Until recently, most direct response radio was limited to low-price offers for vitamins, music and household gadgets. The belief was that expensive merchandise needed the visuals, time and space that come with TV and print. Now many advertisers have discovered that radio can deliver not only qualified leads but also sales and revenue from products that cost hundreds of dollars.
Radio offers several advantages. The cost to generate a call on radio is often a small fraction of what you would pay using TV or direct mail. Run of station (ROS) space is available at a deep discount, and many stations and networks also accept per-inquiry deals where you pay a set amount for each lead generated.
And producing a radio ad is both cost- and time-efficient. A high-end radio spot can be produced in just a few hours for $10,000 or less, including talent, and be on the air the next day. Revisions based on test results are economical and easy to make. Plus, studies show that high-income consumers are more likely to listen to radio compared with the general population.
With all these advantages, the
