Radio Advertising

Radio advertising uses specific breaks in radio programmes to run audio advertising messages. This form of advertising is primarily used in commercial radio stations where it is a significant source of revenue. Radio stations that are publicly run - such as BBC stations - do not use advertising in this way.

The cost of radio advertising - whilst cheaper than TV advertising - will vary depending on when and where the advert appears. Adverts in popular programmes at peak times will be more expensive to buy than those heard at other times.

Most people will buy advertising slots from radio stations, advertising agencies or radio advert production companies. Adverts here are sold in airtime slot sizes - so, for example, an advert may last for 10 seconds through to a couple of minutes. Again, adverts are often produced by specialist companies but some radio stations will offer this kind of service as well.

Some companies will simply adapt their general TV advertising for radio broadcasting whilst others may not use TV advertising at all or may create new adverts for this purpose. One of the big appeals of radio advertising is the fact that people don't need to consciously listen to it to hear the message - catchy and effective radio adverts will stick in the subconscious quite easily. For this reason many advertisers will run repetitive campaigns regularly to get the maximum effects.