Fake News Alert for Recruiters: Nobody listens to the radio anymore.
“Nobody listens to the radio anymore.” This is usually one of the first comments shared by recruiters and hiring managers after reviewing the list of possible media resources during a Mitton Media recruitment advertising assessment session.
We break it to them as gently as we can: People are still listening to traditional radio, including the qualified job candidates employers need to fill those open positions. Millennials, too!
John Mitton, founder of the “Putting Job Ads on Radio” concept and ad paradigm.
Yes, I am biased. (I imagine you would be, too, if recognized as the originator/innovator responsible for the whole Putting Job Ads on Radio advertising concept and paradigm.)
What was the “light bulb” moment? When I started asking myself the question, “If radio does such a great job selling products and services, wouldn’t it be perfect for employment advertising, too?” Absolutely!
Gut instinct tells probably tells you what we had to find out through trial and error. The models for radio recruitment advertising and radio retail advertising have to be different: Different purposes; Operating under different time parameters; Requiring different messaging strategies.
Over 2,000 candidates lined up before doors opened for this Hiring Event. Nobody listens to the radio anymore?
Once we worked out the bugs and put new creative and strategic models in place, things started to click. Mitton Media has now spent the past 20+ years generating consistent results for employers in a variety of industries across North America:
- Professional, Skilled-Trades, Hourly, and Seasonal.
- Supporting both job fair events and general hiring initiatives.
- Multiple openings or more limited hard-to-fill positions.
- Our radio schedules standing on their own or serving as a catalyst, blended with other traditional and non-traditional media resources.
Don’t care. Still say nobody listens to the radio anymore!
Well, check out this recent information from Nielsen’s Total Audience Report. The Total Audience Report measures TV, radio, TV-connected devices, and PC, smartphone and tablet platforms:
- According to Tony Hereau, Nielsen VP of audience insights, smartphones show exceptional reach in the early morning hours from 2am-5am.
- Then things change going into 6am and 7am, where radio becomes very dominant, Hereau says, “Once people get into their commute and work routine, that’s where radio really shoots up. So even though radio may not be the first thing they start their day with, it’s still a humongous factor all the way into early evening.”
- Radio usage is greatest from 6am to 6pm, while TV takes over at night, capturing at least half of all media consumption from 6pm-6am.
- While the recent data shows radio commands the most consistent usage across all age groups, Hereau says, “When you look at some of the younger demos, like 18-34, the story is even stronger. There are even more hours where radio is the top medium for share during the morning.”
- Nielsen’s Total Audience Report also reinforces radio as an equal opportunity reach medium with a consistent performance across demos, races and ethnicities.
I still don’t care what you say. Nobody listens to the radio anymore, especially Millennials!
Talk about your “fake news!”
Millennial industry expert Tim Murphy writes, “Many folks in the media business accept at face value the false narrative that young people (aka Millennials) have stopped listening to radio. It’s easy to fall for this trope if you aren’t paying close attention to what Millennials value in terms of content. If you are paying close attention, the facts suggest otherwise.”
Here you go:
- Since its inception, radio has enabled people to experience breaking news and current events in real-time, while also increasing its influence on our culture by perpetually introducing us to new personalities and artists.
- Radio has uniquely connected listeners to the larger world from their homes and cars.
- Millennial consumers are increasingly searching for news and entertainment consumption on the go, and the marriage of smartphones and audio content has transformed them into a world of listeners – the earbud generation – creating their own space in a crowded world through sound.
- In this new, mobile-first world, traditional Radio stands out and has proven it still prevails.
- While we see the rise of streaming platforms like Pandora and Spotify, they are not directly threatening radio’s reach.
- AM/FM stations reach significantly more people than their streaming counterparts.
- According to Edison Research, 74 percent of adults in the U.S. listen to AM/FM stations daily, while only 15 percent are choosing Pandora and 6 percent are choosing Spotify. (Do I have your attention yet?)
- Millennials high use of AM/FM radio is due to the fact that they have a deep emotional connection to their favorite stations and local personalities.
- In fact, according to a USC Annenberg study, 82 percent of radio listeners in general perceive a deep connection with their favorite radio personalities, with 62 percent sharing what they hear on the radio with their families and friends. (Employers working with Mitton Media are fully aware of this, “Hidden Network.”)
- And, according to Nielsen, radio’s weekly reach among the millennials across the country is 92 %. What other medium reaches 92% of Millennials on a weekly basis?!
So yes, people are still listening to traditional radio as much as before…including The Millennial Generation!
I believe I have been misinformed…
Are you familiar with the phrase, “Most jobs are filled through word-of-mouth referrals?” You may also know about the results of the SHRM-commissioned study which reported 75% of all current employees are open to a new opportunity with a different employer, once they are made aware of that opportunity.
How do you generate that awareness? One way to do it is with a properly executed, behavioral-based radio recruitment advertising campaign with a killer What’s-In-It-for-Me hiring message. (Red Flag Alert: We say “properly executed” because there is a right way and wrong way to approach putting job ads on radio. “How hard can it be?” Ask us. We’ll share the “Titanic” stories.)
Why the Radio disconnect with recruiters and hiring managers?
With so many choices to pick from, how can you be sure? Mitton Media helps employers avoid wasting time and recruitment dollars.
When we ask this question to employers, the answer is pretty consistent: HR Directors, Recruiters, and Hiring Managers, live in a metrics-driven world. They are trained to view Talent Acquisition Advertising through the filters of Group Think, Industry Best Practices, and/or Hottest Industry Trends. (Everybody else is doing it so their company should do it, too. Right? Wrong.)
The stress of a recruiter’s workload in today’s workplace, combined with a likely lack of general Media Advertising experience, makes it is easy to understand how “fake news” can influence recruitment advertising decisions. Deciding to stick with what they already know , recruiters, hiring managers, and other HR professionals end up ignoring or being unaware of other, possibly more effective, ideas and solutions.
Which is the point where many employers make the decision to bring Mitton Media into their employee recruitment process. We become their Advertising & Marketing degree. The burden is shifted from their shoulders to our plate:
“We wanted to take this opportunity to share with you how valuable you have been to our organization. It is still unbelievable how many challenges we have overcome and milestones we have reached thanks to Mitton Media.
The level of professionalism you have portrayed coupled with your knowledge and “can do” attitude were instrumental…Thanks for being just a phone call away and 24 hours a day at that.”
S. Suarez/Global HR Director
In the end “Employee Recruitment” is all about “Sales,” right? Reaching the right person, at the right time, with the right message, while hopefully creating an emotional-connection with candidates in the process.
A simple question:
If you trust radio with selling the products and services of your company, isn’t it time to start trusting it with your employee recruitment advertising, too?
If you are not satisfied with the results being generated from current recruitment advertising programs and resources, it’s time to stop, step back, and reassess. We can help. Mitton Media is a unique ad agency with 20+ years of recruitment marketing experience. We know the psychology behind what motivates people to join certain companies. We also know that every company has its own unique culture. Which is why we never present “cookie cutter” solutions. Instead we do our homework and only recommend true fit messaging and strategies. And, it works.
Mitton Media can develop entire recruitment advertising campaigns and employer branding programs, or jump in on a project basis. We also work behind existing agency relationships, providing our singular expertise. Everything we do is compatible with a company’s existing ATS process.
For more information about the different ways we can help improve results, save money, strengthen employer brands, and shorten hiring cycles, please contact Shana Reinhart at Mitton Media.
About the Author:
John Mitton is president of Mitton Media. He is nationally recognized as the Founder/Originator of the Radio Recruitment Advertising/Job Ads on Radio concept and advertising paradigm. A full-service advertising agency with services and capabilities for all traditional and non-traditional media platforms, Mitton Media is also the only firm in North America to have Radio Recruitment Advertising Strategies & Campaigns as a specialty.
John is the author of Good People Aren’t Looking for Work, They’re Listening for It!® and is co-author of the SHRM-accredited HR professional training workshop, Beyond Post & Pray: Effective Recruitment Advertising Tools and Strategies for Today’s Workplace®
Contact: jmitton@mittonmedia.com
