Rajeeb Dash, Head - Marketing, Tata Housing believes Radio is best as an introductory medium rather than a reminder medium, and a well thought out creative can have the right teaser value; besides, it is the perfect communication tool for targeting a varied audience through different timings and bands
By SALONI DUTTA
Q] How important is Radio as a communication tool for Tata Housing? What’s the most innovative Radio campaign undertaken by Tata Housing?
Radio is an important tool and an integral part of our media selection when it comes to marketing and promotions, be it to sell apartments, luxury apartments or affordable housing. We can target audiences based on segment, and the cost per reach is less than other mediums. We ran a radio campaign last month as the Tata Group completed 175 years, and we offered prospective customers a special scheme; and also for people who spread the news by word-of-mouth. The campaign was run judiciously in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, where we are selling the premium and luxury projects. The innovative part was that we did not give out all the details about the scheme and used Radio to add teaser value to our campaign. We kept the excitement going by asking customers to visit our website when they called up for details.
Q] What is the share of Radio currently in your media mix and are you looking at upping your spends?
Radio occupies 10–12% of our media budget, but this differs from project to project. If we have a generalized project like in Mumbai, Radio is of more value. But if we have a project at the periphery of the city, Radio usage will be less. So it depends on who you want to target. The good thing about Radio is being able to use different timing and bands. If you have a premium project and want to target people travelling in cars, then you have to take the peak time slot. If your target audience is the affordable, mass market people, then you have to do it in the afternoon. Yes, we are looking at increasing our spends on Radio.
Q] How do you use Radio during your festival campaigns?
Radio allows you to have a good number of creatives in a limited budget. So we can keep refreshing our creatives, based on the festivals or launch of new projects, and it works well from the budget size and reach angle.
Q] Does Radio help in connecting with not just the masses, but also the classes?
We use Radio for our premium and luxury housing as well, which are like Rs 2–4 crore and above properties. We target both, mass and class through Radio. The timing and band makes the difference here.
Q] How do you rate innovation and customization on Radio versus other mediums?
The cost of customization and cost of creatives is very low, which is the good thing about Radio. Alternative mediums require giving out details about the project and product. Radio’s USP is that excitement can be created by not giving out all the details.
Q] How do you think Radio can be utilized better as a marketing tool?
Many brands are currently using Radio for information distribution. Radio adds value in your media plan as it allows excitement to be created differently, as compared to other mediums. With Radio, you are hearing the voice, but not seeing the person. Therefore, more creativity is required. I think a lot of clients currently use Radio as a reminder campaign of their main media, which may not be the right way. If you are using it as a reminder medium, then your creative justification is not there. Instead of using Radio last, it should be used to create excitement and teaser value, as an introductory medium.
Q] How does Radio score over other media formats?
In the current space, it is slower than other media in terms of reach and impact. If you are looking for impact in terms of sales numbers or leads, then Radio doesn’t score high. But if you are looking to create excitement and brand equity, then Radio scores high. So it depends on your objective.
Q] How important is Radio as a communication tool for you?
Radio plays a critical role in our scheme of things.
NoteBook: Radio
