Effective media buys attract the highest possible volume of calls, clicks, and store ups at the lowest possible Cost per Inquiry.  

Do your competitors run generic creative at high frequency on a handful of stations and programs?  If you can't afford to outspend them, you'll have to outsmart them.

Here's how:  Run stand out creative at low frequency on stations and programs that share audiences.  Buy thin & wide.

Attract fast response from Active Shoppers.  Build awareness slowly among Future prospects.

Seven Principles of Stingy Media Buying.  

I.  Buy All The Right Stations.

Radio advertising should run on stations and network programs whose Target Audience Demographics match your own customer profile.  

P1 Cume Ranker selection identifies the stations in any market that will deliver 10% to 90% of your prospects.

II. Target Shoppers Who Are Up To Speed.

All immediate response comes from the small percentage of radio listeners who are in the market for Your Thing. Active Shoppers comprise your Cume Quota.

Cume Quotas refresh themselves at speeds that are unique to every category.  Flighting should match the purchase cycles or "Steam Speed" of a category.

III. Skim the Cream off the Top.

Steam Heat Shoppers who respond after one or two exposures cost much less than those who require
5, 8, 18 or 45 hits.  Excessive frequency wastes money. 

IV.  Track Response Rate.  Negotiate CPM.

"Good creative" produces measurably lower G (i.e. fewer and fewer gallons per Inquiry) over time.

When G is known, CPM can always be negotiated to achieve an acceptable CPI.  (See below.)

V. Buy Thin & Wide.

When Active Shoppers hear your campaign on two or three of their favorite stations, you gain credibility and impact.

Low frequency flights on several stations or programs that share audiences are more effective than high frequency flights on only one or two stations.

VI.  Fish When The Fish Are Biting.

Response Rate is dynamic. Daily G tells you exactly when to quit fishing on current and future stations.

G usually starts out high, drops for a few days, then levels out as you overcome initial resistance, build familiarity, and pique the curiosity of Active Shoppers.

If and when you fish out a static Cume Quota, G starts to rise.  Stop advertising.

If your Cume Quota refreshes itself rapidly, refresh the creative often.  Keep your brand fresh.  Given late-comers more incentive to call or click. 

VII. Achieve Optimum Effective Frequency.

Each successive spot builds Effective Frequency against the Cume Quota.

DAILY G and the ratio of cume to AQH reveal the Minimum ENTRY and Maximum EXIT frequencies necessary to fish out any pool.

There is a unique Effective Frequency Range for every brand.  The fastest and least expensive  response occurs within this range.

How do we track Media Cost?

In my system, we track total Media Cost Per Sale using 9th Grade Algebra:

is Media Cost per Sale. MCPS equals Response Rate times Media Cost divided by Conversion rate.

All DR and most retail advertisers track CPI or media Cost Per Inquiry.  CPI is always a function of two dynamic variables.

is short for "Gallons per Inquiry." 
A Gallon is 1,000 Gross Impressions.  An Inquiry is a call, click, store up, package recognition, or some other discrete action that begins the purchase decision.

is short for CPM, or Cost per Gallon. CPM varies with station, season, day, day part, length of contract, payment terms, and negotiation.

Proof

If you switch to my method, how many new customers will you get?

My creative and media tactics are designed to attract fast response at the lowest possible CPI.  It's up to you, though, to close the sale.

Your in-bound telemarketers, CSRs, web designers, or sales force have to meet & greet Impulse Shoppers, steer them quickly to the Thing you advertised, and seal the deal.

I get the first two or three :60s.  Every second sells. You get the next three or four minutes.  Every second counts.