This made me mad

Competition is a great thing; it generally makes everybody who is competing better. Sometimes, however, a competitor's attack can sting, or downright make you mad, especially when it's so misleading.

As a positioning/branding strategy, the only time you mention – let alone attack – a competitor is when they are doing better than you and the strategy is to try and exploit their weaknesses for your own gains. So, in that sense, we can appreciate the fact that this competitor regards us so highly that they must attack.

Admittedly, this is not the normal "sales tip" content, but as soon as we received this email from SiriusXM, the RAB team went to work curating the facts that you need in the event an advertiser, friend or even a stranger asks you about satellite radio.

Note the subject line: Who still listens to AM/FM radio? Let's answer that question and compare it to the paid-subscription model:

Radio reaches 218M people 18+ weekly as compared to Sirius XM's 34M subscribers. (Sources: Nielsen, RADAR 153, June 2022; SXM Q1 2022 Results)

Radio reaches 93% of adults every month compared to satellite radio at 13%. (Source: Nielsen Audio Today 2022, June 2022)

51% of radio listeners state that their connection with radio is a main reason why they listen and 62% of radio listeners state that radio's on-air personalities are a main reason why they listen. (Source: Jacobs Media, Techsurvey 2022)

With over 15,000 local radio stations providing live and on-demand content 24/7 across a variety of formats, languages and platforms, radio delivers what the consumers want, whenever they want it. (Source: FCC, December 2021)

Radio is trusted more than any other media.

Radio doesn't just reach the community; it is woven into the fabric of a community. Radio stations bring consumers together and motivates them to act.

Radio is essential to consumers and communities. Time after time, when disaster strikes, radio stations are "on the ground" and are often the first and only source to provide timely information and provide the support to the communities it serves.

Your local radio station is FREE.

Now if a client, friend or family member gets a solicitation from a paid-subscription service that boasts of being better than radio, you know the truth.

Your local broadcasters provide you with the content, the local information, the involvement in your community and the support in times of need like they have for over 100 years. When the next tragedy strikes in your community, it will be local radio who provides life-saving support. When volunteers are needed to address an issue in the community it will be local broadcasters organizing the effort. No subscription needed.

Admittedly, I started this tip because I was angry at the attack and felt we needed to fight back and land a few jabs of our own. The reality is, that we should be flattered that we are so highly esteemed by our friends at SiriusXM that they felt the need to attack. The facts are the facts: Radio dominates the audio landscape.

Jeff Schmidt is SVP-Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can reach Jeff at jeff.Schmidt@Rab.com or follow him on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn.