Philadelphia Radio organization announces Local Marketing Campaign.

The Philadelphia Radio Organization announced today at the RAB Board of Directors meeting, that it will launch a local marketing campaign to help drive the successful launch of the Portable People Meter (PPM) in Philadelphia. Arbitron has agreed to provide significant seed money for program design, assistance with implementation of the plan in Philadelphia and rights to use the creative execution and campaign plan for other markets.

Last week Philadelphia became the first radio market in the United States to be measured by the Arbitron Portable People Meter system, an electronic audience measurement technology. In Philadelphia, PPM has replaced the diary method that Arbitron has employed to collect radio audience estimates since the mid 1960s.

This is the first time that PPM will be used as a media trading “currency” in the United States. The Philadelphia Radio Organization is launching the new campaign to smooth the transition to electronic measurement by enhancing the local advertising community’s understanding of PPM and convey the strengths of radio using the new data. The local marketing plan will employ a variety of events, tools, and materials to reinforce the value of Philadelphia radio with PPM information.

The new marketing campaign is being spearheaded by the Philadelphia Radio Organization which promotes the value of radio advertising and works to create effective relationships between radio advertising sellers and buyers. The Philadelphia Radio Organization will be working with Think Communications Group of Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania to design, plan, organize and execute the campaign.

Arbitron will provide funding to assist with program design, implementation of the plan in Philadelphia and the rights to offer the campaign plan and creative execution for the other markets to use. Arbitron will work with the Philadelphia Radio Organization to help execute the plan and it will refine the elements of the program based on what it learns in Philadelphia. Arbitron plans to create a ready to use “marketing campaign in a box” that will include the campaign plan and creative execution for radio ad sales organizations to use in future PPM markets.

“We are excited that Philadelphia is at the forefront of this crucial upgrade in radio audience measurement and we have one chance to make a good first impression. This campaign enables the broadcasters to be proactive and energetic in helping clients understand PPM and the vitality of Philadelphia radio,” said Blaise Howard, of the Philadelphia Radio Organization and vice president/general manager of WBEB-FM, Philadelphia.

“It is great to have the local radio organization in the lead when it comes to educating their clients about PPM. While our training on the topic is non-stop there is a world of difference when broadcasters take the lead because they know their clients best,” said Bill Rose, senior vice president of marketing, Arbitron, Inc.