Who is spending on radio for the rest of the year? We revealed the industries in our recent webinar, Midyear Local Media Spending Check-In. It’s a mix of industry types that will be buying more radio OTA spots in 2025, some more familiar than others.
Let’s review the data and explore ideas to ensure these businesses allocate their radio ad budgets with you.
Top Radio OTA Spot Spenders
According to the most recent data from BIA, these are the top five industries for radio OTA for the rest of the year:
- Investment and Retirement Advice ($423M)
- Quick-Serve Restaurants (QSRs)/Fast Food ($403M)
- Supermarkets and Other Grocery Stores ($355M)
- Commercial Banking ($351M)
- Hospitals ($331M)
Coincidentally, it looks the same on the radio digital side, so you have an opportunity to win dollars from both buckets.
Why are these industries investing in radio? These local businesses recognize the value of radio ads and how they can both create and convert demand for products. Radio’s halo of trust also matters, and three of these verticals rely heavily on trust — investment and retirement advice, commercial banking and hospitals.
They also aim to leverage the unique impact of audio media compared to visuals. Research shows that audio ads outperform video for attention and recall, two critical components in acquiring customers.
You don’t need to convince these companies that radio is a powerful force. You just need to ensure they make a purchase from you. Also, proposing a campaign that includes radio and digital could give you the edge.
What Are Some Unique Ideas for Radio Ads for These Industries?
Coming to businesses with ideas for spots is also a way to win their trust. Often, organizations stick with what they’ve been doing or create generic spot copy. A fresh look could be what makes their radio ad buys more impactful.
Investment and Retirement Advice
Consumers have concerns about investing and retirement. Those vary depending on their age and financial circumstances. What’s consistent across groups is that they need to be confident that the company is legitimate, reliable and trustworthy.
How do you prove that in a quick spot ad? Some key things to include could be:
- Years in business
- Certifications
- Awards
- Customer satisfaction rates
A great way to tell this story to listeners is for a current client to provide a testimonial. A recommendation from someone in the community would be a compelling hook for an ad.
QSRs
Fast food diners often decide where to go while in the car, so you’re likely already recommending dayparts to align with hunger. Early morning could highlight breakfast, with later morning transitioning to lunch.
But there’s more to QSR radio spots than dayparts. New trends are emerging in fast food, including consumers being more price- and health-conscious. Many seek the best deals to stretch their budget; others want menu items that come from the garden rather than the deep fryer.
Another consideration is that price isn’t the only reason people choose fast food. Our recent Vertical Views episode on the industry revealed that folks also love it because it’s a treat or a guilty pleasure.
Radio spots can capture sentiments across these trends. They can focus on value pricing, cleaner eating options and play up the angle on fast food as a treat. It provides businesses with a diverse range of topics to promote on the air.
Grocery
Many consumers have deep concerns about rising grocery prices. It’s making them less loyal to brands, which creates opportunities for others. The big story in any grocery radio ad is to focus on cost, including what’s on sale, any items with lower prices and discounts that their loyalty programs provide.
Other than price, specialty grocers should highlight the things they have that no one else does. Maybe that’s a huge selection of fresh seafood or specific spices and sauces for specific cuisines.
One last consideration is mentioning buy online and pick up in store. Grocery e-commerce continues to grow in prevalence as so many shoppers appreciate its convenience.
Commercial Banking
This vertical is interesting to find on the radio ad spot list. It’s a B2B industry, but business owners listen to the radio! From upstarts to companies that have been in business for decades, they all need a banker.
Again, the emphasis must be on trust building, so many of the concepts from retirement and investment advice work for this vertical, too. The language just needs a few tweaks to make it business-oriented.
Hospitals
Hospitals play a key role in any community. They are places of care delivery and employment, so these advertisers have two different objectives: acquiring patients or staff.
For patients, ads can focus on what matters: accreditations, awards, services provided and reputation. Someone must trust a health care provider to seek treatment there.
For employees, ads that focus on the stability and reward of health care work could drive more applications. If the hospital has programs for nursing or other positions, that’s also an excellent topic for ads.
Final Thoughts on Radio OTA Spots Spending
By understanding the data on budgeting and the trends each industry faces, you can deliver a customized proposal for how to maximize their spend. With more ideas, you could see them invest more to ensure they are working every angle.
Add complementary digital ads, including geofencing, social, display and OTT/CTV to the pitch, as well. They’ll realize greater performance with reach (radio) and digital (targeted).
Get more insights on industry spending by watching the webinar on demand now!
