In a recent poll on HispanicAd.com roughly 45% of respondents admitted that they would consider reducing Radio spending, or changing their station selection as a result of the current turmoil surrounding PPM; specifically top stations such as Univision and SBS not encoding PPM signals.45 Percent!
I’m beyond disappointed at these results. As advertising and media professionals, our clients expect us to make the decisions that are the best for their business, not simply what is easiest for us to calculate. Making any budget adjustments as a result of ratings availability is tantamount to admitting that Arbitron, Univision and SBS are in the driver’s seat when it comes to crafting media plans rather than the agencies. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of reasons to consider adjusting radio budgets, such as the ubiquitous iPod, and now the increased prevalence of streaming options such as Pandora on portable devices, but if we’re advocating any adjustments to our radio budgets, our rationale should be based on the changed usage across the medium, and not the escalating political squabbles between station groups and the ratings service.
