 

[TheBigA]

But the real issue, if one takes the subject line as an indicator, is whether or not spots in talk shows are effective. And I see not real data connecting advertising with dining, other than the one example in the OP.

 

[FredLeonard]

Chicken and egg. As the earlier WSJ article cited in this story stated, restaurants and retail establishments pick locations for their demographics, and people of any given demographic pick neighborhoods because of what's located there.

Like you can tell what kind of people listen to talk radio (or any other format) by the spots that are being run. And ad buys are made to reach a particular kind of consumer.

Nielsen, in its effort to become the evil empire of syndicated research, now owns Prizm, a pioneer in "geo-demographics." Their cluster analysis shows people tend to cluster by political preference (as much as any other variable).

Social class is probably a better predictor of many consumer choices than anything. Too bad the US tries to pretend it doesn't exist in this country (as the media obsess about race, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference...).

 

[TheBigA]

Like you can tell what kind of people listen to talk radio (or any other format) by the spots that are being run. And ad buys are made to reach a particular kind of consumer.

OK...how many of the food establishments listed in the study advertise in talk radio? I'd guess not many, since a lot of them are agency buys that have a "do not air" for talk.

 

[davideduardo]

Chicken and egg. As the earlier WSJ article cited in this story stated, restaurants and retail establishments pick locations for their demographics, and people of any given demographic pick neighborhoods because of what's located there.

I've looked at quite a few franchise specifications in helping some friends decide on investment opportunities. They ranged from "popular priced" (Subway to burger chains) to upscale (franchised "over $25 main courses" restaurants). None specified political affiliation characteristics of the area. They were all specific about traffic flow, mix of single family and apartment dwelling, median home value, population density and such.

The Ruth's Chris that is down a few blocks from the Capitol in Austin will have a different political orientation crowd than the diners in Beverly Hills. But what they will have in common is a location convenient to hotels, convention facilities and business offices as well as upscale neighborhoods.

As far as I know, there are no plans to abandon green printed currency for red and blue versions of each denomination.

 

[Small Market Guy]

I guess bringing up the point that advertisers sometimes want to grow their business and market to people who don't already use their product would be lost on Fred.

 

[davideduardo]

I guess bringing up the point that advertisers sometimes want to grow their business and market to people who don't already use their product would be lost on Fred.

You bring up an "objection" that stations face from potential clients with some frequency.

My anecdote: On a four-legged call at a car dealer in a few decades ago, the manager took me and the new seller to the service department, and said, "Look at all the radios in here. None are tuned to your station!"

Of course, the answer is "... and that is because you are not on our station inviting our listeners in to do business with you." We got a buy.

Your point is "right on". If you market only to one group, you will mostly get customers from that group.

 

[Small Market Guy]

Your point is "right on". If you market only to one group, you will mostly get customers from that group.

But that would ruin yet another conservative talk bashing thread! OH THE HUMANITY!

 

[Avid Listener]

No one has mentioned this yet, but I think it's also important. While there are many products that both liberals and conservatives use and enjoy, the advertising approaches in the content of the ads that would best reach them might need to be very different.

For example, to use the steak restaurants as an example, a commercial on a liberal station might tout the fact that the steaks are grass-fed or humanely raised, or served with gluten-free salads.The same restaurant on a conservative station would boast that the steaks were large, tender, and juicy. Both commercials would be true, but each would appeal to a different set of hot buttons.

 

[FredLeonard]

One of the best ways to ruin a business: Put the customers you don't have ahead of the customers you do have. Alienate current customers by trying to appeal to non-customers.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

a commercial on a liberal station might tout the fact that the steaks are grass-fed or humanely raised, or served with gluten-free salads.The same restaurant on a conservative station would boast that the steaks were large, tender, and juicy. Both commercials would be true, but each would appeal to a different set of hot buttons.

The examples and logic in these explanations about the difference between liberals and conservatives are getting a bit bizarre.

There are people who have a physical condition, a physical make-up that results in foods containing gluten making them uncomfortable or even ill. As far as I know, being gluten-intolerant is in no way related to your politics. That is like saying people who have hay-fever are liberals, or people who allergic to peanuts are conservatives, or people who are allergic to bea-stings are liberals.

I give the class that makes up these threads an "A" for creativity, but a good old fashioned "F" for understanding reality and courtesy.

Those interested in living and intelligent life should look up Celiac disease.

 

[Avid Listener]

One of the best ways to ruin a business: Put the customers you don't have ahead of the customers you do have. Alienate current customers by trying to appeal to non-customers.

What does that have to do with anything? You make your current customers your priority when they are in your store or business. You give them good service, and good value for their money. That has nothing to do with advertising. Advertising to an existing customer doesn't make them happier. Hearing a commercial for a business that you're already a customer of doesn't make you a happier customer. It doesn't make you a sadder customer. It doesn't mean anything.

Successful businesses separate the things they do to attract new customers from the things that they do to keep current customers happy. It's quite easy to do both. They aren't mutually exclusive activities.

 

[Small Market Guy]

What does that have to do with anything?

He's trying to pull his hateful thread out of the nosedive it's currently in. That's all.

Apparently he thinks liberal and conservative people can't eat in the same establishment. Which is kinda fitting since he's a proven racist. I'm sure he supports segregation of all sorts.

 

[davideduardo]

One of the best ways to ruin a business: Put the customers you don't have ahead of the customers you do have. Alienate current customers by trying to appeal to non-customers.

But that idea does not apply when an advertiser is simply broadening the scope of an ad campaign. The product or service does not change, but new people are being invited to use the advertiser's offerings.

If a car dealer only advertises on the country station (as in my example) they will miss the potential customers who don't like country and may listen to contemporary or information formats (what I was selling).

 

[davideduardo]

Successful businesses separate the things they do to attract new customers from the things that they do to keep current customers happy. It's quite easy to do both. They aren't mutually exclusive activities.

My Memorial Day surprise: we actually agree, 100%, on something.

 

[Avid Listener]

The examples and logic in these explanations about the difference between liberals and conservatives are getting a bit bizarre.

There are people who have a physical condition, a physical make-up that results in foods containing gluten making them uncomfortable or even ill. As far as I know, being gluten-intolerant is in no way related to your politics. That is like saying people who have hay-fever are liberals, or people who allergic to peanuts are conservatives, or people who are allergic to bea-stings are liberals.

I give the class that makes up these threads an "A" for creativity, but a good old fashioned "F" for understanding reality and courtesy.

Those interested in living and intelligent life should look up Celiac disease.

I am well aware of Celiac disease. My aunt suffered from it. When she visited I was happy to accept the challenge of preparing meals that she could enjoy without digestive distress. However, for every person who has a bona-fide issue with glutens, there are a hundred people embracing "gluten free" as a fad. Please note that I said "gluten-free salads". Salads are, almost by definition "gluten free". Touting "gluten free salads" is like advertising "sugar free steaks". The only time you're likely to encounter gluten in a salad is if there are bread croutons included, or possibly certain dressings. So, while a "gluten free" diet is an important thing to someone with a disease, a "gluten free salad" is little more than advertising puffery. Including irrelevant claims like "gluten free salads" is therefore a classic example of bandwagon marketing, attempting to reach people who are following the latest food fad.

 

[FredLeonard]

But that idea does not apply when an advertiser is simply broadening the scope of an ad campaign. The product or service does not change, but new people are being invited to use the advertiser's offerings.

If a car dealer only advertises on the country station (as in my example) they will miss the potential customers who don't like country and may listen to contemporary or information formats (what I was selling).

If he's a Ford dealer and wants to move F-150s, a country station is the place he should be. And a Volvo dealer would be throwing money away if he bought time on a country station. Of course, car dealers don't buy radio, any radio, like they used to.

 

[Avid Listener]

If he's a Ford dealer and wants to move F-150s, a country station is the place he should be. And a Volvo dealer would be throwing money away if he bought time on a country station. Of course, car dealers don't buy radio, any radio, like they used to.

Man! I realize I've bought into a few stereotypes every now and then, but this really takes them to extremes. Based only on my own personal observations, I've heard classic rock pouring out the windows of many, many pickup trucks over the years. And, I know more than a few soccer moms who prefer listening to Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, or some male country hunk to listening to Katy Perry or Justin Beiber. Maybe a decade or more in the past it was pretty much automatic that pickup truck drivers listener to country and Volvo drivers listened to NPR, but that was then and this is now.

As for car dealerships moving away from using radio advertising, they know first hand what their customers ask for in mobile sound systems. When a business has first hand knowledge that their customers care more about CD players, satellite receivers, MP3 players, iPod connectivity, etc. than they do about broadcast radio reception, they won't be as enthusiastic about buying radio commercials.

 

[TheBigA]

As for car dealerships moving away from using radio advertising, they know first hand what their customers ask for in mobile sound systems.

However, I've had ads recently for Chevy, Ford, Toyota, Dodge, and GMC Truck. Some Used Car dealers. As well as GM On Star service. Plus we do a lot of business with car parts stores.