That’s a question Gordon Borrell and his Borrell Associates advisory firm tackled in a 2026 forecast-filled webinar held Monday.
What’s the big takeaway for broadcast radio and television, as advertisers continue to see digital video solutions and their hypertargeting efforts as an affordable and effective choice?
The answer was delivered to ad agencies and owners of radio stations, magazines and newspapers, with TV and cable representing some 15% of those participating in the webinar.
AI’s impact on local advertising is the biggest query among those who sat it on the webinar, while attribution, measurement and proving ROI was second.
Shifts in the media mix are also of interest to those eager to learn more about SMB ad trends was also noted, as are behavior patterns of local advertisers.
Borrell Associates Executive VP of Local Market Intelligence Corey Elliott joined Gordon Borrell to discuss their analysis, which is built around the finding that there’s been a spike in the percentage of small and mid-sized businesses planning to curtail ad budgets. “The new reading is comparable to that seen at the height of the pandemic,” Borrell Associates said, even as retail sales and food services are up 4%. For Borrell Associates, that represents “healthy” improvement.
Elliott shared a graph demonstrating the growth in U.S. monthly retail sales. The data seem to suggest there’s no downturn. Yet, RBR+TVBR market observations in December point to a significant downturn in travel in such destinations as Kennedy Space Center and Las Vegas, as well as in Palm Beach County, Fla. Thus, could there be an uneven and rather disparate trend in discretional spending among Americans that has emerged? Yes, Borrell data show, with a spike among SMBs surveyed believing the economy will worsen, noting pessimism is on the rise.
What does all of this mean for Radio, and to a lesser extend Television, which has faded as an SMB opportunity in all but the smaller markets due to cost-per-point?
Hammering the disadvantages of digital is one solution, as Borrell Associates noted some one-third of advertising bought through programmatic by SMBs is getting wasted due to third-party handling.
Lastly, “Audio is clearly a standout,” and when combined with video it is a local level opportunity, Elliott shared at the conclusion of the webinar.
