Want To Move Product? Use Radio!

Radio Ink

December 7, 2017

Chris Weil

That’s the word from Chris Weil, Chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide. Momentum has 36 offices in 27 countries and has done work for Microsoft, Verizon, American Express, and WalMart just to name a few companies. And at Radio Ink’s recent Forecast Conference in New York City, Weil had big praise for radio and laid down the truth about digital.

Weil grew up around newspapers and watched them lose their way. They had trust, brand, content, and they were local, and they lost it all. Now he says radio is the best local game in town. “You are more effective. You have the ability to drive sales. If you want to move stuff off the shelves, you go to radio.” Weil also said despite what you hear about Millennials not embracing radio, he believes Millennials are embracing both music and sports when it comes to radio.

And when it comes to that shiny new thing, digital, Weil says the digital emperor has no clothes. “Only 25-40% of digital ads are reaching consumers. Ad blocking grew 40% last year. Consumers are spending time and money to block ads. I guarantee you the last time you clicked on an ad on your phone it was by mistake. If you want content you are not sure is safe, go with digital. Radio is safe.” He said digital has a long way to go and radio has a very bright future. “Radio is in a good place.”
Weil says Procter and Gamble cut back on their digital spend and it had no negative impact on sales. And as we know, P&G will be spending more with radio this year. Weil told the Forecast crowd that the Internet is the Wild Wild West. “There are a lot of middlemen. There are questions about Programmatic. It’s getting more complicated. The simplicity of radio is a positive.”

Weil said there are now too many media and the only ones that will survive are the ones that have engaged audiences.