Audio vs Video: Navigating Marketing Mediums in SA

Choosing the Right Medium for Effective Business Communication.

2023 marked a significant milestone in South African broadcasting history, a century since the introduction of radio to the country. This fact got me wondering: after so many years of evolution for both radio and television content sharing, which medium is the best bet for a business looking to boost its marketing?

The increased access to the internet and smartphones has allowed South Africans to turn to digital audio formats such as online radio and podcasts, which have shown tremendous growth over recent years. On an average day, close to 23 million South Africans listen to a radio station. As of 2023, there are a staggering 464.7 million podcast listeners across the globe according to an article by (Ruby, 2023), and podcasting revenue grew by 30.4% in South Africa.

Creating audio content provides marketers with the opportunity to influence a very large audience. Audio content is more engaging and intimate, thus being more influential. The costs of creating audio content are also relatively cheap. These cost benefits are also enjoyed by consumers of audio content, as even digital audio platforms do not use a lot of data.

The most-watched television show in the country is SABC 1’s Uzalo, with over 5 million viewers daily. Netflix, which is the most used streaming service in South Africa, has just over 300,000 subscribers, whilst Amazon Prime is estimated to have around 100,000 South African subscribers. YouTube, an online video-sharing and social media platform, has the largest potential advertising audience in the country, with Google having reported close to 26 million users of the platform. More South Africans are creating content on YouTube.

Although the audience is not as huge as that of digital audio, most marketers prefer visual advertising. Visual advertising makes your brand more memorable and is a great way to build brand awareness, as it allows people to quickly recognize your logo and product. People are always changing the way they learn information, and these changes are mostly based on convenience; radio and other audio content-sharing platforms offer more convenience compared to video-shared content. People can listen to the audio content anywhere at any time.

In conclusion, the answer to the question of the better medium for sharing content won’t be the same for all marketers. The best choice will be influenced by who your target audience is and what exactly you want to communicate. For an already established brand or a business that is advertising a service, creating audio content would be the best option. For new brands looking to achieve brand recognition, more visual marketing and promotional tactics would be their best bet.