‘Trust us with your client’: Amanda Keller, Kate Ritchie, and Erin Molan send message to radio advertisers
Four of our country’s top female broadcasters have touted the merits of radio advertising, noting how brands that support a show often become a vital part of that program’s content.
Erin Molan, Kate Ritchie, Amanda Keller, and Deb Knight all host successful radio programs across various networks.
While they are usually battling each other for radio ratings, they came together yesterday at CRA’s HEARD 2024 conference, where they all agreed that advertising dollars spent on radio campaigns result in outsized results.
Amanda Keller co-hosts WS-FM’s breakfast show Jonesy and Amanda, a ‘golden oldies’ station that Keller believes can “fall through some of the cracks” when it comes to advertisers.
“People look at the demographic and think they know who we are,” she said.
“I would suggest having a listen, because there’s a lot of money in our demographic. And it’s worth your while for your clients to know who we are, and what our show is. And you don’t have to necessarily listen — we’re not mainstream, we may not be your listening choice, with all this great variety, we have [on Australian radio] — but, I’d say, for all of us, is to know the shows, and to trust us with your client, because we will guarantee we will value add to anything you give us.
“If you can be flexible in saying, ‘here’s my client, they want a campaign that might be like this’, or ‘have you’ve got any ideas for this?’ then we will come up with that.
“We are at our best when your requirements become our content. And so, if we can help dictate that content, you’ll get such a better result. And we know organically, what works best for us and what our listeners like, and we can make your — whatever you have — your product, we can turn that into our content. But it’s best to involve us in that process.”
Kate Ritchie – who last year joined Fitzy and Wippa’s Nova breakfast show, moving from the national drive with Tim Blackwell, and Joel Creasey – agrees with Keller’s comments.
“We were even in a meeting the other day,” Ritchie recalls, “and it was exactly that. We know that control has to be shared. But, you’ve come to us for a reason, you’ve come to our brand, you’ve got what you’re looking for. And if you trust us to do a bit of that ourselves, it’s a sure thing, because that when we over-deliver on air.”
Ritchie notes that when they are involved in the creative execution of a campaign, and have enough time to flesh out the idea, the results tend to be better for all involved.
“Because we’ve all been looking forward to an idea, rather than then the opposite, where we feel kind of forced into it,” she explains.
Erin Molan says it’s vital to “trust the creative of the team you’re working with”, as they are the ones who know the audience best.
“We know our listeners better than than anyone else,” she declares of her 2DayFM breakfast show, which she hosts with David Hughes and Ed Kavalee.
“Last night, we were on the Love Boat with our listeners, we do so much with our listeners, as well as fielding calls every morning. And we know who we’re trying to attract, as well, so we know who we’re aiming our content at.
“And it’s going to be different for every station. But the more ‘buy-in’ we have as hosts, the better off the sell will be for your product.”
Molan notes a ‘Spinal Ease’ read she did recently, where her genuine love for the product — “I’ve been using it for seven years, since my 2GB days” — led to someone from sales bailing her up after the show to congratulate her on the segment.
“I’ve bought in, I think they’re incredible, and I’m passionate about it,” she notes. “So, I think it’s also finding brands that align with the talent on the network.”
Keller then quipped that’s why they are all aiming for those elusive Tiffany’s sponsorships.
“We are the newest team, we are willing to do so much – because we have to,” Molan added.
“It’s a tough slog, but we over-deliver to the nth degree — because we’re so grateful when people jump on board with us.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Deputy Editor of Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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