In today’s fast-paced advertising world, it’s more important than ever to connect your advertising spend to actual sales growth. In this episode, Rick Ducey, Managing Director of BIA, and Senan Mele, VP of Forecasting and Data Analysis, welcome Jay Loeffler, Chief Sales Officer at Valpak. Together, they explore how data-driven planning is revolutionizing local advertising, providing a single source of intelligence that makes ad buying smarter. 

If rapid advertising growth is on your radar, you’ll want to tune in—this conversation provides a roadmap. 

Here are some highlights from the discussion:  

• The advertising landscape is shifting from traditional CPM to effective CPM, which focuses on cost after cutting out the waste. Jay shares an interesting case study about a garage door brand that saw a sevenfold increase in engagement by strategically targeting single-family homes with tailored offers. 
• Jay emphasizes the enduring role of linear TV, alongside the growth of connected TV and digital out-of-home advertising.  
• Additionally, Jay explains how small businesses can leverage aggregated data to gain better insights and develop more effective marketing strategies. 
• Senan shares BIA’s forecast for 2026, highlighting flexible budgeting, the shift from upfront media buys to backloading strategies, and the importance of incorporating non-digital touchpoints. 

The podcast concludes with a strategic guide: share CRM data with trusted partners, establish a weekly optimization schedule, use effective CPM as your planning metric, and develop a multi-channel strategy that enhances the entire customer journey, not just the final click.  

Curious to learn more about effective CPM? Visit www.Valpak.com/BIA. And if you bring a month’s worth of CRM data, Jay and his team will help you develop a tailored plan. 

Enjoying the episode? Don’t forget to follow the podcast, share it, and leave us a review.   

"Even with economic uncertainty, there is an opportunity to step up as leaders in our respective industries to guide our advertising partners with critical information to maximize spend and help them win at a critical time." Jay Loeffler, Chief Sales Officer, Valpak

In this timely podcast, Jay Loeffler, CSO at Valpak, discusses the challenges local businesses face due to tariffs, inflation, and rising costs with BIA's Managing Director, Rick Ducey.

During their conversation, Jay provides insights from Valpak's 2025 Local Business Economic Outlook Survey, which measures the impact of macroeconomic uncertainties on businesses and how they are adapting.

One of the key takeaways is that businesses are not merely raising prices in response to inflation; they are reimagining their value propositions, exploring new channels, and utilizing data in innovative ways. This shift creates significant opportunities for media.

Jay explains that small businesses are increasingly leveraging data insights not just for marketing, but also for broader operational strategies, such as choosing new locations and optimizing inventory. This trend is supported by findings indicating that 61% of small business owners expect revenue growth, and 78% plan to increase their marketing efforts.

Jay emphasized that direct mail can achieve a 93% open rate when paired with digital touchpoints. Valpak has built a comprehensive stack containing billions of household attributes. Using this data, Valpak is tailoring multi-touch engagements through TV, radio, mail, and streaming to allow businesses to connect with consumers when and where they prefer to be reached. Valpak is currently partnering with companies like Paramount, Disney, and iHeart to improve reach.

This podcast offers enlightening insights around navigating today's local media landscape. Plus, for the full Economic Survey, visit Valpak.com/bia. 

Did you know that broadcast datacasting, which started with closed captioning, now plays a vital role in public safety and emergency communications? SpectraRep, an affiliate of BIA, has pioneered datacasting and is developing a nationwide wireless network for public safety, emergency management, remote learning, and more. 

In this podcast, SpectraRep’s COO, John McCoskey, and CTO, George Molnar, discuss how datacasting has evolved from analog to digital, and now reaches over 200 million people in the U.S. They share how it supports first responders, enhances emergency management, and improves earthquake early warning systems on the West Coast, delivering lifesaving alerts in seconds. By utilizing both ATSC-1 and ATSC-3 technologies, datacasting provides a reliable solution for significant communication challenges. 

Listen now to see how broadcasters are stepping up the opportunity to help protect and secure their local communities. For questions or to connect with the SpectraRep team, please contact [email protected] and visit www.spectrarep.com.

Industry experts Steve Passwaiter (Silver Oak Political), Nicole Ovadia (BIA), and Paige Albiniak (TVNewsCheck) dissect the 2024 election aftermath in this insightful podcast. 

Tune in to:

• Identify unexpected twists and crucial shifts in voter behavior
• Understand the rising influence of Connected TV, OTT, and podcast appearances
• Learn how earned media shapes voter opinion
• Analyze how fundraising powerhouses like Whitmer, Newsom, and DeSantis are potentially rewriting the rules
• Consider how a shifting FCC landscape might reshape the political battlefield

Don't miss these hard-won insights. Tune in now to fuel insights for the pivotal 2026 midterms and 2028 election.

Correction: While mentioned as $2.0 billion in the podcast, BIA's Nicole Ovadia reports the actual CTV/OTT advertising spend for the 2024 election was $1.1 billion.

In the digital age, direct mail is adapting to remain a powerful force in local advertising. In this episode, Valpak's CRO, Jay Loeffler, joins BIA's Nicole Ovadia to discuss how Valpak is combining targeted Connected TV/Over-the-Top ads with personalized mailers for a data-driven approach to helping Advertisers achieve their goals. This strategy is crucial as BIA's 2025 forecast predicts direct mail will claim 20% of the $171 billion ad spend. To stay competitive, Valpak is emphasizing cross-media marketing as a "data company." 

Jay shares insights into opportunities with real estate, retail, and restaurant advertisers. In particular, he discusses the restaurant industry's focus on top-of-the-funnel advertising, highlighting Wendy's success with Valpak's mailers. He also discusses retail's shift to offline channels amid digital overload and how partners like Discovery+ and iHeart use Valpak’s MyBlue Insights to optimize campaign effectiveness.

As Jay and Nicole discuss, in 2025 ROI will be vital. Valpak's 2024 survey found that 54% of businesses are worried about cash flow next year, yet 43% will maintain ad spend. Savvy advertising solutions will be critical to capture these dollars.

This episode is a must-listen for brand and media leaders examining local opportunities. Plus, get insights into what business leaders are planning for advertising in the latest survey available at valpak.com/bia.

In our latest podcast episode, BIA's Nicole Ovadia and Rick Ducey delve into key topics from our recent RAB webinar on local radio opportunities. They explore the impact of geofencing on advertising strategies, the ongoing influence of radio in political campaigns and small market opportunities as compare to large markets.

Rick provides insights on how geofencing enables stations to deliver targeted ads, citing relevant examples such as Chuck E. Cheese's localized efforts in San Francisco. Nicole and Rick then analyze radio's enduring role as a trusted medium in political advertising and identify the business verticals driving revenue growth in smaller markets.

This episode offers valuable perspectives for those interested in the future of local radio. Discover how adopting the latest technologies can position stations for success in a changing media landscape. As BIA continues to collaborate with RAB and local radio sellers, we look forward to exploring more opportunities for growth and innovation.

Political ads are dominating Connected TV (CTV) and Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms. On this episode, BIA’s Nicole Ovadia welcomes Rich Crone, Director of Political at Jamloop, to discuss how campaigns use streaming data to precision-target voters. With BIA projecting $11.7 billion in 2024 political ad spending, CTV/OTT is getting more of the increased ad spend. 

Crone breaks down the Biden-Harris and Trump-MAGA campaigns' strategies, showing how redistricting and voter apathy impact spending. Crone also highlights how the flexibility and precision of CTV and OTT makes them ideal for campaigns and unique ballot initiatives that seek to hit specific voter segments. Hear about what’s happening in Nebraska, Montana, and other pivotal battlegrounds, where CTV and OTT platforms are proving invaluable as traditional media saturates. Tune in to hear about the shifting landscape of local political advertising.

Sponsored by JamLoop: JamLoop is the leading CTV advertising platform for political campaigns of all sizes to launch within 24 hrs. Reach your local audiences fast, whether it’s for municipal, county, state, or nationwide campaigns. Advanced data segmentation gives you immediate access to targeting key voters across 1200+ segments, 300+ premium CTV publishers, at a zip code level - combined with real-time tracking and optimization. Learn more at www.jamloop.com. 

The 2024 election landscape is anything but constant. Recent changes at the top of the Democratic ticket, the assassination attempts, and key non-presidential races are impacting local political advertising spend. Get much needed clarity from BIA’s Nicole Ovadia, VP Forecasting and Analysis, and Steve Passwaiter, President of Silver Oak Political, in this podcast episode.

Listen as Nicole and Steve discuss:

• BIA’s new (and increased) political ad forecast projections driven by heightened fundraising. 
• How Kamala Harris might utilize inherited campaign funds differently from the Biden campaign.
• Financial dynamics of pivotal Senate races in Montana, Ohio, and Arizona, and their effects on voter turnout.
• Importance of traditionally blue and swing states and why the Ohio Senate race could break spending records.
• Growing influence of state Supreme Court and legislative races on local political advertising.

This episode touches on the evolving landscape of political advertising, and sets the stage for the next episode, where trends in CTV and OTT political spending will be explored. 

Get ready for the most expensive election season in history! With political ad spending projected to hit a staggering $11.1 billion according to BIA estimates, the 2024 races are shaping up to be a financial frenzy. Steve Passwaiter, the president of Silver Oak Political, is joining forces with BIA's Forecasting VP, Nicole Ovadia, to make sense of it all. From the factors fueling the spending spree to the daily shifts in where campaigns are placing their ad dollars, they dive into it all. As Passwaiter says, “Buckle up – it's going to be a wild ride!”

The 2024 NAB Show in Vegas put a spotlight on the seismic shifts happening in broadcasting media. Capture the optimism and excitement for what’s happening in this episode as BIA’s Christina Hurley, Rick Ducey, and Nicole Ovadia unpack their key takeaways and offer their optimism around the industry’s readiness to embrace new technologies.

The BIA team discusses how ATSC3 and AI implementation is moving from buzzwords to real-world applications. They also examine the auto industry and the advanced tech vying for space in the complex dashboard arena. Plus they discuss the new possibilities for radio in light of the FCC’s approval of over-the-air geotargeting for FM stations. At the heart of it all, Christina, Nicole and Rick explain that we are witnessing the integration of advanced technologies that are driving a significant evolution of audience behaviors and advertiser expectations simultaneously. This excitement has captured the industry’s attention and definitely won’t stay in Vegas!

The episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of media, technology, and community.