Radio essential part of communication mix

Roy Hawker

He was brought to the Eastern Cape in August by Algoa FM to run a number of workshops and advertising one-on-one clinics for the regional media company’s clients and prospective advertisers.

"We now live in the information age, so one of our brain's major daily functions is to help filter out the majority of this information," he says.

"That is the role of your 'reticular activator' - it’s your mind’s filtering mechanism. Kind of like a goalie, trying to save everything from getting past and filling our mind with irrelevant, unwanted information," says the former New Zealand professional rugby player and coach.

He believes that advertising fails mostly because the advertiser incorrectly assumes that they have the customer’s attention.

"You need to appreciate customers are not thinking about your brand or your product - in fact, chances are your marketing message is interrupting their activity. At best you may get 10 seconds of their subconscious attention, but if you fail to get past their goalie within this time, your message will not be absorbed, retained or acted upon," says Hawker.

Radio is one of the best ways of getting advertising messages through the filtering mechanism - particularly where it is combined with social media and digital, according to Algoa FM sales manager Dennis Karantges.

"There is a rapport and a sense of trust between presenters and their listeners which is not present in other forms of media. This helps advertisers to get past the ‘information goalie’," he says.

The best results are being achieved when other forms of electronic advertising are included in the mix.

"Radio advertising and websites now work hand-in-hand for a number of our clients, with tremendous results," he says.

In order to meet the needs of clients Algoa FM has been transformed into a media company offering the full range of online and social media communication tools, which are supported by the station’s dominance of the independent commercial radio market in the Eastern Cape and Garden Route.

According to Hawker, the power of radio lies in its uniqueness – it is the only communication medium which uses the sense of hearing.
He has been coaching the Algoa FM team for a number of years.

"Roy’s relationship with our team is special, and having him share his knowledge and vision with the local business community has contributed to the special rapport that exists between Algoa FM and the regional business owners and managers.

"We have shared many memorable moments with business owners across our footprint, and have seen many measurable results where they have applied what Roy has recommended," says Karantges.