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African radio broadcasters are using has a particularly important role to play digital and social media to increase throughout the continent. engagement, gather data that allows “Radio remains the primary tool them to understand their listeners of marketing in Africa,” he observes. better and, ultimately, help advertisers “The reason is its accessibility as a run more successful campaigns… medium of communication, whether Cross-channel competitions and in rural, semi-rural or urban areas. It is campaigns that use SMS, online and an affordable and accessible medium, broadcast elements are proving to plus you can more readily communicate be very successful. As South African in the mother tongue. TV, by contrast, Internet penetration rises, regional frequently only accommodates mother radio stations will use it to enrich their tongue programming during specific listener experience rather than see it time slots,” he says. as a threat.” Radio also tunes into the sense of community and word-of-mouth Africa’s primary tool marketing that broadens the target Professor Mornay Roberts-Lombard audience exponentially – in some from the Department of Marketing cases by a factor of five or even 10. Radio is accessible whether in rural, Management at the University of By contrast, the Internet communicates semi-rural or urban environments Johannesburg believes that radio to one person at a time. Third quarter 2014 strategicmarketingafrica 19 14-19 Radio v4.indd 43 2014/06/26 12:00 PM