By Kaveri Nangia | Founder, K247consult.com
“Radio is a hyper-local medium.”
I’ve heard this phrase a thousand times in boardrooms during my time at Radio Mirchi, Red FM, and Big FM. And while it’s true that Radio speaks the local dialect better than any other medium, this mindset often limits its potential.
In the age of OTT and digital streaming, where content travels seamlessly across borders, why are we still treating Radio as a fragmented, city-specific buy?
I believe Radio has the power to make India borderless for brands. It can offer the reach of TV and the personalization of OTT, but at a fraction of the cost. Here is how we can rethink the medium to create cost-effective, national impact using the “Solution Selling” approach I advocate at K247.
1. The “OTT Model”: Buying Audiences, Not Just Frequencies
When you buy ads on Hotstar or Netflix, you aren’t buying “Server 1 in Mumbai.” You are buying an audience—say, “Tech-savvy males, 25-40.”
Radio needs to sell the same way. Instead of piecing together 40 different rate cards for 40 cities, brands should demand (and networks should offer) Cohort-Based Solutions.
- The Strategy: Create a “Youth Network” or a “Housewife Network” that cuts across geography. A brand campaign runs simultaneously on the “Morning Drive Time” across 50 stations.
- The Benefit: You get national scale with a single point of contact, similar to a digital impression buy, but with the high trust factor of local RJs.
2. The “TV Format”: Syndicated Impact with Local Flavor
Television has mastered the art of the “Big Ticket Reality Show” that grips the whole nation. Radio can do this too, but we often shy away from it.
- The Innovation: Produce one high-quality, “National” content piece—a celebrity interview, a cricket segment, or a financial advice column.
- The Execution: This central content is the “spine.” Then, use local RJs to wrap the “flesh” around it—translating the intro/outro and adding local context.
- My Experience: At Red FM, we did exactly this for a BFSI client We didn’t just run spots; we created a nationwide digital activation that felt local in every city but rolled up into one massive, cohesive campaign. The result? A ₹+ deal and a happy client.
3. Using AI to Kill the “Language Barrier” Cost
Historically, the biggest cost in a national radio campaign was production. Dubbing a spot into 14 languages was a logistical nightmare and a budget drain.
- The Fix: Today, AI tools (which I successfully integrated during my time at Big FM ) allow us to localize content instantly. We can now script a campaign in English or Hindi and use AI to assist in creating regional variants that sound authentic, not robotic.
- The Result: A brand can launch a “National” campaign in 48 hours, speaking to a Tamil listener in Chennai and a Punjabi listener in Mohali simultaneously, without the massive production overhead of TV.
4. Solution Selling: The “RJ Influencer” Network
OTT relies heavily on influencers to drive subscriptions. Radio has the original influencers: The RJs.
- The Strategy: Don’t just buy airtime (FCT). Buy the voice. A national campaign where 30 top RJs across India talk about your product in their own unique style is far more powerful than a recorded 30-second ad.
- Cost-Effectiveness: This eliminates the need for expensive video production. The “Theatre of the Mind” is free. You give the RJ the brief, and they create the magic.
Conclusion: The K247 Approach
At K247, I don’t just advise clients to “advertise.” I help them build ecosystems. Whether you are an Auto, BFSI, Consumer Durable, Retail or an educational institute, the goal is the same: Reach everyone, but speak to them one-on-one.
Radio is the only medium that can whisper in a listener’s ear while shouting your brand’s message across the entire subcontinent multiple times through the day at a reasonable Cost. Let’s stop thinking of it as “local support” and start using it as a “National Powerhouse.”
Let’s make your brand borderless.
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