According to emarketer, Internet revenues are all set to cross radio’s $20 billion with projected spends of $21.7 billion. Another firm (Veronis Suhler Stevenson) projects that the Internet will overtake big titan, TV by 2011. Radio joins outdoor as the second medium to be left behind by the Internet juggernaut.
The travel industry has never been a great fan of radio advertising – the medium does not lend itself to the multi-layered product/destination experience delivered by the Internet, TV or even banners to some extent. Radio ads are quickly annoying the second time around and need to work harder to break the inertia of listeners going about their daily lives. The current Royal Carribean Cruise door-to-door radio spot is an example of unusually good radio advertising – a single-minded idea (going door to door to announce RC’s “next-door” cruises) crisply delivered. Hotels, however have a harder time with humor in general and radio spots are better used as reminders of tv spots or Internet campaigns. The radio as a standalone medium is always a risky idea. When was the last time a hotel used the medium effectively?