Brand reputation is your company’s most valuable asset. It is important for gaining new customers, retaining existing customers, building business relationships, and building corporate culture. It’s an asset that can be built over time, but also damaged by poor decisions or actions.
Marketers know that building a brand is vital to the long-term success of a business. A strong brand can help you attract customers, increase sales and profit margins, and create loyalty. On the other hand, adjacency to and association with undesired messaging in commercial radio can be detrimental. For example, you wouldn’t place a Green Peace public service announcement next to an ad for a diesel-fueled Ford F-350.
Public media sponsorships are a great way to demonstrate the purpose of your mission because their limited, selective sponsorship inventory places your message in a brand-safe environment that listeners trust.
Selected Inventory Gives You Positive Association with Purpose-Driven Brands
Public media sponsorship can help create a positive association for your brand. By aligning yourself with a station that shares the same values as you, you are building a shared identity and positioning yourself as an ethical leader in your community. When consumers hear your brand message spoken by trusted station talent , they will associate the values of the station with yours—it's called the Halo Effect.
When people think of brands they consider to be socially conscious or purpose-driven, they think of companies that operate with transparency, strong ethics and honesty, and inclusivity. Brands like these also tend to have higher customer loyalty rates because consumers feel good about contributing financially whenever possible--especially when they’re personally invested in the cause.
Positive Association Better Demonstrates the Purpose of Your Mission
Public media’s limited sponsorship inventory allows for a more resonant connection with listeners. For example, you could sponsor a show on PBS that focuses on social justice issues and then run messaging that promote your own products or services as being socially responsible.
The key is to make sure that you're not simply selling. Instead, you should be communicating the value of buying from companies like yours—ones that do well by doing good. After hearing or seeing a message on a public media platform, 82% of listeners are likely to take action, and 70% of listeners say they prefer to do business with companies that sponsor their favorite programs on public radio.
Public Media Sponsorship Is Great for Brand Reputation
Public media messaging is more beneficial for your brand because its less likely to be seen as a product placement or paid advertisement. There are no commercial messages interrupting content and you don't need to worry about appearing out-of-place during programming. Not to mention, it supports an organization whose values align with yours.
Not only will your brand have exposure to a wide audience, but you’ll also be able to engage with them in a meaningful way. When you sponsor public media stations, your brand will also benefit from the fact that their trusted reputation precedes them.
