Radio ads have better recall than web: survey.

Inside Radio shared this information on the strength of radio this morning.  As marketers rush to go digital, a new survey commissioned by the Southern California Broadcasters Association shows consumers are more likely to notice their message on broadcast radio and other traditional media.

Broadcast radio ranked second behind newspapers in the online survey of 2,015 adults aged 18 and older when respondents were asked if they recalled noticing any specific advertisers while using various media platforms.  Radio had a 10.9% advantage over social networks and 13.1% edge over search engines and showed even greater margins when compared to viewing online video ads and mobile ads from non-radio sites.

Even Millennials, who were more likely to use a search engine, social network or smartphone than listen to radio, recalled noticing broadcast radio commercials by a 12.5% margin over search engines and 9% more than mobile ads.

SCBA president Thom Callahan says the data shows search engine usage “has no correlation” with ad recall on search engines. “The consumer clearly recalls and pays attention to radio commercials much more than to any digital, search engine, or social media ads,” he says.

The online survey was conducted in May by Marketing Charts, using SurveyMonkey’s audience panel, with additional data from Harris Interactive and Experian Marketing Services.  A separate February 2014 study from Goo Technologies/Harris Interactive found just over two thirds of respondents (64%) notice ads on radio, just ahead of TV.  Further back were online search engines (41%), social media (38%) and online banner ads (27%).

Jacksonville earns high marks for small business environment

From today's Florida Times-Union

By Drew Dixon Sat, Jul 19, 2014 @ 4:56 pm | updated Sat, Jul 19, 2014 @ 11:53 pm

Bob.Self@jacksonville.com

Updated Downtown Jacksonville skyline views with the Wells Fargo signage on the old Independent Life Building.

When it comes to small business, Jacksonville is among the country’s best cities to develop companies with few employees.

Two recent ranking systems by websites that specialize in business development placed Jacksonville among the best and most friendly small-business environments in the United States. One puts Jacksonville among the elite cities for small business development; another grades the city’s areas as “friendly” to startups and entrepreneurial development.

A Biz2Credit.com list in May ranked Jacksonville as the 23rd best small business city in the country. In Florida, only West Palm Beach and Tampa ranked higher at 10th and 12th, respectively. San Jose, Calif., Detroit and Denver were the top three, in that order.

Then Tuesday, Thumbtack.com issued its annual grade for small business-friendly cities, and Jacksonville rated a B-minus. It was the second highest rating for any Florida city, tied with West Palm Beach and behind Orlando, which rated an A-minus.

Related: High marks for Jacksonville's small business community were years in the making, business leaders say

Thumbtack conducted a survey of more than 12,000 entrepreneurs nationwide, up from last year’s 7,700 surveys. Its overall grades combined several factors.

For instance, Jacksonville was given high A-minus marks for ease of starting a business and municipal tax codes. Regulations, licensing, environmental, zoning and labor hiring all fell within the B range.

Not so highly regarded were training and networking programs or ease of hiring. Each got a C-plus. The lowest grade for Jacksonville’s small business environment came in workplace health and safety, which rated a D-plus.

There are multitudes of success stories. But some of the Jacksonville area’s small business support programs helped entrepreneurs who have attracted media attention and various recognition:

■ Brian Smith started Fighter Energy, a tablet that dissolves in water to form an energy drink, through iStart Jax and the Small Business Development Center at University of North Florida. Both iStart Jax and the small business center are entrepreneurial support groups that hold a Startup weekend annually on the UNF campus.

■ Aaron Murray, a licensed tattoo contractor, landed a job this year with a Riverside tattoo business after establishing a business model with the help of the Senior Corps of Retired Executives — or SCORE — in Jacksonville.

■ Joe Lezcano is organizing the Connection Festival in downtown Jacksonville in September to celebrate mostly local musical artists after participating as a “creator” in the One Spark festival. Lezcano said having a startup booth at One Spark, which showcases startup businesses and entrepreneurs, solidified his concept for the music fest, which in turn is designed to highlight startup musicians.

There are multitudes of other instances, but the point is clear — Jacksonville has a thriving small business and startup scene.

The overall grade is the same as Jacksonville’s 2013 mark. And that is substantially higher than the 2012 grade — the year the grading system was introduced by Thumbtack — when Jacksonville got a C-minus for small-business friendliness.

Thumbtack chief economist Jon Lieber said it’s difficult to explain fluctuations in some of the grades that support the overall grade. But the grading system expanded to include more cities.

“This year, we went from 50-something cities to 82 cities,” Lieber said from San Francisco. “So it could be that [some of] the Jacksonville scores were pushed down because other [cities] are doing better.

“I wouldn’t read too much into the year-to-year variations,” Lieber said. “I think it [the grade] is a good thing.”

Attempts to reach a Biz2Credit.com official for comment were unsuccessful. But a news release on the top 25 city rankings said Florida is one of the nation’s hottest spots for small business development.

“Florida’s economy has improved overall. Younger people are moving there and the state has an influx of immigrants who are very entrepreneurial and are starting new businesses,” said Rohit Arora, Biz2Credit CEO.

Arora cited several factors for the small business boom in Florida.

“The economy has picked up there because it is a low-cost state for conducting business, the weather is warm and housing prices are more affordable compared to major cities like Boston and New York,” he said.

Jacksonville Jaguars announce new broadcast partners

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reached agreements with new flagship radio and TV broadcast partners for carriage of their on-air programming in and around the Jacksonville area. For the first time, Jaguars games and official team radio programming will be heard on 1010XL AM and 92.5 FM, the team’s flagship radio partner. In addition, the games will be simulcast on a network of radio stations around the Southeast, including 99.9 Gator Country.

The TV programming, which includes preseason game broadcasts, will return after 11 years to WJXT-TV Channel 4, and in addition the preseason games will air in the Orlando market on Channel 4’s partner station, WKMG Local 6. WJXT was previously the Jaguars’ local television partner in 2001-02.

“We’re very proud to team with all of these partners and we look forward to expanding our radio and TV programming with them,” Jaguars President Mark Lamping said in making the announcement. “Given
the size of the Jacksonville market, it is critical that we reach all current and potential Jaguars fans. Our new partners will help us do that in Jacksonville as well as the surrounding region, including the important market of Orlando.

“1010XL brings a broad audience of loyal listeners and avid sports fans  and no TV station is more focused on Jacksonville and the local market than Channel 4,” Lamping added.

The partnerships are multiyear agreements and terms are undisclosed.

“The Jaguars are the most important sports franchise in our city’s history, and we are honored to become the flagship station and to be part of the team,” said 1010XL General Manager Steve Griffin. “Everyone is impressed with the team’s new regime, their dedication to the city and the fans, and the positive momentum coming from EverBank Field. We are excited about using our resources to help the cause and to grow together in the years to come.”

“There’s a lot of anticipation building in and around the Jaguars family as we embark on our 20th season,” Lamping added, “and these new broadcast partners will help deliver that to longtime fans and new audiences throughout the Southeast region. We’re working hard to grow our fan base, and we are confident that our new partners will help us achieve that goal.”

Survey: Detached dads less prevalent than 10 years ago

 

Wanted to share this great article I came across last week....

Survey: Detached dads less prevalent than 10 years ago

 

By Lindsey Tanner, Associated Press

Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013 | 10:45 p.m.

 

The detached dad, turning up his nose at diapering and too busy to bathe, dress and play with his kids, is mostly a myth, a big government survey suggests. Most American fathers say they are heavily involved in hands-on parenting, the researchers found.

 

The nationally representative survey shows fathers' involvement has increased slightly since the government first asked in 2002, coinciding with research since then that bolsters the benefits of hands-on fathering.

The results are encouraging and important "because others have found the more involved dads are, the better the outcomes for their children," said researcher Jo Jones of the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control Prevention. She co-authored the report released Friday.

More academic success, fewer behavior problems and healthier eating habits are just some of the ways fathers' involvement has been linked with children's well-being.

"Times have changed," said Robert Loftus, 34, of Yonkers, N.Y. He quit a six-figure sales job a year ago to care for his two young children while his wife works full time. "We're trying to rethink our priorities and family seems to be the No. 1 priority whereas in the past maybe people were more focused on career."

The results build on volumes of research showing changes in the American family since the baby boom years and before, when women were mostly stay-at-home moms and dads were the major breadwinners. As those roles shifted, so did the view that moms are the only nurturers.

University of Chicago sociologist Jennifer Bellamy, who also studies fathering, said some old stereotypes persist, "that dads are sort of the co-pilots in their families," absent or less involved than moms.  But she said the survey confirms that fathers "are quite involved in a variety of different and important ways."

The study involved nearly 4,000 fathers aged 15 to 44 who were interviewed in person between 2006 and 2010. One caveat: They self-reported their involvement, without input from their partners or others. Most men were married or living with a partner.

Key findings among fathers living with children younger than 5:
• 9 in 10 bathed, diapered, helped them use the toilet or get dressed at least several times weekly.
• Even higher numbers played with them and ate meals with them that often.
• Almost 2 out of 3 read to them at least several times weekly.
Among dads living with kids aged 5-18:
• More than 9 out of 10 ate meals with them at least several times weekly and talked with them about what happened during the kids' day that often.
• Almost 2 out of 3 helped with homework several times weekly.
• About half took their kids to or from activities that often.

Overall, almost 90 percent of dads said they thought they were doing at least a good job of fathering.
The researchers noted that during the study years, 45 percent of U.S. men — 28 million — aged 15 to 44 had a biological child. About the same number had a biological, adopted or non-related child living with them or an adopted or biological child living elsewhere.

Survey questions were based on whether dads were living with their biological or unrelated kids, or apart.

Most lived with their kids. Not surprisingly, men who didn't were less involved with parenting activities. Even so, several times weekly, at least 1 in 5 still managed to help bathe, diaper, dress, eat or play with their kids. Fathers of older children were generally less involved than those with kids younger than 5 but that's at least partly due to the changing nature of parenting as children mature.
The survey suggests black fathers may be more involved than whites or Hispanics with some activities, including homework, but Jones downplayed racial differences and said some were not statistically significant.

Men with at least some college education were generally more involved with their kids than less educated fathers.

The CDC did a similar survey in 2002 that showed slightly less father involvement. Previous CDC surveys relied only on mothers' responses about family life so aren't comparable.
A national parenting survey by University of Maryland researchers found that in 2000, married U.S. fathers spent about two hours weekly interacting with their kids aged 18 and younger, more than double the time spent in 1965.

Dr. David Hill, a Wilmington, N.C., pediatrician and author of "Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro," said the survey echoes what he's seen among his patients' fathers. Increasingly, fathers rather than mothers take their kids to the doctor, he said. Some "are anxious about changing a diaper," he said, but the study offers reassuring evidence "that everybody's doing this."

Men weren't asked about employment, or whether they were stay-at-home dads, who still are rare though their ranks have increased. Census numbers show almost 190,000 nationwide last year versus 93,000 in 2000. Those numbers only include men whose wives have been employed for at least one year

Loftus, the New York stay-at-home dad, said he feels lucky to be able to be such a hands-on father.
"I'm doing the most important job in the world," he said

This blog posting is brought to you by....Movember

Have you heard about Movember?  It is an official global charity that focuses its efforts to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches on men's faces around the world. Through the power of the Mo, vital funds and awareness are raised to combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges.

HOW IT WORKS
Movember encourages men to join the movement by growing a moustache for the 30-days of November.  After REGISTERING on Movember.com, these generous Mo Bros start the month clean-shaven, then grow and groom their Mo (slang for moustache), asking friends and family to donate to their efforts. With their new moustaches, these Mo Bros bring much needed awareness to men’s health issues by prompting conversations wherever they go.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros celebrate their Movember journey by throwing their own Movember EVENTS or attending one of the official GALA PARTÉS held around the world.

The Movember Effect
Globally, the funds raised by our Mo Bros support world-class men’s health programs that combat prostate and testicular cancer and mental health challenges. These programs, directed by the Movember Foundation, are focused on awareness and education, living with and beyond cancer, staying mentally healthy, living with and beyond mental illness and research to achieve our vision of an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health.

Movember - a global movement
Since its humble beginnings in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 3 Million Mo Bros to participate across 21 countries worldwide.  

In 2012, over 1.1 million Mo Bros around the world joined the movement, raising  $147 million. In the US, over 209,000 Mo’s raised $21 million.

What a great reason to grow a moustache.

More men taking the reins of the shopping cart

There seems to be a universal understanding in the grocery world that the household food shopping is done solely by women. Supermarkets and manufacturers are under this belief as well, as their advertising campaigns have been crafted to attract women, an perhaps children who can then tell their mom's what they would like them to purchase.  But is this belief actually correct?  Are these successful multi-million dollar companies actually losing money by continuing this advertising trend?

One only needs to look around the supermarket when they do their shopping to know that answer.  Who is it you see in the checkout line next to you?  Who is that you see taking advantage of that week's Buy One Get One Free selections? Men.  They are all over the store.  Selecting produce; ordering from the meat counter; choosing the cereal.  There are more and more men shopping every day.  They are not just shopping, they are couponing as well.  They are also scanning their store card for additional discounts.  There are a significant amount of single, divorced and widowed men in this country, and they are visiting supermarkets multiple times a week. 

According to the United States Census Bureau, in a data report released in 2012, there were 103 million unmarried people in America 18 and older. This group made up 44.1 percent of all U.S. residents 18 and older.  46.4 percent of these individuals were men.  That equates to almost 48 million Americans who are not being directly marketing to - that is if you ignore the beer and Beef Jerky commercials.

According to consumer-research firm GfK MRI and an ESPN report, 31 percent of men nationwide were the primary household grocery shoppers in 2011, up from 14 percent in 1985. Some estimates are higher. A nationwide survey of 1,000 fathers conducted by Yahoo and market research firm DB5 released early this year said 51 percent were the primary grocery shoppers in their household. Of that group, 60 percent said they were the primary decision-makers regarding consumer package goods, which includes packaged food.

"We're seeing more men doing grocery shopping and more young dads cooking with their kids as a way to bond with them at home," said Phil Lempert, a supermarket consultant. "It's very different from the whole metrosexual phenomenon of six, seven, eight years ago, but a much more down-to-earth (approach), not trying to show off, but trying to be part of the family."

Brad Harrington, executive director of the Center for Work and Family at Boston College, said "men on the homefront are where women in the workplace were 30 years ago," in terms of how they are portrayed on television and even in advertisements — namely, as disengaged or incompetent.  "If we portrayed women like that in the workplace, there would be an outcry," he said.

According to a 2012 survey conducted by Cone Communications new survey, 52 percent of fathers now identify themselves as the primary grocery shopper in their household, and while not all moms agree, about 35 percent say that over the past few years, dad has taken on more of the shopping.  "No doubt male shopping behavior is undergoing major change," says Tod Marks, Consumer Reports senior editor and resident shopping expert. "Back in 1995, studies have shown that only 10 percent of men identified themselves as the family's main grocery shopper. That number has been rising steadily."

The survey included 1,000 parents of kids 17 and under. Other findings showed that 63 percent  of dads make a detailed shopping list and 56 percent  collect coupons or read store circulars.  Additionally, dads are more likely to plan meals for the week ahead of time (52 percent vs. 46 percent of moms), and even more inclined to research grocery products (24 percent vs. 11 percent of moms).

But change appears to be under way.  Kraft scored with men in 2011 by way of its Philadelphia Cooking Creme, which was attributed in part to displaying it near chicken.  Guys impulsively bought that product, thinking that it was a way to try a different way of making chicken. Sales volumes of Philly Cooking Creme were 20 percent above expectations in 2011, the company said, after a $35 million investment in advertising, in-store promotions, coupons and product demonstrations.

The success of Philly Cooking Creme and other brands are case studies Kraft is presenting to the entire company, looking for other products where male-themed marketing makes sense.  Some local grocery chains are also looking for ways to get into the mix. A spokeswoman for Jewel said the chain is watching the trend toward more male shoppers but hasn't made any major changes. A Safeway spokeswoman said they have man-friendly marketing in the works but declined to provide specifics.

Other chains have seen a good share of men for some time. Maggie Bahler, executive marketing coordinator for Whole Foods Market's Midwest region, said the chain's shoppers are about half men, although the company hasn't been tracking shopping habits by gender over time.

Men have different shopping tendencies which are causing food-makers to look at a different set of opportunities, as men appear to be less hurried in stores and more prone to impulse purchases than women.

"The mindset has been that she shops, she really knows every inch of the store, she is really organized, has a list, is in a huge hurry," Calpino said. "We talk to a lot of these millennial guys about shopping, and the biggest headline is they're not as structured, not as hurried, much more experimental, more adventurous."

Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, chief strategy officer with Leo Burnett in Chicago, said men are slightly more inclined to shop around for the best prices than are women.

"Though men are very mission-driven, very grab-and-go, get-it-done, it's not at the expense of paying a price premium," he said. "They are very driven by finding best prices before making purchases, and they're not going to jettison quality either."

Abhi Hansoti, a 35-year-old management consultant, said that because he does most of his shopping at two stores, "I know prices at both places and I'll pick things based on the prices there."  Although Hansoti buys produce from Whole Foods because the quality is better "just from experience," he goes to Jewel for such items as bread and milk.

Hahn-Griffiths said men are less likely to ask for help finding an item but more likely to make a second sweep through the store, in case they've missed something.  "It's part of the hunter mindset," he said. "When you're a hunter, you're more likely to move from place to place and recircle areas you might have missed."  As a result, men might also be spending more time in stores than women.

Despite price sensitivity on shopping-list items, experts say, men are also prone to impulse buys.  Susan Viamari, editor of Times & Trends at SymphonyIRI Group, explained that they "have a little brighter outlook on the economy and their finances, and this is going to impact their purchase behavior and their openness to impulsive purchases, trying new products, things of that nature."

So.....what is my point.  I find it confusing that will all this research out there, why is it the that major supermarket chains for Jacksonville, Publix and Winn-Dixie do not market to the men of the First Coast.  It is true that they are the past and current sponsors of the Jacksonville Jaguars and they both run "tailgating" promotions in the fall, but they will not activate either of these ventures with our radio station that directly markets to men.  Our current advertisers are exceeding their marketing goals by running their commercials and participating in promotions on 1010XL.  Wouldn't it make sense that both Publix and Winn-Dixie would do the same?  If we have Carroll's Meat Shoppe selling out on the cuts they are advertising on our station, wouldn't the "Beef People" of Winn-Dixie succeed as well?  Wouldn't Jaguars sponsor Publix be a perfect participant for our own tailgating promotion?  Again, I find it confusing.

With that said, as we are about to turn the page to 2014....hey Publix and Winn-Dixie...have your people call my people.  I can give you a direct line to the Men of Jacksonville and help you increase your revenues....

What We Have Learned About The 1010XL Listener - And You Should Know Too

The last few months as 1010XL's Director of Sales and Marketing has been an incredible learning experience.  Since I had been with the station for over a year, I had seen the response our sponsors had been receiving from their commercial campaigns.  From conversations with them, from the fact that they had purchased additional campaigns and the extremely large percentage of continual advertisers, it had been apparent that 1010XL had been an extremely efficient marketing medium for reaching men and generating business in Jacksonville.

But it was important to learn more.  It was important to learn more about our listener.  Who are they ?  What role do they play at work?  What role do they play at home?  Are they fathers that have kids at home that they are still raising? There were a number of questions that we wanted answered.  So we launched a survey and asked our listeners to tell us who they are.

And we learned a great deal about the 1010XL listener.  Facts that we want to share so that the businesses of Jacksonville, planning for their upcoming marketing year, will have a better understanding and so they may reach this educated audience that has money to spend on themselves, their families and their businesses.

So here is what we learned:

56% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

 

We have an educated audience.  We had already known that from the conversations we have with them as callers.

68% are Married, while 32% are single or divorced.

44% have children under the age of 16 living in the house.

These are family men and fathers who make big ticket financial decisions.  They are planning family trips, buying toys and gifts, taking the family out to events.

83% own a home.

48% are considering home improvement projects.

Which means that they have a "honey-do" list to accomplish on a regular basis.  And they are willing to pay for the right  companies to help them clear that list.

21% own their own business.

55% describe themselves as a decision maker for their business.

That is a large number of people.  One out of five of our listeners own their own business.  Businesses  should take notice of this and reach out to these men.  If you are looking to create new revenue for your business to business company, our listeners can help you do that.

63% plan to buy / lease vehicle in the next twelve months.

Car dealers, take note.  Our listeners are shopping for cars.  Constantly.  You would want to be in front of them to help with that decision.

Fast Food

44% eat fast food three times per week.

21% eat fast food once per week.

20% eat fast food once per month.

Our men are eating on the run.  We have a few fast food businesses on the air that have benefitted from this.  But options are good and reaching out to our listeners will help drive more sales in this market for you.

 Fine Dining Frequency

42% eat at a fine dining restaurant one per week.

33% eat at a fine dining restaurant one per month.

They are also taking clients and their significant other out to dinner.  On a regular basis.  A nice campaign from a local restaurant would create a strong result.

We are very proud to provide live and local sports information to our listeners and also to provide the opportunity for advertisers to reach them.  This should provide a strong blue print of who they are and how they can help your business.

We know the stories of our current advertisers success and we are developing case studies to help tell those stories to our prospects.  If you would like to learn more about how a similar business has fared or would like to see a proposal, please email me at howardw@1010XL.com.  We would like to be able to help you exceed your revenue budget this coming year.