Sometimes people suggest things that blow your mind. In this case, the topic is internet radio.
My cell phone has high speed internet access. I was able to connect to KUOW, and listen to live streaming radio over my phone. I, too, can connect the phone to the stereo system in my car, and by doing so, listen to any internet radio program in the world while driving in urban areas (or on interstate highways).
Here's the thing, folks. Our industry spent more than a decade trying to prove that paper-based advertising fuels e-commerce growth. We proved it. Good for us.
Now it is time to move on. How do we reach customers who have no interest in paper-based advertising?
Obviously, I'm not suggesting we all go out there and create a streaming radio station that seventeen folks across the United States access via mobile phones broadcasting through a cassette converter in a car stereo.
I am suggesting, however, that we start thinking about these ideas, how we might usefully reach folks via micro-channels.
I agree with you that we need to reach consumers in unexpected places -- one of the reasons why out-of-home advertising is growing at a rate second only to internet ads (and the technique you describe correctly falls into BOTH categories!)
ReplyDeleteThe challenge will be finding niches in the long tail of internet radio (etc., etc.,) with enough responsive people to matter from an ROI perspective.
The idea of listening to streaming radio via cell phone is intriguing from another perspective, which I think you've probable also pondered:
How can we get these people to respond in easy, immediate ways? What if pressing a button could trigger a text message requesting more info? Or saving a phone number to your contact list until it's safe to call (in other words, once you're off the roadways)?
Thanks for posing the idea. I look forward to other readers' thoughts.