Waiting for initial ignition
Digital Radio: Following a less-than-successful advertising campaign a year ago, the SRG is making another attempt to promote DAB digital radio to the public through posters and a movie theater ad.
Digital radio After an unsuccessful advertising campaign a year ago, the SRG is making another attempt with posters and a cinema spot to make digital radio DAB palatable to the public.How many people in Switzerland listen to digital radio is not known. Based on two surveys, Swiss Satellite Radio only knows that ten percent of the 4,000 listeners surveyed own a DAB device. But even if this number is optimistically extrapolated, it results in an estimated value of a few tens of thousands of digital radios; however, this is only a fraction compared to the millions of FM receivers in use. In the course of the next decade, the ratio should turn in favor of digital radio, and FM should even be completely replaced by DAB in the medium term.SRG has a great interest in the early success of digital radio. Since the introduction of the technology seven years ago, the fee-financed broadcaster has invested tens of millions of euros in building up the transmitter infrastructure. Further investments of CHF 49 million are planned up to 2010 (see below).
"SRG is currently using a poster campaign and a cinema spot to draw attention to the benefits of digital radio. The core message is simple and straightforward: listen to pop (or classical, jazz or folk music) anywhere, anytime. "It's all about the initial spark," says Ariane Ehrat, head of communications at Radio DRS. The goal is to "make digital radio reception known and to anchor its advantages in the population.
The posters appear sober to unspectacular. Gray on white, the silhouettes of a jazz trumpeter, alphorn player, conductor, and pop guitarist can be seen in the form of a stylized loudspeaker hole grid. "We were looking for an element that would stay with us for future campaigns; a key visual that hasn't been seen before," says Andy Stäheli of Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB), explaining the choice of motif.
With the campaign, the agency commissioned by SRG wants to appeal to people "who want to listen to radio in top quality not only on their stereo, but also when they're on the move". The musicians in the motif stand for the radio programs Swiss Classic, Swiss Pop, Swiss Jazz and Musigwälle 531, which can be received terrestrially exclusively in digital form.
TV commercials without effectA year ago, SRG already wanted to make the new technology palatable to radio listeners. But that went rather wrong. "The TV spots were a rather unfortunate start," confirms DRS communications chief Ehrat. The time was not yet ripe at that time. In addition, functions were advertised that DAB devices in the middle and lower price ranges do not have as standard, such as a pause button to interrupt radio broadcasts and listen to them later.
"With this, we wanted to appeal to technology-savvy early adopters who would then act as multipliers," explains advertiser Andy Stäheli. Apparently, that didn't work. That's why the current campaign does without references to technical bells and whistles. "We now deliberately want to break down potential inhibitions about the technology."
Fee increase due to DAB SRG wants more money
from fee payers: an additional CHF 72 million per year by 2010. The radio and television company recently submitted this request to the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). The Federal Council will ultimately decide on a fee increase. The broadcaster wants to use just under one fifth (17 percent) of the requested funds for the further expansion of digital radio. In order to achieve nationwide coverage with the radio standard of the future, the SRG expects total costs of CHF 49 million by 2010. In principle, digital technology is cheaper than broadcasting FM radio waves. What will cost money, however, is the parallel operation of analog and digital infrastructure during a transition phase of about ten years. During this period, listeners are expected to purchase equipment for digital reception and mothball their old radio sets. DRS still considers FM to be the main means of broadcasting radio programs until 2015. After that, DAB is to become the primary distribution vector.
Currently, 75 percent of the Swiss population can receive digital radio, primarily in the major conurbations and along the east-west axis from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance. The commissioning of new transmitter sites is not running entirely smoothly. Due to objections, some antennas could not be put into operation as planned.
Nick Lüthi
"SRG is currently using a poster campaign and a cinema spot to draw attention to the benefits of digital radio. The core message is simple and straightforward: listen to pop (or classical, jazz or folk music) anywhere, anytime. "It's all about the initial spark," says Ariane Ehrat, head of communications at Radio DRS. The goal is to "make digital radio reception known and to anchor its advantages in the population.
The posters appear sober to unspectacular. Gray on white, the silhouettes of a jazz trumpeter, alphorn player, conductor, and pop guitarist can be seen in the form of a stylized loudspeaker hole grid. "We were looking for an element that would stay with us for future campaigns; a key visual that hasn't been seen before," says Andy Stäheli of Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB), explaining the choice of motif.
With the campaign, the agency commissioned by SRG wants to appeal to people "who want to listen to radio in top quality not only on their stereo, but also when they're on the move". The musicians in the motif stand for the radio programs Swiss Classic, Swiss Pop, Swiss Jazz and Musigwälle 531, which can be received terrestrially exclusively in digital form.
TV commercials without effectA year ago, SRG already wanted to make the new technology palatable to radio listeners. But that went rather wrong. "The TV spots were a rather unfortunate start," confirms DRS communications chief Ehrat. The time was not yet ripe at that time. In addition, functions were advertised that DAB devices in the middle and lower price ranges do not have as standard, such as a pause button to interrupt radio broadcasts and listen to them later.
"With this, we wanted to appeal to technology-savvy early adopters who would then act as multipliers," explains advertiser Andy Stäheli. Apparently, that didn't work. That's why the current campaign does without references to technical bells and whistles. "We now deliberately want to break down potential inhibitions about the technology."
Fee increase due to DAB SRG wants more money
from fee payers: an additional CHF 72 million per year by 2010. The radio and television company recently submitted this request to the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). The Federal Council will ultimately decide on a fee increase. The broadcaster wants to use just under one fifth (17 percent) of the requested funds for the further expansion of digital radio. In order to achieve nationwide coverage with the radio standard of the future, the SRG expects total costs of CHF 49 million by 2010. In principle, digital technology is cheaper than broadcasting FM radio waves. What will cost money, however, is the parallel operation of analog and digital infrastructure during a transition phase of about ten years. During this period, listeners are expected to purchase equipment for digital reception and mothball their old radio sets. DRS still considers FM to be the main means of broadcasting radio programs until 2015. After that, DAB is to become the primary distribution vector.
Currently, 75 percent of the Swiss population can receive digital radio, primarily in the major conurbations and along the east-west axis from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance. The commissioning of new transmitter sites is not running entirely smoothly. Due to objections, some antennas could not be put into operation as planned.
Nick Lüthi
