Radio advertising despite the crisis

When the economy is down radio ads move merchandise and get things going. This is why IREX Serbia facilitated series of trainings and on-site consultations: “Selling Radio Advertising in a Challenging Economy and Improving Collections” for the local radio stations sales personnel between March 23 to April 4.

The trainings and the site visits to the radio stations and advertising agencies were performed by Mr. Bud Stiker, an international consultant with a career spanning some forty years in radio sales and management. Mr. Stiker has been a program director and on air personality, a group head, station owner, and general manager in major markets in the US and abroad. Joining the Radio Advertising Bureau in Sept of 1999, Bud has consulted on sales and management issues for stations in Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Palestine, Serbia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Germany, Ecuador and Mexico. He worked in Serbia in the early 2000s helping local stations develop successful sales programs. In January 2009, Bud formed Radio International Consulting and continues to consulate stations around the world.

Meetings with the media buyers and client service directors at all leading advertising agencies in Belgrade gave IREX Serbia valuable insight into the current changes in advertising budgets, radio’s market share and local radio’s potentials and constraints. This all will enable IREX Serbia to better address its actions in the future, improving the viability of local radio stations. With goose-bump examples of good radio advertising Mr. Stiker reminded all the participants that when “done properly, there is no more graphic medium than radio”, as Mr. Stan Richards, an advertising legend and icon, famously said.

The workshops covered the major issues sales managers are facing with today, especially because of the spillover from the world financial crisis: why the companies should advertise despite the difficulties in the economy; how to overcome client’s objections; debt collection and importance of creativity and client needs assessment. IREX Serbia gathered sales managers from the radio stations in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Pozarevac, Valjevo, Zajecar, Uzice, Nis, Knjazevac, Vranje and Bujanovac.Interactive work, role-play and examples of good practices provided the participants with a necessary boost for facing the challenges they come across in every day work.