The Hindu Business Line : Heard it on my radio...

Tune in everyone, for radio as a medium has finally received some of the recognition due to it. Last year saw the launch of the Radio Mirchi Kaan Awards to soften the `step-motherly' treatment radio has received in the past from the marketing, media and advertising fraternity. In the inaugural year the radio station instituted awards in 14 categories, ranging from foods, beverages, toiletries and household care, business products, and public service and charity fund-raising.

At this year's awards there were 350 entries compared to 245 last year, and the number of categories rose to 20. Two talented youngsters selected from this year's `agency of the year' would be sent to the prestigious Cannes Advertising Festival in June.

So, will these developments boost the quality of radio advertising in India?

"The quality of radio advertising at present ranges from bad to mediocre, depending on the channel you are listening to. Very rarely do you come across spots that are good to listen to and make sense as well," says Mehek Shah, Assistant Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola India. "The only likeable spot I recollect is the VIP Frenchie promo, where the nurse keeps asking the doctor about a sponge bath for a patient."

From the early days of Vividh Bharati and Binaca Geetmala, a popular programme of film songs hosted by the inimitable Ameen Sayani, radio has come a long way. Till the late-1970s, radio was one of the most accessible entertainment options owing to the limited penetration of TV.

In the mid-1990s, a time when a million Maruti cars wheeled down Indian roads, FM stations suddenly came into their own. Teeming vehicles and traffic jams meant greater hours spent on the road. So, hordes of vehicle users tuned into their car radio, while waiting for the traffic sign to change. Says Aparna Thakur of Initiative Media, "Private FM channels offer content liked by young audiences. The channels experiment with advertising content and even partner with the advertisers to create the right messages. They have contributed to the growth of radio advertising through value additions like contests."

The multimedia support that stations like Radio Mirchi and Radio City enjoy through their parent companies helps bring added value to the advertisers in some cases.

However, several factors contribute to low media spends on radio. Media budgets are determined by the target audience, markets, the creative message and the role each media plays in the communication mix. The absence of target-specific stations makes radio a less attractive option.

"Radio may become an important medium for an advertiser talking to the youth (for example, NIIT) while for others it would be an add-on if budgets permit. The localised nature of the medium helps advertisers choose specific markets (unlike TV channels) and `leftover' budgets are often deployed on such radio advertising," says Aparna.

Shah says radio has not been optimally used because it has a limited geographical reach, "We don't have a national radio (FM) channel as yet; AIR does not run interesting enough programmes. Each radio channel has a specific listener profile, and for a marketing manager, unless it's a niche product, radio advertising does not add much value. It only reinforces a message."

Unlike the TRP ratings for TV, there are no reliable tools to measure the effectiveness of radio advertising. "Hence it is considered a weak support medium for advertising," he adds. As the programming on most channels revolves around request shows, college shows and countdowns, "this impacts the ability of the channel to attract a wider audience and thereby loses out to TV, which offers a wider scope of entertainment (sports, movies, news, etc)."

On a more optimistic note, Kaveeta Jayaraaman, Communications Manager, Population Services International (which ran the popular `Will Balbir Pasha get AIDS?' awareness campaign), says, "At PSI we do plan for radio advertising. Radio is a very important component, especially with the advent of FM. When used with other mediums, it creates a multiplier effect and builds the recall value of the message."

Steep licensing fees have left station operators with no option but to broadbase content to appeal to the masses and advertisers. With reduced license fees, multiple players can enter the market, target different groups of listeners, offer heterogeneous content, provide advertisers the opportunity to make precision ad spends, and give listeners a wider choice.

The Radio Mirchi Kaan Awards will hopefully spur ad agencies to craft unique radio spots rather than merely adapt them from TV ads, as was often done in the past. "Topical ads, multiple creatives and interactive content can be leveraged to the maximum in radio. For Frooti, we associated with a programme called Bindaas Besura on GO 92.5 FM which was in line with the `Bindaas Cool' proposition of the brand, and provided a great interactive platform with the audience," says Aparna.

Says Equinox's Ram Madhvani, Kaan jury member, "Indian radio advertising lacks the sense of creative ownership" to produce good radio spots. "Everyone is part of the chain of mediocrity. Using something tried and tested, like humour, snubs the creative drive for something fresh." He thinks humour and film-based content is overused in Indian radio.

So, what makes for a good radio spot? "It must trigger an emotion in me. Does it move me or make me smile, cry?" says Madhvani.

Picture by Bijoy Ghosh

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