As I was considering topics and ideas for upcoming articles, I decided to use Google for inspiration. I searched for other great articles about radio. I was immediately struck by the following result.
“Consider discussing radio’s enduring relevance in the digital age, its unique ability to connect with diverse audiences, its role in local communities, the history of radio broadcasting, and how radio adapts to new technologies, including streaming services and smart speakers.”
Wow! Even Google knows how great and important our industry is. At this point, I had a larger epiphany. What an excellent entry point for radio salespeople who are constantly bombarded with client comments about how “radio doesn’t work and no one is listening anymore.”
While you’re already well aware of this false narrative, and we’ve all been armed with the actual facts and numbers, it would be quite valuable to show these clients the truth about AI and how it recognizes and touts the true value of radio.
It was then that I asked ChatGPT to “Outline the uses of AI when creating ad campaigns and marketing plans.” It’s response…
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way brands approach creative ad campaigns and marketing plans. By leveraging AI tools and technologies, marketers can optimize every aspect of the campaign development process, from ideation and design to targeting and analytics. This not only enhances efficiency but also delivers highly personalized, data-driven results that can significantly improve brand engagement and ROI.”
Last week, during our local sales meeting, we furthered our AI research by asking ChatGPT to come up with a comprehensive marketing plan for a specific local client. As most know, a plan like this usually takes even a seasoned pro hours to create. AI spit out the plan in no time at all. Without us suggesting any specific type of media, it came up with a plan that included the following, and lo and behold, look what number 1 was:
- Radio Branding & Digital Audio Ads
- SEO & Google Business Optimization
- Social Media Marketing and Engagement
- Paid Digital Ads
- Mobile Marketing
- OTT Ads
For purposes of brevity, I left out the very detailed outline for each category above, which even included a rather specific radio schedule. If you thought this would always turn out the same for every client – you’d be wrong.
Truth be told, we repeated the same prompt for various clients, and the results were always different. It became evident that AI looks at various sources for its algorithms, yielding strategies that are unique for each business and are based on an abundance of info it curates online.
We then proceeded to use AI to create several different ads for both radio and digital. As you are likely already aware, the creative it yields can be honed and modified based on virtually anything desired.
Our team asked it to develop three versions: funny, dramatic, and straight informational narration. They were all quite good and at least made for excellent spec spots, if not a final creation.
There are many systems you can use. Benztown has SPECai, Rumple has its own Studio, and there are numerous others jumping into this explosive market. Of course, ChatGPT, CoPilot, and Gemini are all worthy of mention.
The point is that using AI can seem frightening, and many do feel threatened, but in a world where we all must do more with less, the time savings alone has tremendous value on a local level, especially in smaller and middle markets.
Add the creative aspect to the mix, and you’re talking about more time for selling from your sales team and less stress on your production and traffic departments. As a market manager, that translates to a happier, more productive team.
The best managers examine every possible item for their arsenal, enabling them to compete in a high-stakes technology-driven industry. AI is definitely more than just a new, shiny toy for geeks.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Bob Lawrence writes weekly columns on radio leadership and business. He most recently served as market manager for MacDonald Broadcasting in Saginaw, Michigan. Throughout his career, Bob has held virtually every position in the business over his 40+ year career, from being on-air in Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco to programming legendary stations including KHTR St. Louis, KITS Hot Hits and KIOI (K101) San Francisco to serving as the head of all programming for Saga Communications and working for the Radio Advertising Bureau. Before landing his current role, Bob helped lead Seven Mountains Media’s cluster in Parkersburg, WV/Marietta, OH. He can be reached by email at BGLawrence@me.com.
Bob also honed his research skills over ten years as Senior VP of Operations at Broadcast Architecture, eventually launching his own research company and serving as President/CEO of Pinnacle Media Worldwide for 15 years. Bob spent five years as VP of Programming for Saga Communications before joining New South Radio in Jackson, Mississippi as GM/Market Manager. Prior to joining Seven Mountains Media, Bob served as General Manager for the Radio Advertising Bureau, overseeing its “National Radio Talent System”.
