TORONTO – National radio advertising in Canada grew by 5.9% for the year ending August 26th, and of the 12 reported markets, Hamilton stations saw the largest increase, up 22.9% over last year according to IMS Radio’s TRAM Report.
Among IMS represented stations (those owned by Astral Media, Standard Broadcasting, Newcap and MBS), the largest share of radio spending was on Ontario radio stations, which represented almost 40% of total sales. “Alberta stations have seen tremendous sales growth over the past three years and now represent almost a quarter of total revenue. Following closely behind is Quebec, which accounted for 18.5% of sales,” says the report.
“Naturally, we are delighted with radio’s continued growth in the most recent fiscal year” said Ron Hutchinson, president & CEO of IMS Radio. “Our medium continues to be efficient and effective for advertisers and there is no greater testament than continued growth… a trend we expect to continue.”
Retail, automotive, restaurants and health care were the top categories by total spending, unchanged from last year. With no election spending this year, telecommunications replaced government as the fifth highest radio spender. The fastest growing category was pet products, where national radio spending increased 12-fold over last year.
Demos within the 18-54 age range account for 90% of all national radio buys, a rate that has been constant since 2001. The 25-54 group continues to be the dominant buying demo, representing 55.3% of sales. Over the past seven years, the percentage of radio dollars in this demo has been steadily increasing, up from 41.8% in 2001.
“Looking forward, I believe that radio will be able to provide new ways for marketers to harness the medium’s unique, one-to-one relationship with its listeners. From new formats and commercial opportunities, to integration with our online properties, radio’s immediate future looks bright,” said Hutchinson.
