So Are Radio Commercials Good Or Bad?
A few days ago I blogged about Airspun, and one of my criticisms was that Airspun doesn't air songs, they air commercials. I followed this up by positively highlighting how you can do a more effective job buying commercial time from Google's dMarc subsidiary. But these are commercials, too. How can commercials be bad with Airspun but good with Google? The answer comes down to expectations and effectiveness.
I daresay that most indie artists would buy showcases via Airspun and think of them as good as regular airplay. This is an unrealistic expectation, and I think one of the main problems with Airspun--it preys upon every artist's dream of commercial radio airplay. As I mentioned, it's an enticing concept. After all, your song (at least 45 seconds of it) is getting played on the radio. However, my point was that you have to separate the expectation of "radio airplay!" from the reality of what you are purchasing. The bottom line is that this spin will not be as good as regular commercial radio airplay for all the reasons I listed.
Now note that this doesn't necessarily mean the commercial showcases are bad, but you should consider the context of how they are being presented when you decide whether to buy a schedule through Airspun or Google. The absolutely worst thing you can do is get excited about the possibility of getting 10 spins on a major radio station in Seattle at only $30 a spin, and pay for it, telling all your friends that you have "major market airplay." This may make you feel good and impress your friends, but it won't be an effective use of your dollars.
Which leads me to Google. One of the main reasons that Google and dMarc is a better option is that there is no illusion that this is radio airplay. These are commercials pure and simple. The good news is that Google's approach provides you much more flexibility: You can actually leverage the power of the "commercial" aspect of songs purchased on the radio. Not only is there legitimate demographic targeting and accountability, but you can utilize things like co-op advertising, which are critical for your marketing plan if you buy airtime.
Perhaps the ultimate irony is that you can present more actual music in a Google spot if you want, making it more like an actual song play than Airspun.
Labels: Airspun, Google, radio airplay
Post a Comment