Mumbrellacast: Talkback dominates radio ratings again, brands finding their voice and a new sound for Mumbrella

The sixth GfK metro radio survey of the year dropped this morning, with lockdowns again proving beneficial for AM radio. Nine Radio’s 2GB again topped the Sydney market, also delivering a sizeable lead once again for 3AW in Melbourne, with both station’s flagship breakfast shows also adding to already significant leads. The team breaks down the full survey, as well as sharing some insights from Nine Radio’s Greg Byrnes and ARN’s Duncan Campbell.

In a feature published this morning, Mumbrella’s Calum Jaspan explored the topic of brands increasingly producing purpose driven marketing space. While it is not a new area or trend, vaccine campaigns have seen brands not directly related to the uptake come out and voice an opinion on the matter. Are we about to see this trend increasing beyond just safer topics such as vaccines?

Advertising spend is continuing to rise beyond pre-pandemic levels as the Standard Media Index described this month’s reporting figures as “extraordinary”.  August figures showed marketing spend hit a record high, almost 27% more than the same month last year and 12% above 2019 levels, also surpassing 2018 levels by more than 4%. At the same time, the Outdoor Media Association has reported the outdoor sector slowing down as lockdowns have taken hold of NSW and Victoria. While revenue in the three months to September climbed 50% against the same period last year, it was down almost 22% on the second quarter. The team discuss whether the momentum can be maintained?