There have been a lot of changes at Adelaide’s Mix 102.3 over the past year or so, with the Ali Clarke Breakfast Show recently celebrating one year on air. Behind the scenes, partners and advertisers with ARN Adelaide have come along for the ride, bringing their offering to listeners across the city.
Mediaweek took a trip to the Adelaide ARN studios to chat with ARN Adelaide agency sales director and market lead, Sonia Russo, about her role and what 2023 looks like for brands working with Mix 102.3.
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Sonia Russo
It’s been a bumpy time for every industry, and looking back on the last few years, Russo says that sales have been no exception.
“From a sales perspective, it has been challenging because there hasn’t been a lot of insight or forward planning off the back of Covid. It’s been challenging to know what’s coming up or to plan for budgets.”
“The market has changed, so it’s about managing expectations with your sales team to be able to ride those waves, but also to know that there are definitely opportunities out there and seeking them out. We just have to be more fluid than we were in the past, and that’s most businesses as well.”
In the final radio ratings survey of 2022, Mix 102.3 finished the year with the #1 10+ share in Adelaide, rising 0.3 points to take an 11.8% share.
“The strength of Mix 102.3 has always been the music format,” says Russo. “We’ve got a really strong across-the-day format as well, and it doesn’t matter who’s been on breakfast, across the day really remains strong.
“Ali attracts females, so our strength is definitely females 25-54, that’s our target.”
It’s been just over 12 months since the Ali Clarke Breakfast Show switched the mics on at Mix 102.3. Russo says that as people have gotten to know the show, the response from clients and the market have been positive.
“In the beginning, it was difficult. Adelaide can sometimes get really hung up on liking what they like and knowing who they know. But Ali has been in the industry for such a long time, and worked at ARN quite a few years ago so the market is very familiar with her, which helps. As time has gone on, the audience has definitely grown with Ali and the changes that have come with that.
“There are a lot of changes in this market across all the networks, and the current feedback is really positive, which is great. It’s a fun show, they’ve got confidence in her and what she delivers. You’ve got Shane Lowe, who has also had experience here, and Max [Burford] just adds a different element. They allow opportunities for clients to partner with us when they probably never had before.”
Every market has its own quirks and aspects that make it unique. Russo says that when working in Adelaide, it’s important to remember that you tend to talk to the same people over and over” due to the side of the market, and that “ you really want to be able to give them something different.”
“Radio and audio are so dynamic, there’s always something different to talk to the market about. So we’ve got to be mindful of that, and make sure that the team is also invigorated with what we’ve got to offer – but also what the market has got to offer.
“There are some real hidden gem clients out there, and it’s about discovering those. We want to make sure that there’s no wear out factor from a market perspective, and that we’ve got the best service in the market for our clients and agencies.”
Looking ahead, Russo says that the team have goals for both within the business and for the Mix 102.3 clients.
“What we would really like to focus on as a business unit here in Adelaide is making sure we’ve got a really good culture and people love coming to work. We offer flexibility and all those great benefits, but it’s really about working together to achieve all our goals – which are more ratings, more revenue, etc.
“From a marketing perspective, that’s definitely one of our goals this year. The other one is really uncovering opportunities in the market, but also showcasing all the opportunities that we’ve got to offer at ARN. There are so many things from a digital perspective that we offer that people just aren’t aware of – we have in-game audio, podcasts, and CADA. There’s just so much scope to what we offer.”
Russo started with ARN as Adelaide agency account manager in 2009. Looking back at the 14 years that have passed since then, notes just how much the audio industry has evolved, and how it’s kept her interest.
“When I first started in what was just radio, I was selling 30 second commercials, and maybe a street crew at a promotion. That was it. This is probably why I’ve been here for so long – radio is just so dynamic, and the evolution of audio has just really kept me interested because it’s so exciting. The things that we can do, are really unlimited.
“I think it comes down to the creativity of people and how you can use audio. Now we’re chasing audience, aligning with influencers, and there’s the social aspect. None of that existed 14 years ago.”