ABSTRACT
Radio is not TV and it is not a substitute for TV. It could be used more effectively, but advertisers often seem to use it wrongly. The two main problems with radio seem to be listener attention levels and the fact that radio advertising does not have pictures. Advertisers can do something about both of these factors in designing more effective radio ads and media schedules. Radio competes with its environment for the listener's attention—much more so than TV, which usually has its own, relatively quiet exposure environment. When people watch TV they more often do so with fewer distractions. Brands in low-involvement product categories particularly have to rely on very creative ad executions to grab and hold their TV audience's attention. Nowadays, peak-time radio listeners are a low-involved lot. They are increasingly pressured from minute to minute by the many stimuli that compete for their attention.
