What RPS 20 Says About Radio Station Contests

PJ Kling, Jake Hoefnagel, and I present the last of three live webinars showing the data from the latest NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study this Wednesday, August 3 at 2 PM EDT. It’s our 20^th twice-annual study focused on ratings-likely respondents across PPM markets updated this June. Grab a spot at nuvoodoo.com/webinars so you can ask questions during our live webinar.

Radio programmers know from experience that contesting is a tactic that punches above its weight. That factor is likely to become even more true as Nielsen transitions to new wearable meters and adds a new incentive-inclusive smartphone app to the panelist experience.

We see again in the latest Ratings Prospects Study data that those likely to show up within PPM samples are far more likely to have played a radio station contest recently. While just under 3 in 10 across our total sample of weekly radio listeners say they’ve played a radio station contest in the past month, that number jumps to 2 in 5 among those likely to participate in the ratings (labeled “RPS Yes”) – and nearly half of the subset of that group who listen to radio at least an hour a day (labeled “RPS 60”).

Not surprising in the current economy, we’ve seen no reduction in the size of the cash prizes needed to get attention. Tracking back to our 16^th Ratings Prospects Study two summers ago, we see a sharp difference in the percentages who would be lured by a $500 cash prize compared to a $1000 prize. Two summers ago, there was just a 12-point gap between the percentages who would play for a $500 prize compared to a $1000 prize. But the new study shows a 20-point gap between $500 and $1000 prizes.

Particularly in PPM markets it seems the proliferation of group contests with heavy promotion of $1000 prizes every hour for weeks on end has pushed up the price of contesting. As our marketing guru PJ Kling notes, “If your company has a big national contest, these results bode well because we know that most contest-actives are blissfully unaware of national contests, and those that do know, simply don’t care.” PJ and his team also have solutions for packaging and promoting $1000 contests on stations that can’t otherwise afford to give away hourly prizes at that level.

In our presentation we’ll also answer as well how best to package contest cash and what are the best contest mechanics. Including answers to questions from attendees sessions have been running less than 45 minutes, but there’s lots to report on:

• We’re updating our understanding of what motivates potential PPM participants as they confront Nielsen’s new smartphone app.
• We’re taking a fresh look at the audio landscape as lives resume an updated version of normal and spend more time behind the wheel and out of their homes.
• With so many social media apps in the news, we’re diving into daily and chronic usage for the major platforms (how bad is the news for Facebook, Insta, and Twitter?).
• Marketing dollars are precious, so we’ll show the most-effective advertising media for different format constituencies.
• Who are the folks who really connect with stations versus those who think there’s nothing special on the radio?
• The types of lifestyle information listeners crave – and where they think they’ll find it.
• Which listeners are most interested in new music and how many are relying on radio to connect with new songs.
• The biggest drivers of tuneout beyond commercials.

Save your spot now at nuvoodoo.com/webinars.