TORONTO – The 25-54 demographic – which spans from Boomers to Gen Xers and Gen-Y and other trendy demo divisional names – continues to grow in dominance, now capturing 63% of all national radio advertising dollars, says Canadian Broadcast sales.
In the third quarter, ended May 31st, the adults 25-54 demo alone represented almost 50% of spending, an increase of 1.2 share points over the previous year. Adding distinct categories for women 25-54 (8.7%) and men 25-54 (4.7%) brings the total age group spend to 63%.
"While the 25-54 age group is not truly a homogenous target group, radio’s ability to target still allows advertisers to effectively reach this diverse demographic by utilizing stations that deliver the multiple age and gender strengths of different radio formats," said Patrick Grierson, president of CBS, in a release. "Advertisers should also remember to include the large, growing and prosperous 54-plus age group, which is often ignored."
After record third quarter sales in 2005, radio advertising spending fell back slightly by 1.2% over the same period in 2006. Overall, year-to-date figures are 2.6 per cent ahead, according to information supplied by CBS, which is owned jointly by Corus Entertainment and Rogers Media, two of the largest radio station owners in the country.
"Last year’s third quarter was remarkable, our best-ever quarterly result, and we’ve been able to maintain those numbers almost entirely," added Grierson. "Canada has also remained consistently ahead of the U.S. in radio advertising sales for a long period. Even more encouraging is the positive booking trend we’re seeing for the fourth quarter and early 2007 fiscal year, both of which are tracking ahead of previous years."
The top five major categories by growth on CBS-represented stations were: computer and software (229%); insurance (104%); auto aftermarket (73%); Internet/technology (37%); and movies/media/entertainment (8%).
The top five categories by spending accounted for over 50% of national advertising spending on CBS-represented stations: retail $5.3 million (13.7%); automotive $4.9 million (12.7% share); financial $3 million (7.7%); government/federal/provincial $2.9 million (7.5%); and telecommunications $2.5 million (6.5%).
